bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determinants of visitor spending: The Wacky Wine Festival as a case study
Authors: Saayman Melville , Krugell Waldo
Published: July 2019

The Wacky Wine Festival in Robertson, South Africa, is one of the country’s largest wine festivals. The uniqueness of this wine festival is that it takes place on an existing wine route where 48 wine farms actively participate in the event. Events such as these have long been used to promote a destination or region and its products in order to generate revenue and grow tourism. This paper presents the results of a survey that was conducted during the festival in June 2009 in which 420 questionnaires were completed by visitors to the festival. The aim was to identify the determinants of visitors’ spending at the festival. Factor analysis was applied to differentiate three types of wine tourists: Festinos, Epicureans and Social Adventurists. Consequently, these three groupings and other sociodemographic and behavioural attributes of festival attendees were regressed as independent variables against expenditure in an attempt to refine future marketing strategies. It was the first time that this type of research was conducted at a wine festival in South Africa, and the findings indicated that determinants of visitor spending differ from event to event. Results also showed that a variety of socio-demographic and behavioural determinants influence spending. These include age, days spent at the festival, place of origin and repeat visits. The study also identified the high spending market (“epicureans”) that could assist marketers and event organisers in increasing the economic effects of the event.
The process approach to the management of loan portfolios
Authors: Vosloo Pieter G. , Styger Paul
Published: July 2019

Many factors impacted the credit risk environment in the past decade, the most significant of which were the Basel II Capital Accord requirements. Foremost in the financial industry’s focus was, and still is, the implementation of these requirements and their associated outcomes. In the aftermath of the Basel II implementation, credit risk managers’ focus will return to understanding the portfolio philosophy in managing their credit portfolios. They will be required to adapt an integrated risk management framework, taking into account the interdependence of various building blocks, data fields and model outcomes. This paper develops and proposes a portfolio approach to the management of loan portfolios within an integrated risk management framework. The significance of this approach for the credit portfolio risk management environment and its role in maximising shareholder value are highlighted.
Customer and organisational value added through customer experience differentiation
Authors: Drotskie Adri
Published: July 2019

Previous research has shown that the customer experience is a strategic differentiator leading to a competitive advantage for organisations. The customer experience is the interaction between customer and the organisation and should lead to value add. It is important though that value is added to the customer as well as to the organisation. The focus of this paper is first on what value is. The second part of the paper focuses on a measurement tool that was developed to measure the value to customer (VTC) and the value of the customer (VOC). The measurement tool is validated through application within a retail banking environment. By measuring the value to and of customers an organisation can determine if optimal value is added. The outcome of the measurement can be used by organisations to understand the customer value offering and the financial implications of value and establishing the relevant balance.
Re-evaluation of the platinum SDI: A critical commentary
Authors: Drewes Ernst , Kleynhans Ewert
Published: July 2019

The Platinum Spatial Development Initiative (SDI) in the North West Province was initiated 10 years ago to address the spatial economic development challenges of the region. This revised commentary aims to re-evaluate development, and intends to provide an objective overview of the successes and failures of the Platinum SDI. The aim is to provoke a debate on the matter in order to assess whether or not the Platinum SDI is to the advantage of the economic development of the country and its people, and especially the poor. This paper considers the historical context and evaluates a number of arguments, either in support of or questioning the viability of the Platinum SDI. The paper concludes that after more than a decade there is still little evidence that the Platinum SDI will in the near future be efficient. At present, the Platinum SDI has very little to offer. To succeed will require more effort by all concerned, and especially much more commitment from the relevant governmental structures.
The direction of possible causal relationship between financial development and economic growth in Namibia
Authors: Sindano Abel N. , Kaakunga Esau
Published: July 2019

The study investigates the causal relationship between financial development and economic growth in Namibia. In order to test for the existence of long-run relationships between the variables, the study employs a cointegration and vector error correction model (VECM) technique. The Granger causality test was applied to the variables to test for the direction of causation between variables. The results show that there is a stable long-run relationship between financial development and economic growth. The Granger causality test indicates that the causality runs from economic growth to financial development. The results suggest that the real sector of the economy should be developed further in order to stimulate further development in the economy through policy interventions like industrial development to diversify the economic base, enhance the performance of small and medium enterprises, and improve the performance of the tourism sector, which has great potential for promoting growth.
Does import parity pricing constitute evidence of excessive pricing and what are the consequences of attempting to remedy it?
Authors: Murgatroyd Richard , Baker Simon
Published: July 2019

