Results, Analysis and Discussion - Historical Land Use/Land Cover Classification Using Remote Sensing - page 168

Fig. 6.6 The final irrigation mapping thematic maps, which explain the temporal development of
the spatial distribution expansion of the irrigated areas during the last three decades using various
remotely sensed data

Table 6.2 The areas rates of the three wide existing general classes based on the irrigated areas

level

1975 1987 2005 2007

Cultivated areas 249,681 301,517 458,288 596,612

Uncultivated areas 673,992 607,925 430,129 294,633

Water 52,030 65,980 87,284 84,347

Some areas which are considered as agriculturally uncultivated, such as the
mask created from sensory data taken in May for uncultivated areas, were shown
as cultivated lands on satellite images taken in August. Hence, an error in auto-
mated classification results due to the masking-process has been made.
The majority of winter and summer cultivation is centred in Deir Azzour
governorate (Fig. 6.7 ); winter vegetable areas are remarkably rare in Arraqqa;
instead while cultivation increases in summer. Sugar beet propagation is focused
in Deir Azzour, while in Arraqqa there is comparatively little. Corn, cotton and
sesame are equally distributed throughout the three governorates. Barley is the
major crop among rain-fed crops, followed by wheat, lentils, cumin and chickpeas.
The spectral separability between vetch and barley is fair but not good (1.70)
because of the interrelation of their planting in some areas, where vetch plant
(Thamilip/charged) and barley are both considered forage crops. The separability