Methods for Detecting of Forested Overgrown Lands of a Region Using NDVI Data

Abstract

In recent decades, due to an increase in the average daily air temperature and lack of precipitation, cases of forest fires in Siberia and the Urals have become more frequent. As a result, there is a need to replenish the balance of forest fund lands using operational tools for it. It is also known that agriculture has quite large areas of overgrown land, which is one of the most significant economic and environmental issues. The article considers the intelligent information system "UralGIS-Agro", designed for information and analytical support of the agricultural industry of Chelyabinsk region. Algorithms for searching for overgrown agricultural lands and recognizing areas overgrown with coniferous forests are proposed, based on an analysis of the dynamics of vegetation index changes according to remote sensing data. Based on the results of the module, the areas of overgrown agricultural land were determined, we calculated the benefits for the region if these lands are transferred to the forest fund, as well as we defined the possible costs of restoring these lands for agriculture. The availability of up-to-date information on agricultural lands overgrown with coniferous vegetation will determine the further development of the analytical module "Rational use of overgrown agricultural lands".