Marife Kung Villareal, Marlowe Edgar C. Burce
Sugar cane is one of the major agricultural crops in the Philippines. However, there is a problem in fully identifying areas with sugar cane because the plantation varies in its location and size as well. Large or small areas are scattered in different parts of the region. Sugar cane crops need to be identified so that it would be easier for the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), a government agency that monitors sugar cane crops in the Philippines to identify the areas in case problem occurs especially if there are pest attacks in the plantation. It has been a challenge among agricultural technicians to find an effective means of identifying areas with sugar cane due to its wide range of coverage in a scattered manner. It is important for SRA to have a land cover classification map in order to monitor sugar cane areas in the country. The objective of this study is to develop a methodology to create a land cover classification map for sugar cane crops. Remote sensing is one of the tools used in resource mapping in which LiDAR's elevation data are valuable to improve identification and delineation of remotely-sensed data. This tool is used to identify sugar cane in a particular area. To determine its extent and coverage in the study area, this study utilized orthophotos and LiDAR derived datasets and applied Object-based Image Analysis (OBIA) using Support Vector Machine algorithm. The classified image was then validated on site and the classification accuracy yielded 98.4%. Through the integration of the LiDAR data paired with orthophoto and the softwares used in the classification process and verification as well as doing the fieldwork using the handheld GPS, this study was able to demonstrate a method and create a land cover classification map in identifying the sugar cane crops and its growth stages.
Engineering Program, Department of Computer Engineering, University of San Carlos Talamban Campus, Nasipit, Talamban, Cebu, Philippines; College of Engineering and Design, Silliman University, Dumaguete City, Philippines
