METHOD OF DIFFERENTIATING AND QUANTIFYING AN OLIVE GROVE WITH VEGETATIVE COVERS BY MEANS OF REMOTE SENSING WITH HIGH-RESOLUTION SPACE SENSORS

摘要

The invention relates to a method of differentiating and quantifying an olive grove with vegetative covers by means of remote sensing with high-resolution space sensors. The invention is suitable for use in agriculture and, more specifically, by enterprises providing technical assistance in the field of agriculture or the environment or in relation to public or private agro-environmental audits. The invention essentially consists in using remote sensing techniques in order to perform precise, large-scale monitoring of agricultural producers using conservation techniques in olive groves. Said techniques consist in maintaining vegetative covers between windrows of trees and on bare soil in order to slow the impact of raindrops on the earth, reduce erosion and increase rainwater infiltration. The inventive method provides a highly-precise tool having numerous agro-environmental uses including: 1) to differentiate olive groves with and without vegetative covers over large geographical areas from soils being used for other purposes; 2) to estimate the percentage of cover (or surface area) occupied by individual olive trees and vegetative covers on farm land; 3) to determine entitlement or non-entitlement to aid/subsidies intended to promote conservation techniques in accordance with the different regulations outlined above; and 4) to estimate, on a large scale, the reduction in erosion risk of a farming area in which vegetative covers have been established compared to other areas that have not implemented said agronomic technique.