Remote sensing for crop mapping: A perspective on current and future crop-specific land cover data products

IF 11.4 1区地球科学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Remote Sensing of Environment Pub Date : 2025-09-02 DOI:10.1016/j.rse.2025.114995

Chen Zhang , Hannah Kerner , Sherrie Wang , Pengyu Hao , Zhe Li , Kevin A. Hunt , Jonathon Abernethy , Haoteng Zhao , Feng Gao , Liping Di , Claire Guo , Ziao Liu , Zhengwei Yang , Rick Mueller , Claire Boryan , Qi Chen , Peter C. Beeson , Hankui K. Zhang , Yu Shen

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Crop mapping is an indispensable application in agricultural and environmental remote sensing. Over the last few decades, the exponential growth of open Earth Observation (EO) data has significantly enhanced crop mapping and enabled the production of detailed crop-specific land cover data at national and regional scales. These data have served multiple purposes across a wide range of applications and research initiatives. However, there is currently no comprehensive summary of the crop mapping data products, nor is there a detailed discussion of their uses in remote sensing studies. This paper provides the first in-depth review of remote sensing for crop mapping from the perspective of crop-specific land cover data by evaluating over 60 open-access operational products, archival crop type map datasets, single-crop extent map datasets, cropping pattern datasets, and crop mapping platforms and systems. Using the Cropland Data Layer (CDL) – one of the most widely used products with over 25 years of continuous monitoring of U.S. croplands – as a case study, we also conduct a systematic literature review on the application of crop type maps in remote sensing science. Our analysis synthesizes 129 research articles through three core research questions: (1) What EO data are used with CDL; (2) What scientific problems and technologies are explored using CDL; and (3) What role does CDL play in remote sensing applications. Furthermore, we delve into the implications of our vision for new data products and propose emerging research topics, ranging from extending the spatiotemporal coverage of current data products to improving global mapping reliability and developing operational in-season crop mapping systems. This review paper not only serves as a reference for stakeholders seeking to utilize crop-specific land cover data in their work, but also outlines the directions for future geospatial data product development.

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遥感作物制图：对当前和未来特定作物土地覆盖数据产品的展望

作物制图是农业和环境遥感中不可缺少的一项应用。在过去的几十年里，开放地球观测（EO）数据的指数级增长极大地增强了作物制图，并使在国家和区域尺度上生产详细的特定作物土地覆盖数据成为可能。这些数据在广泛的应用和研究计划中具有多种用途。但是，目前没有对作物制图数据产品的全面总结，也没有详细讨论它们在遥感研究中的用途。本文通过评估60多种开放获取的操作产品、档案作物类型图数据集、单一作物范围图数据集、种植模式数据集以及作物制图平台和系统，首次从作物特定土地覆盖数据的角度对遥感作物制图进行了深入的回顾。以耕地数据层（CDL）为例，我们还对作物类型图在遥感科学中的应用进行了系统的文献综述。耕地数据层是使用最广泛的产品之一，对美国农田进行了超过25年的连续监测。我们的分析通过三个核心研究问题综合了129篇研究论文：(1)CDL使用了哪些EO数据；(2)利用CDL探索了哪些科学问题和技术；(3) CDL在遥感应用中的作用。此外，我们深入研究了我们对新数据产品的愿景的含义，并提出了新兴的研究课题，从扩展当前数据产品的时空覆盖到提高全球制图可靠性和开发可操作的季节性作物制图系统。本文不仅为寻求在工作中利用特定作物土地覆盖数据的利益相关者提供参考，而且概述了未来地理空间数据产品开发的方向。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Remote Sensing of Environment 环境科学-成像科学与照相技术

CiteScore

25.10

自引率

8.90%

发文量

455

审稿时长

53 days

期刊介绍： Remote Sensing of Environment (RSE) serves the Earth observation community by disseminating results on the theory, science, applications, and technology that contribute to advancing the field of remote sensing. With a thoroughly interdisciplinary approach, RSE encompasses terrestrial, oceanic, and atmospheric sensing. The journal emphasizes biophysical and quantitative approaches to remote sensing at local to global scales, covering a diverse range of applications and techniques. RSE serves as a vital platform for the exchange of knowledge and advancements in the dynamic field of remote sensing.