LACIE Results

Both the accuracy and efficiency with which LACIE crop survey estimates were made showed significant improvement in the three crop years of LACIE. In the U.S. and U.S.S.R. winter wheat regions the original accuracy goals have been met or exceeded. Key technical problems were identified with U.S. and Canadian spring wheat. Technical solutions developed and tested, partly resolved these issues with a significant improvement realized in the accuracy of the spring wheat area estimates. Results of the three years of LACIE experimental surveys and simulation tests of the LACIE yield models using 10 years of historic data have indicated that these simple first generation regression models worked reasonably well in view of their many limitations. The efficiency of the analysis systems throughput has improved by a factor of 4 during the LACIE. Additionally the technology to meet or exceed the original turnaround goal of 14 days from Landsat acquisition to analysis and the throughput performance required for data volumes encountered in a global survey have been developed