Application of Highland Kimchi Cabbage Status Map for Growth Monitoring based on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Kimchi cabbage is one of the most important vegetables in Korea and a target crop for market stabilization as well. In particular Kimchi cabbages in a highland area are very sensitive to the fluctuations in supply and demand. Yield variability due to growth conditions dictates the market fluctuations of Kimchi cabbage price. This study was carried out to understand the distribution of the highland Kimchi cabbage growth status in Anbandeok. Anbandeok area in Gangneung, Gangwon-do, Korea is one of the main producing districts of highland Kimchi cabbage. The highland Kimchi cabbage status map of each growth factor was obtained from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery and field survey data. Six status maps include UAVRGB image map, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) distribution/anomaly map, Crop distribution map, Planting/Harvest distribution map, Growth parameter map and Growth disorder map. As a result, the highland Kimchi cabbage status maps from May 31 to Sep. 6 in 2016 were presented to show spatial variability in the field. The benefits of the highland Kimchi cabbage status map can be summarized as follows: crop growth monitoring, reference for field observations and survey, the relative comparison of the growth condition in field scale, evaluation of growth in comparison of average year, change detection of annual crops or planting areas, abandoned fields monitoring, prediction of harvest season etc.