The extent of land suffering
from salinisation is estimated to be around 200 million
hectares worldwide. The area affected is increasing at
an alarmingly rapid rate.
The extent of land suffering from salinisation is estimated to
be around 200 million hectares worldwide. The area affected is increasing
at an alarmingly rapid rate.
While Australia and indeed the world begin the heavy task of trying
to remediate these lands, GecOz is leading the way with SaltSAR.
Our patented and award winning method for extracting salinity levels
from SAR images results in soil salinity maps which are invaluable:
- for
the farmer physically working and managing an individual property
- for
an irrigation board attempting to adjust irrigation volumes in
specific areas;
- for
State and National authorities prioritizing funding and assessing
the effectiveness of previous funding regimes.
Data collection:
Remote sensing uses the electromagnetic energy reflected or emitted
by all objects to acquire information about the Earth’s surface
without actually being in contact with it. Synthetic Aperture Radar
(SAR) sensors, attached to a satellite or, more commonly, to a fixed-wing
plane, send out a microwave signal and build an image from the electromagnetic
energy (radiation) reflected back. SaltSAR is the process of extracting
soil salinity maps from SAR images.
Using SAR sensors to collect soil salinity data offers a number
of immediate benefits:
- Data
can be acquired under any climatic conditions
-
Data can be acquired at any time of the day or night
-
Data collection yields a high spatial resolution
- Data
can be acquired rapidly – each “swath” (or fly-over)
collects data for a 10-15 kilometre continuous strip, allowing
a million hectares to be mapped per day
- The
sensors measure surface salinity directly, assuring high accuracy
Product benefits:
Accurate identification of exact concentrations of salinity.
SaltSAR measures near-surface salinity (salinity within 0-1
meters of the surface – the “root zone”). Salinity
within this zone directly affects agricultural production and
surface water quality. SaltSAR’s ability to measure near-surface
salinity allows improved targeting of salinity treatments and
enhances agricultural productivity through better crop planning
and management of existing farm enterprises.
Increased spatial resolution
SaltSAR uses data collected on a ‘continuous’ basis,
rather than on a point-by-point basis (as is the case for ground-based
mapping). As such, SaltSAR accurately maps salinity for the entire
area, rather than points within it.
This capability enables more effective monitoring/remediation
and better targeting of resources for preserving biodiversity
and managing nature reserves/public estates. It also ensures that
infrastructure assets are built in appropriate locations and reduces
the cost of infrastructure repairs and maintenance
Rapid data acquisition
As SaltSAR collects data using remote sensing techniques, data
acquisition is very rapid. A one million hectare area can be mapped
in less than one (1) day, rather than the 2-3 months required
for other remote sensing and ground-based mapping/surveying techniques.
In addition to dramatically reducing labour costs, this capability
minimises the “lead time” between the commissioning
of a mapping engagement and the availability of a salinity map
for planning/implementation phases.
Above: SaltSAR maps can cover as
large an area as a Landsat image (above)
but enough detail to zoom into a single paddocks (right) to locate
problem areas.
Read the frequently asked questions (FAQs)
on SaltSAR.
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