Assessment of spectral-temporal dynamics for mapping the main summer crops in the Rio Grande do Sul State

This study aimed to develop a low-cost method for mapping summer crops in the Rio Grande do Sul State, from the spectral-temporal behavior of vegetation indices and the HAND Model. The study was conducted in the Rio Grande do Sul State in the 2011/2012 harvest. It was used EVI images from the MODIS sensor and SRTM data. To evaluate the results, we used field data and IBGE data and a reference map elaborated with RapidEye images. The results of the MODIS classification and the IBGE data generated a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.98 for rice and 0.89 for soybeans. Validation with data collected in the field, irrigated rice obtained a Kappa coefficient of 0.66 and soybean, 0.61. In the Fuzzy similarity analysis, the irrigated rice achieved a similarity of 87% and soybean, 81%. Therefore, multi-temporal MODIS data, combined with the delineation of flood areas, using the HAND model, allow to estimate the area planted with the main summer crops in the Rio Grande do Sul State.