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Macdonald, R. B.

Publications and source records attributed to Macdonald, R. B..

32 records · Page 2

The Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment

Determination of wheat acreages in the central U.S., as well as the development and testing of yield models, is discussed in the framework of the Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE). Particular attention is given to the goal of obtaining a 90% accuracy in yield forecasts in nine out of ten years. Current results of LACIE indicate that Landsat remote sensing data, in conjunction with information from agricultural meteorological surveys, can provide highly accurate early-season and at-harvest yield estimates in the principal wheat-growing regions of the world.

Macdonald, R. B.↗

The Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE)

A Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE) was undertaken to prove out an economically important application of remote sensing from space. The experiment focused upon determination of wheat acreages in the U.S. Great Plains and upon the development and testing of yield models. The results and conclusions are presented.

Macdonald, R. B.↗

The use of LANDSAT data in a Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment /LACIE/

A Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE) has been undertaken jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the Department of Commerce and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to prove out an economically important application of remote sensing from space. At the outset LACIE will concentrate on wheat grown in the North American area. The experiment will combine crop area measurements obtained from LANDSAT data and meteorological information from NOAA satellites and from ground stations designed to relate weather conditions to yield assessment and ultimately to production forecasts. The Department of Agriculture will study the utilization of the experimentally derived production estimates in its crop reports. These reports are made public as a routine service to the domestic and international agriculture community. If this activity is successful and the results prove useful the application will be extended to other regions and ultimately to other crops.

Macdonald, R. B.↗

The Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment /LACIE/ - An assessment after one year of operation

A Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE) has been undertaken jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the Department of Commerce and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to prove out an economically important application of remote sensing from space. The first phase of the Experiment, which focused upon determinations of wheat area in the U.S. Great Plains and upon the development and testing of yield models, is now nearing completion. The system implemented to handle and analyze the Landsat and meteorological data has generally worked well and met operational goals. A very preliminary assessment of results to date indicates that the accuracy goals of the experiment can be met.

Macdonald, R. B.↗

Agriculture, forestry, range resources

The necessary elements to perform global inventories of agriculture, forestry, and range resources are being brought together through the use of satellites, sensors, computers, mathematics, and phenomenology. Results of ERTS-1 applications in these areas, as well as soil mapping, are described.

Macdonald, R. B.↗

Results of the 1971 Corn Blight Watch experiment.

The objective of the experiment was to evaluate the use of advanced remote sensing techniques to detect the development and spread of southern corn leaf blight during the growing season across the Corn Belt region. The sampling plan involved the selection of the study area, the determination of the flightline, and the determination of a field sample design. Aspects of data acquisition are discussed, giving attention to ground data collection and aerial data collection. Details of data flow are considered along with data analysis procedures and corn blight records. The experiment results are examined, taking into account photointerpretation results, the machine analysis of multispectral scanner data results, the influence of blight on yields, and questions of crop identification.

Macdonald, R. B.↗

Results of the 1971 Corn Blight Watch experiment

Advanced remote sensing techniques are used to: (1)Detect development and spread of corn leaf blight during the growing season; (2) assess the extent and severity of blight infection; (3) assess the impact of blight on corn production; and (4) estimate the applicability of these techniques to similar situations occurring in the future.

Macdonald, R. B.↗

Detection of southern corn leaf blight by remote sensing techniques.

Multispectral photographic and scanner data were collected over western Indiana in August and September 1970, to determine the detectability of southern corn leaf blight by remote sensing. Measurements were made at altitudes of 3000 to 7000 ft. Color, color IR, and multiband black and white photography were collected at altitudes from 3000 to 60,000 ft. Six levels of infection based on the amount of leaf damage were identified in the fields. Three levels of infection were detected with color IR photography by standard photo-interpretive techniques. Up to five levels of infection were distinguished by applying automatic pattern recognition techniques to the multispectral scanner data. The results illustrate the potential of remote sensing techniques in the detection of crop diseases.

Bauer, M. E.↗

Crop, soil, and geological mapping from digitized multispectral satellite photography.

An experimental study was conducted of digitized multispectral satellite photography to seek answers to the following two questions: what are the data handling problems and requirements of converting photographic density measurements to a usable digital form, and what surface features can be distinguished using multispectral data taken at satellite altitudes. Results include the digitization of three multiband black and white photographs and a color infrared photograph, the conversion of the results of digitization to a useful digital form, and several data analysis experiments. As a whole, they encourage the use of multiband photography as a multispectral data collection instrument.

Anuta, P. E.↗

The applications of remote sensing to corn blight detection and crop yield forecasting

Photography revealed the widespread and variable effects of southern corn leaf blight in Indiana. Three levels of severity of the infection could be discerned from good quality color and color infrared photography. As many as five severity levels appeared to be detectable and classifiable with multispectral scanner data and pattern recognition analysis. These conclusions are preliminary in nature, however, having been obtained from a limited amount of good quality scanner data collected over a small geographic area.

Macdonald, R. B.↗

The application of automatic recognition techniques in the Apollo 9 SO-65 experiment

A synoptic feature analysis is reported on Apollo 9 remote earth surface photographs that uses the methods of statistical pattern recognition to classify density points and clusterings in digital conversion of optical data. A computer derived geological map of a geological test site indicates that geological features of the range are separable, but that specific rock types are not identifiable.

Macdonald, R. B.↗