Agricultural resources mapping by using satellite remote introduction sensing data: a Malaysian experience

Abstract

A study was undertaken to assess the usefulness of the existing Landsat system for agricultural resources mapping with particular reference to Malaysian conditions. The ultimate aim of this exercise was to produce maps that could be used by planners in the formulation of national development strategies. The physical factors considered in this study were land cover types, terrain characteristics, soil types and climates. The wide synoptic format offered by the Landsat data was expected to facilitate intergration of these information. Two contrasting areas were choosen for this purpose. They are different in terms of availability and quality of Landsat data, and ground conditions. The first area, referred as K-area, is in the north-western part of Peninsular Malaysia. It covers an area of about 2 million hectares and encompasses the states of Perlis, Kedah, Penang and northern Perak. The area is known to have a relatively good frequency of Landsat coverage, and interference of clouds on the data is minimal. It represents the relatively more developed ground conditions in the country with respect to agriculture. The second area, referred as P-area, covering an area of 1 million ha. and is situated in the south-eastern part of the state of Pahang. It represents a typical situation in the country where frequency of Landsat coverage is limited and cloud cover is excessive. The ground situation is considerably different from K-area in that most part of it is still under natural forests, though it is progressively being cleared to give way for plantation crops such as oil palm and rubber. This study was undertaken in collaboration with the French, in particular with the Center for Tropical Geography (C.E.G.E.T) and the National Institute of Geography (I.G.N.), France. This paper presents a summary of the report of this study which was already publish by MARDI (Mahmood et al., 1983).