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Affordable Use of Satellite Imagery in Agriculture and Development Projects: Assessing the Spatial Distribution of Invasive Weeds in the UNESCO-Protected Areas of Cuba

Author

Listed:
  • Eduardo Moreno

    (Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva, Av. de las Fuerzas Armadas, S/N, 21071 Huelva, Spain)

  • Alberto Zabalo

    (Departamento Ciencias Agroforestales, Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieria, Universidad de Huelva, Av. de las Fuerzas Armadas, S/N, 21071 Huelva, Spain)

  • Encarnacion Gonzalez

    (Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva, Av. de las Fuerzas Armadas, S/N, 21071 Huelva, Spain)

  • Reinaldo Alvarez

    (Departamento de Agronomia, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad de Sancti Spiritus “Jose Marti”, Av. de los Martires, 360, Sancti Spiritus, Cuba)

  • Victor Manuel Jimenez

    (Institute of Geography, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Circuito de la Investigacion Cientifica, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de Mexico 04510, Mexico)

  • Julio Menendez

    (Departamento Ciencias Agroforestales, Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieria, Universidad de Huelva, Av. de las Fuerzas Armadas, S/N, 21071 Huelva, Spain)

Abstract

The effective and regular remote monitoring of agricultural activity is not always possible in developing countries because the access to cloud-based geospatial analysis platforms or expensive high-resolution satellite images are not always available. Herein, using paid high-resolution satellite images first and then free medium-resolution satellite images, we aimed to develop a cost-free, affordable method for regularly mapping the spatial distribution of sicklebush ( Dichrostachys cinerea ), an archetypal allochthonous invasive plant in Cuba that is becoming impossible to control owing to its rapid growth in areas planted with sugar cane in the Trinidad-Valle de los Ingenios area (Cuba), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Two types of images were used (WorldView-2 and Landsat-8); these were subjected to supervised classification, with accuracy values of 88.7% and 93.7%, respectively. Vegetation cover was first derived from the purchased WorldView-2 image, and this information was then used as the training field to obtain spectral signatures from the Landsat-8 free image so that Landsat images may be regularly used to monitor D. cinerea infestations. The results obtained in the spatial distribution map for sicklebush in the Landsat-8 images had an overall reliability of 93.7% and a Kappa coefficient reliability of 91.9%. These values indicate high confidence in the results, which suggests that sicklebush has invaded 52.7% of the total 46,807.26-ha area of the Trinidad-Valle de los Ingenios. This process proved extremely effective and demonstrated the benefits of using high-resolution spatial images from which information can be transferred to free satellite images with a larger pixel size.

Suggested Citation

  • Eduardo Moreno & Alberto Zabalo & Encarnacion Gonzalez & Reinaldo Alvarez & Victor Manuel Jimenez & Julio Menendez, 2021. "Affordable Use of Satellite Imagery in Agriculture and Development Projects: Assessing the Spatial Distribution of Invasive Weeds in the UNESCO-Protected Areas of Cuba," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-17, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:11:y:2021:i:11:p:1057-:d:666611
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sudhanshu S. Panda & Thomas H. Terrill & Ajit K. Mahapatra & Brian Kelly & Eric R. Morgan & Jan A. van Wyk, 2020. "Site-Specific Forage Management of Sericea Lespedeza: Geospatial Technology-Based Forage Quality and Yield Enhancement Model Development," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-17, September.
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