Although provisions prohibiting abuses of dominance through the setting of excessive prices have long been present under many competition jurisdictions, prohibitions have been seldom applied in practice. This is most likely due to the profound conceptual and practical difficulties in differentiating between pricing conduct that is neutral from a competition law perspective and conduct that genuinely constitutes excessive pricing, and then further problems in remedying genuine abuses. However, recent developments in South African competition policy have focussed on use of import parity pricing as a possible indicator of excessive pricing, although in our view the mere existence of import parity pricing is unlikely to be a reliable indicator of such conduct. This paper draws upon economic theory and relevant jurisprudence to provide clarity as to the circumstances under which import parity pricing might reflect excessive pricing. It then considers the prospects for effective remedies if an abuse is identified.
Two-sided markets: An application to mobile termination in South Africa
Authors: Theron Nicola , Van Eeden Johann
Published: July 2019

The concept of a two-sided market has received increased attention in the academic literature of late. In this paper we argue that the market for call termination is an example of a two-sided market. We apply the concepts of a two-sided termination market to the current attempts by ICASA to reduce mobile termination rates through regulation. We also deal with the concepts of significant market power (SMP) and established significant market power (ESMP), and show that the traditional thinking around market power has to be adapted when one deals with two-sided markets. More specifically, we analyse these concepts by looking at the position of Cell C, a smaller player in the mobile market in SA. We show that market power (and appropriate pro-competitive remedies) in call termination markets cannot be established without considering the origination (retail) market – the other side of the two-sided market.
Theory and practice in the use of merger remedies: Considering South African experience
Authors: Robb Genna , Ngwenya Avias
Published: July 2019

There has been considerable debate internationally around the relative advantages and disadvantages of structural and behavioural remedies. In mergers which raise competition concerns, prohibition or divestiture may prevent merger efficiencies from being realised, and therefore behavioural remedies may seem attractive. However, these can prove difficult or impossible to enforce in practice. The merger approval rates of the South African competition authorities are in line with the practice of international agencies, but the number of behavioural remedies imposed is relatively high. This paper briefly considers the international literature on merger remedies before analysing South African merger decisions and making a comparison with other jurisdictions. It then presents a review of a decision made by the Tribunal in the merger between Astral Foods and National Chick in 2001, which was approved with both structural and behavioural conditions. Finally, the paper draws conclusions for the design of remedies in future.
Cash flow related indicators of business sustainability
Authors: Brouwer Nicolette
Published: July 2019

The purpose of this research is to generate cash- and value-flow-related indicators of business sustainability. In order to facilitate a meaningful generation of such indicators, an understanding of business sustainability with reference to cash and value flow is articulated through a conceptual analysis. The research is conducted within an interpretive accounting research paradigm in which the social context of accounting is considered. A literature analysis demonstrates that business sustainability is found to encompass balanced stakeholder engagement, transparency, economic efficiency, creativity and adaptability to change. An analytical study is conducted on four sustainability and valuation models which are currently used by practitioners. The purpose of the analytical study is to explore and generate cash- and value-flow-related indicators of business sustainability within key business focus areas that are informed by fundamental financial and corporate governance principles. The research therefore makes a strong case for a holistic approach to achieving and measuring business sustainability.
An investigation into the suitability of younger generation successors in small and medium-sized family businesses
Authors: Van Der Merwe S. P.
Published: July 2019

This study highlighted the importance of the suitability of the younger generation family members in small and medium-sized family businesses to successfully manage the business after management succession. Data from 270 questionnaires linked to 77 family businesses were collected and analysed. An Oblimin oblique rotation was performed on the principal components of the exploratory factor analysis. Five factors with eigen-values greater than one, explaining 65,78% of the variance, were extracted. These five factors describing the theoretical dimensions of the dependent variable, the suitability of the younger generation to manage the family business after succession, and the independent variables, namely value-adding by the younger generation, willingness of the younger generation, credibility of the younger generation and the degree of self-empowerment by the younger generation family members. The findings of this study indicated that the three independent variables, value-adding of the younger generation, the willingness of the younger generation to be in the family business and the credibility of the younger generation have a significant positive influence on the perceived suitability of the younger generation. Practical recommendations are suggested to ensure a smooth final transfer of the management and control of the business to the younger generation family members.
In the lap of luxury: Consumer conversation concerning online advertisements of luxury brands
Authors: Reyneke M.
Published: July 2019

