(SAR) to Support Agricultural Monitoring 2 - Group on Earth ...

International GEO Workshop on <strong>SAR</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Support</strong> <strong>Agricultural</strong> Moni<strong>to</strong>ring
1. Background
On 16 – 18 July 2007, the second IGOL (Integrated Global Observations for Land)/ GEO
(<strong>Group</strong> on Earth Observations) workshop convened at the headquarters of the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome <strong>to</strong> develop a strategy for global agricultural
moni<strong>to</strong>ring in the framework of GEO. At that meeting, the participants representing twentyfive
national and international organizations established the ‘GEOSS/IGOL <strong>Agricultural</strong>
Moni<strong>to</strong>ring Community of Practice’. The workshop reviewed the current state of agricultural
moni<strong>to</strong>ring and revised the GEO worplan <strong>Agricultural</strong> Moni<strong>to</strong>ring Task (AG-07-03). A
strong case was made for increased attention <strong>to</strong> the emerging <strong>SAR</strong> (synthetic aperture radar)
capabilities for agricultural moni<strong>to</strong>ring. There was a perceived need for a community
workshop <strong>to</strong> develop a consensus on current capabilities and the future role of <strong>SAR</strong> data in
the Ag 0703 Task.
In response <strong>to</strong> this view, the Canadian <strong>Group</strong> on Earth Observations (CGEO) joined with the
Government of Canada and other sponsors <strong>to</strong> organize the International GEO Workshop on
<strong>SAR</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Support</strong> <strong>Agricultural</strong> Moni<strong>to</strong>ring in Kananaskis, Alberta on 2 – 4 November 2009.
This workshop purpose was <strong>to</strong> bring <strong>to</strong>gether remote sensing experts and resource managers
who map agricultural land cover and land use; moni<strong>to</strong>r changes in the agricultural land base;
identify crops and estimate crop area; qualitatively and quantitatively assess crop condition;
and moni<strong>to</strong>r properties related <strong>to</strong> water availability such as soil moisture <strong>to</strong> provide a forum
for discussion of how <strong>to</strong> advance the use of <strong>SAR</strong> for agricultural moni<strong>to</strong>ring.
The workshop was organized <strong>to</strong> identify and communicate the information and operational
needs of the agricultural user community <strong>to</strong> facilitate coordinated access <strong>to</strong> Earth observation
data. A “by invitation” training session was organized, targeted <strong>to</strong>wards participants from
developing countries, and it preceded the workshop from 31 Oc<strong>to</strong>ber – 1 November.
The goal of the workshop was <strong>to</strong> state clearly and strongly the Earth Observation
requirements of the international agriculture community and the strategies needed <strong>to</strong> promote
the use of <strong>SAR</strong> for agricultural moni<strong>to</strong>ring, in the context of science, research, operations and
capacity.
The specific objectives of the workshop were <strong>to</strong>:
1. Increase understanding of the capabilities of <strong>SAR</strong> for agricultural moni<strong>to</strong>ring;
2. Share best practices with respect <strong>to</strong> processing, analysis and modeling of <strong>SAR</strong>
data for agricultural mapping and moni<strong>to</strong>ring;
3. Increase awareness of software <strong>to</strong>ols, applications and processes for the effective
use of <strong>SAR</strong> for agricultural moni<strong>to</strong>ring;
4. Build capacity within the agricultural user community <strong>to</strong> exploit <strong>SAR</strong> data,
especially in developing countries; and
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