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Wehmanen, O. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Wehmanen, O. A..

Using Landsat digital data to detect moisture stress in corn-soybean growing regions

As a part of a follow-on study to the moisture stress detection effort conducted in the Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE), a technique utilizing transformed Landsat digital data was evaluated for detecting moisture stress in humid growing regions using sample segments from Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. At known growth stages of corn and soybeans, segments were classified as undergoing moisture stress or not undergoing stress. The remote-sensing-based information was compared to a weekly ground-based index (Crop Moisture Index). This comparison demonstrated that the remote sensing technique could be used to monitor the growing conditions within a region where corn and soybeans are the major crop.

Thompson, D. R.

Pure pixel classification software

Programs are described which permit classification runs with the LARSYS software to be made on images which have the ground truth field boundaries removed.

Wehmanen, O. A.

Application of LANDSAT digital data for monitoring drought

A technique utilizing transformed LANDSAT digital data for detection of agricultural vegetative water stress was developed during the 1976 South Dakota drought, and expanded to the U.S. Great Plains the following year to evaluate its effectiveness in detecting and monitoring vegetative stress water stress over large areas. This technique, the green index number (GIN), indicated when the vegetation within a segment was undergoing stress. Segments were classified as either moisture-stressed or normal using remote sensing techniques combined with a knowledge of crop condition. The remote sensing-based information was compared to a weekly ground-based index (the crop moisture index) provided by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce. The approaches used and the results from the GIN monitoring program are presented.

Thompson, D. R.

Using Landsat digital data to detect moisture stress

A technique utilizing transformed Landsat digital data for detection of agricultural drought was empirically defined during the 1976 South Dakota drought. During 1977, the procedure was expanded to the Great Plains for evaluation as a technique for detecting and monitoring vegetative water stress over large areas. The technique, Green Index Number (GIN), uses Landsat digital data from 5 by 6 nautical mile sampling frames (segments) to indicate when the vegetation within the segment is undergoing drought. At known growth stages for wheat, segments were classified as drought or non-drought areas. The remote-sensing-based information was compared to a weekly ground-based index (Crop Moisture Index) provided by the United States Department of Commerce. This comparison demonstrated a high degree of agreement between the 18-day remote sensing technique and the ground-based weekly data. Maps based on GIN of parts of the USSR and Australia were produced with a two-week lag and later compared with other crop assessments of crop conditions in these areas. These maps were judged to be in general agreement with the other data sources.

Thompson, D. R.

Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE). Detecting and monitoring agricultural vegetative water stress over large areas using LANDSAT digital data

The author has identified the following significant results. The Green Number Index technique which uses LANDSAT digital data from 5X6 nautical mile sampling frames was expanded to evaluate its usefulness in detecting and monitoring vegetative water stress over the Great Plains. At known growth stages for wheat, segments were classified as drought or non drought. Good agreement was found between the 18 day remotely sensed data and a weekly ground-based crop moisture index. Operational monitoring of the 1977 U.S.S.R. and Australian wheat crops indicated drought conditions. Drought isoline maps produced by the Green Number Index technique were in good agreement with conventional sources.

Thompson, D. R.

Performance tests of signature extension algorithms

Comparative tests were performed on seven signature extension algorithms to evaluate their effectiveness in correcting for changes in atmospheric haze and sun angle in a LANDSAT scene. Four of the algorithms were cluster matching, and two were maximum likelihood algorithms. The seventh algorithm determined the haze level in both training and recognition segments and used a set of tables calculated from an atmospheric model to determine the affine transformation that corrects the training signatures for changes in sun angle and haze level. Three of the algorithms were tested on a simulated data set, and all of the algorithms were tested on consecutive-day data.

Abotteen, R. A.

The use of Landsat digital data to detect and monitor vegetation water deficiencies

In the Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment a technique was devised using a vector transformation of Landsat digital data to indicate when vegetation is undergoing moisture stress. A relation was established between the remote-sensing-based criterion (the Green Index Number) and a ground-based criterion (Crop Moisture Index).

Thompson, D. R.