While branding is an area that is extensively studied in the marketing literature, there is a noticeable lack of attention to the study of luxury brands, and even more so from an online perspective. In this exploratory study, we make use of the content analysis software Leximancer to comprehend the consumer feedback around conversations about luxury brand ads posted online.We study consumer comments posted on YouTube around three different luxury brands and analyse these comment in order to find meaning among the large volume of consumer discussion. We attempt to shed some light on how these conversations can be tracked and interpreted in order to gain valuable insight into the consume's role in advertising through discussing the ads for well known luxury brands that were chosen for this study and the subsequent reactions to them. We go on to discuss the Leximancer tool that can be used for deciphering and interpreting the consumer conversations surrounding these ads and the results of the analysis. We conclude by acknowledging the limitations of this methodology, identifying implications for managers, and suggesting avenues for future research.
Structuring effective copreneurial teams
Authors: Farrington S. M. , Venter E. , Eybers C. , Boshoff C.
Published: July 2019

Despite growing numbers and increased research attention, few empirical studies have focused on copreneurial family businesses, and hardly any guidelines exist on how these couples should manage their marriage and business relationships. Against this background the primary objective of this study was to empirically assess the influence of selected structural-based factors on the effectiveness of South African copreneurships. The teamwork literature proposes that the success of a team depends on how the team is structured or set up, but the empirical findings of this study demonstrate that elements of structure are related to certain measures of success but not to others. More specifically, the results suggest that the success of a marriage between copreneurs is not influenced by the success of the business, but that the more structural elements such as Leadership, Needs alignment and Role clarity are in place, the more satisfied the spouses are likely to be with both their business and their marital relationship.
Agency costs, corporate governance mechanisms and performance of public listed family firms in Malaysia
Authors: Ibrahim H. , Samad F. A.
Published: July 2019

We compare corporate governance and performance between family and non-family ownership of public listed companies in Malaysia from 1999 through 2005 measured by Tobin’s Q and ROA. We also examine the governance mechanisms as a tool in monitoring agency costs based on asset utilization ratio and expense ratio as proxy for agency costs. We find that on average firm value is lower in family firms than non-family firms, while board size, independent director and duality have a significant impact on firm performance in family firms as compared to non-family firms. We also find that these governance mechanisms have significant impact on agency costs for both family and non-family firms.
Dividend payout and future earnings growth: A South African study
Authors: Vermeulen M. , Smit E. V.D.M.
Published: July 2019

Conventional wisdom posits that the payment of dividends will decrease the funds available to finance growth, and will therefore lead to lower future earnings growth. This belief was challenged in recent years with research that tested the relationship between dividend payout and future earnings growth, both on the individual company level and aggregate market level in different countries. Recent results contradict popular belief, and show that companies with high payout ratios tend to realise stronger future earnings growth.This study investigated the same relationship in South Africa, as an example of a developing country, using a large sample of 12,669 company-years over the period 1973 to 2009. The results fully support recent findings that dividend payouts precede higher future earnings growth.
Experiences with Queen Bees: A South African study exploring the reluctance of women executives to promote other women in the workplace
Authors: Johnson Z. , Mathur-Helm B.
Published: July 2019

This study explores the experiences of women executives and senior managers in South Africa in respect of the Queen Bee syndrome. Queen Bee behaviour is a term used to describe women executives that, after reaching senior positions, alienate other women and hence prevent more junior women from advancing through the ranks. Such behaviour has in the past specifically been observed in corporate environments with a tradition of male domination. This study specifically focussed on the banking sector as an example of a previously male-dominate environment.Twenty-five women executives and senior managers from South Africa’s five national retail banks were interviewed to obtain data on their unique personal experiences and perceptions of Queen Bee behaviour. The qualitative data were then content-analysed.This study is one of the first studies that reports on Queen Bee behaviour in South Africa, and confirms the existence of Queen Bee behaviour in South Africa, despite the efforts in the corporate world to advance the gender cause. While this paper does not provide evidence that women’s advancement and growth in corporate organisations are solely reliant on the support and assistance of other women it, however, indicates the constraints of a hierarchical and male lead work culture in most organisations that could be a block to the promotion of professional women.Future studies are required to investigate the other sectors and to develop tools to detect and discourage Queen Bee behaviour.
Flexible Work Practices (FWP) – An effective instrument in the retention of talent: A survey of selected JSE-listed companies
Authors: Grobler P. A. , De Bruyn A. J.
Published: July 2019

