Applying Astronomy Capability to Map an Invasive Weed: Leveraging Satellite Surveys to Inform "Famine Weed" Policy in Pakistan

据预测，到2050年，由于气候变化，粮食需求将增加一倍以上。新一代地球观测数据，包括哨兵任务，提供了识别和抵消作物产量下降的潜力。天文学家是分析大型多波段成像调查的专家，他们利用高分辨率和/或光谱信息的较小目标观测来理解过多的信息。这正是利用这些新的地球观测来应对全球粮食安全挑战所需的专业知识。在这项提案中，我们第一次通过关注巴基斯坦四种最重要的作物中的两种(占总产量的75%)面临的严重威胁来建立跨界能力。除了该项目的具体成果外，天文学、地球观测和粮食安全之间的这种多学科合作也将提供变革性的开源工具。在解决全球粮食安全问题上，它们将对英国产生次要好处，并可能被应用于小麦黑草等挑战。此外，它们还展示了STFC能力的巨大潜力，有助于应对全球挑战。巴基斯坦的粮食安全依赖于其生产小麦和大米的能力。一种新的入侵杂草“饥荒杂草”已被确定为对该地区农业和人类繁荣的严重威胁。钯对作物产量的影响高达90%，并对人和牲畜的健康产生严重影响，因此该项目对巴基斯坦非常重要。曼彻斯特大学和农业与生物科学国际中心(CABI)联手确定了STFC研究的一个关键挑战领域：使用天文图像分析绘制巴基斯坦全境的帕蒂古地图。凭借其伊斯兰堡办事处，CABI在巴基斯坦拥有60多年的实地经验，并在该地区开展农业研究项目方面有良好的记录。结合曼彻斯特在天文图像分析和光学仪器工程方面的世界领先专业知识，我们提出了一个分四个阶段的项目，为巴基斯坦主要耕地地区的小麦和水稻农业提供详细的帕蒂姆地图。首先，我们将收集和预处理多光谱卫星图像(WP1)，并实施一项活动，以收集目前缺乏的高质量地面参考数据(WP2)。这些将结合在一起，产生一个计算框架，用于检测全国农作物中的钯。这将提供当前杂草范围的静态地图(WP3)以及供政策制定者采用的未来监测机制(WP4)。我们还非常重视通过雇用当地研究人员、举办技术研讨会、数据黑客挑战活动以及曼彻斯特与旁遮普大学之间的研究人员交流计划(WP4)进行当地学术能力建设。影响是通过三个相互关联的成果实现的：1)政策制定者意识到并能够利用卫星数据进行农业、畜牧业和人类健康方面的决策；2)改进的方法使自动化测绘和监测稻田和麦田中的金龟子分布成为可能；以及3)巴基斯坦研究人员在其领域发展更强的能力，这对他们目前的工作做出了贡献。

It is projected that food demand will more than double by 2050 due to climate changes. The new generation of Earth observation data, including the Sentinel missions, offer the potential to identify and counteract crop yield declines. Astronomers are experts in analysing large multiband imaging surveys by making sense of the plethora of information using smaller targeted observations at high resolution and/or with spectroscopic information. This is exactly the expertise needed to utilise these new Earth observations to address global food security challenges. In this proposal, for the first time, we build crossover capabilities by focussing on a critical threat to two of the four most important crops in Pakistan (>75% of total output). Beyond the specific outputs of this project, this multi-disciplinary collaboration between astronomy, Earth observations and food security will also deliver transformative open-source tools. They will have secondary benefits to the UK in addressing global food security, and could be applied to challenges such as blackgrass in wheat. Furthermore they showcase the huge potential of STFC capabilities to contribute to tackling global challenges.Food security in Pakistan is reliant on its ability to produce wheat and rice. A new invasive species of weed, the "Famine Weed" (Parthenium hysterophorus), has been identified as a critical threat to agriculture and human prosperity in the region. Parthenium affects crop yields by as much as 90%, and has serious impacts on human and livestock health, and is therefore this project is of great importance to Pakistan. The University of Manchester and the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) have joined forces to define a key challenge area for STFC research: the use of astronomy image analysis for mapping Parthenium across Pakistan. With their Islamabad office, CABI have over sixty years of on-the-ground experience in Pakistan and a proven track record of undertaking agricultural research projects in this region. Combined with the world-leading expertise in astronomy image analysis and optical instrumentation engineering at Manchester, we propose a four-stage project to provide detailed mapping of Parthenium in wheat and rice agriculture for the major arable regions of Pakistan.Initially, we will aggregate and preprocess multispectral satellite imagery (WP1) and implement a campaign to collect high quality ground reference data (WP2) which is currently lacking. These will be combined to produce a computing framework for the detection of Parthenium in crops across the country. This will deliver static maps for the current extent of the weed (WP3) as well as a mechanism for future monitoring to be adopted by policy makers (WP4). We also place a strong emphasis on local academic capacity building through employment of local researchers, delivery of technical workshops, data hack challenge events and a researcher exchange program between Manchester and universities in Punjab (WP4).Impact is achieved via three interlinked outcomes:1) Policy makers become aware of and able to use satellite data for decision-making in agriculture, livestock, and human health;2) Improved methods allow for automated mapping and monitoring of the distribution of Parthenium in rice and wheat fields; and3) Pakistani researchers develop strengthened capacities in their fields that contribute to their ongoing work.