Classification of crop fields in northeast Thailand based on hydrological characteristics detected by L-band SAR backscatter data

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) backscatter amplitude image data have proven useful in estimating soil moisture levels and in approximating areas of water inundation over large regions. Based on the pattern of seasonal change in the backscatter coefficient at each image pixel, this study classified a variety of crop fields in Northeast Thailand according to their hydrological characteristics. L-band horizontal-transmit horizontal-receive (HH) polarization images from advanced land observing satellite phased array type L-band synthetic aperture radar (ALOS-PALSAR) at six dates from January to December over the rainy season (May to November) in 2007 were used. Fifteen clusters of pixels were generated using the k-means method, with five variables obtained by taking the difference between the backscatter coefficient for the dry season (January) and the other five dates, effectively removing effects of soil surface roughness. As a result, a detailed spatial distribution of hydrological characteristics that accurately reflected topographical features and hydrological conditions was obtained.