Crop monitoring using X-band SAR interferometry in the lombardy region, Italy

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) interferometry is a useful technique for crop monitoring, especially when height and density are considered. In this study, COSMO-SkyMed X-band multi-temporal data acquired under three look-angles over a large area covering Pavia and Lodi provinces in the Lombardy region (northern Italy), were used for crop assessment through inteferometric coherence analysis. The availability of the data over the growing season in year 2013 (from February to November) made it possible to monitor the growth of two intensive agricultural crops (rice and maize), due to the correlation between X-band interferometric coherence and the crop height. The multi-temporal data were used to monitor the cultivation through repeat-pass interferometry. The capability of the discrimination between rice and maize cultivated parcels was also measured along with evaluating the coherence focusing on the seasonal peak and the cultivation density. The results of this study are intended to be included in a crop monitoring framework which integrates SAR and optical remote sensing techniques. In this framework optical data concentrates on monitoring the growth and discrimination of crops throughout the growing season while SAR data are a complementary source in order for overcoming some weaknesses and acquisition gaps of optical data.