THE APPROACH
Greenness is only part of the story.
A green field can be supported by rainfall or irrigation. The distinction emerges from how the field responds through a season, the rainfall it receives and its connection to available water.
Follow fields through time
Optical vegetation response and radar measurements provide complementary views of crop development and surface conditions. Seasonal time series are more informative than one image.
- Crop response across Kharif, Rabi and Zaid
- Cloud and observation-quality checks
- Consistent field or pixel comparisons
Read the response against rainfall
Rainfall and water-demand context help interpret whether observed growth can be explained by weather alone. Terrain, canals and nearby water sources add supporting information.
- Rainfall and seasonal water context
- Terrain and access-to-water evidence
- Multiple indicators rather than greenness alone
Test the distinction with field evidence
Mapped classes need independent checks against known field conditions. Seasonal uncertainty and mixed land cover should remain visible instead of being hidden by a single class label.
- Seasonal irrigated and rainfed mapping
- Independent field validation
- Review of uncertain and mixed areas
What the workflow produces
- Seasonal water-use class maps
- Field-relevant comparison layers
- Validation and uncertainty summaries
INTERPRETATION & LIMITS
Make the evidence inspectable.
Spectral appearance alone cannot prove irrigation. Results depend on season, rainfall, spatial scale, crop conditions and the quality of independent field evidence.
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