Using High Resolution Satellite Images and GIS Tools to Count Palm Trees in Iraq- Mahmodia as a Case Study

Abstract

In the 20th century, Iraq was one of the most sources of dates in the world, so the dates can be considered as one of the important products which affect the national economy. The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Planning made annual statistical for strategic products, they find that the date production in decreasing in the period between 2004 until 2020, for that these ministries decide to make a national project to count palm trees to study the issue and find solutions. This paper as a pilot project to suggest different methodologies of palm trees counting using geomatics tools like very high-resolution satellite images and Geographic Information Systems, where these techniques can reduce the time and cost comparing with the field counting. Two types of Satellite images used, Pleiades 50 cm and SPOT6 1.5 m resolution, two samples of palm groves were taken dense and sparse and two methods of office counting used manual by drawing points in GIS software and automatic techniques using ERDAS Object Extraction Counting. The results of the study proved that if Pleiades 0.50 m images were used, both counting methods (manual and automated) can be applied, while when using SPOT6 1.5m images only automated method applied.  To assess the results of office counting, field survey counting made for both Palm groves (dense and sparse) the results of field counting set as the reference. The results also showed that the accuracy of counting using 50 cm images reaches more than 90% for automated method and more than 95% in the case of manual counting, while the 1.5 m resolution images give us less accurate results ranging between 61% and 86% depends upon to the dense and sparse grove.