International Seminar on the Innovation and Application of Remote Sensing in Agriculture Statistics

FAO appointed as one of the international advisers to the newly established Remote Sensing Laboratory for Agricultural Statistics in Hangzhou, China.

The International Seminar on the Innovation and Application of Remote Sensing in Agriculture Statistics, held in Hangzhou, China, from 17 to 19 November, inaugurated a Remote Sensing Laboratory for Agricultural Statistics.

The Lab, which counts several distinguished experts from international and Chinese institutions, including FAO, is part of the UN Big Data Regional Hub for China, which supports the adoption of big data and data science for official statistics. 

Jointly established in 2020 by the National Bureau of Statics (NBS), the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the UN Big Data Regional Hub for China is one of the four physical hubs all over the world working together to educate, collaborate and develop new technologies to work with new Big Data sources and methodologies.

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Context and applications

In situ data remains a fundamental resource for EO applications, while enhanced survey protocols and integration of EO and drones are providing solution to reduce time spent in the field.

At the same time, the development of new satellite image data cubes and the possibility to intensify image time series through the integration of different sensors as well as through innovative prediction of images, allows to better define pheno/spectral traits, leading to higher accuracy of prediction, and potentially reducing the burden on the in-situ component.

Crop yield estimation using a variety of approaches, is also very high on the agenda, especially as ensuring food security is a global challenge, and the capacity to monitor crop area as well as yield, and to monitor the progress in time is fundamental for evidence based timely decision making.

The lab will enable the National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBS), Chinese academia, NSOs worldwide, and FAO to collaborate more closely on an international level. A number of extremely specialised activities with applications in China, Mexico, Brazil, Rwanda, Senegal, Ecuador, Cameroon, Lesotho, and more countries are included in the collaborative agenda.

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Advisors appointed to the Lab

• Dr. Lorenzo De Simone, FAO
• Dr. Gilberto Camara, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Brazil
• Dr. Eduardo Vasquez, National Institute for Statistics and Geography (INEGI), Mexico
• Dr.. LI Qiangzi, Aereospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of sciences
• Prof. Pam Yaozhong, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University
• Prof. Zhang Jinshui, Beijing Normal University Prof. Gao Zhi, School of Remote Sensing and Information Engineering, Wuhan University
• Prof. Ma Xinming, Henan Agricultural University