There is a paucity of research available on the use of flexible work practices (FWP) in South African companies. The primary aim of this study was to close this gap by determining to what extent listed companies on the JSE in the very important sectors of Finance, Telecommunications and Technology make use of these practices. A secondary aim was to establish whether companies perceived any advantages, disadvantages, barriers and solutions when implementing or thinking to implement these practices. Although neither disadvantages nor barriers were found, significant differences between the usage of these practices and some corpographic variables such as the size of staff, nature of competition and the business unit strategies followed, were found. It also became clear that although these practices were available within companies, the percentage of staff making use of them were very small. However, a number of advantages regarding the use of these practices were identified by companies, as well as a number of solutions to successfully implement these practices in companies. The study concludes that companies should seriously consider expanding the use of these practices as numerous benefits exist for the company, the employee and the larger community.
Developing operations strategies: Reassessing the strength and importance of competitive operations priorities for South African businesses
Authors: Krüger L. P.
Published: July 2019

Operations strategy issues (irrespective of whether they concern content and/or process aspects) still generate considerable interest and attention from researchers and business practitioners alike. While the underlying theory is seemingly well documented and supposedly well understood at this time, the practical implementation concerns through empirical studies of application in various countries arguably still need greater clarity and appreciation. In this regard, a follow-up study of a 1996 research project was conducted in 2009 of a sample of the largest 500 companies in South Africa (including the JSE-listed top 100). The empirical study again focused on the relative strength and importance of five competitive operations priorities (COPs), namely cost, quality, speed, dependability and flexibility, within the context of improving national and international competitiveness. The results suggest that South African businesses, which have developed an operations capability that simultaneously offers higher quality products and/or services at a lower cost and on a more dependable basis than its competitors do, hold the most promise for success in the future business environment locally and internationally.
Entrepreneurial intentions: Demographic perspectives of South African business students
Authors: Farrington S. M. , Venter D. J.L. , Louw M. J.
Published: July 2019

Entrepreneurial intentions shown by different individuals vary depending on their demographic profile. In an attempt to understand the underlying factors contributing to the low levels of entrepreneurial activity in South Africa, this study focuses on whether individuals possessing certain demographic attributes are more likely to display entrepreneurial intentions than those who do not.The sample consisted of undergraduate business students from three South African Universities. Respondents were identified by means of convenience sampling. The statistical analysis was undertaken on 447 usable questionnaires. Chi-Square statistics were calculated to determine the significant relationships between the demographic variables and entrepreneurial intentions.The empirical results of this study show that the demographic variables University attended, Level of study and Ethnicity have a significant influence on the intentions of respondents to start their own businesses.
The failure to obtain VC financing in the pre-start-up phase: Evidence from the Portuguese context
Authors: Bilau J. , Couto E.
Published: July 2019

In this paper, we contribute to the literature on access to venture capital during the pre-start-up phase of innovative firms by identifying the reasons for failing to obtaining formal VC according to nascent entrepreneurs. The main reasons cited for not obtaining venture financing were the small size of the VC market and limited public policies to support venture capital participation. The sub-sample of nascent entrepreneurs who based their financing proposals on more complete business plans included “lack of interest of the venture capitalists in pre start-up phase investments” as the number one reason.
Analysis of lactating cows on commercial Austrian dairy farms: the influence of genotype and body weight on efficiency parameters
Authors: Ledinek Maria , Gruber Leonhard , Steininger Franz , Fuerst-Waltl Birgit , Zottl Karl , Royer Martin , Krimberger Kurt , Mayerhofer Martin , Egger-Danner Christa
Published: July 2019

Abstract. The aim of this study was twofold: first, to evaluate the
influence of body weight on the efficiency of dairy cows, and second, to
analyze the current state of dairy cattle populations as part of the
Austrian Cattle Breeding Association's Efficient Cow project. Data of Fleckvieh (FV, dual-purpose Simmental), Fleckvieh×Red
Holstein (FV×RH), Holstein (HF) and Brown Swiss (BS) dairy cows
(161 farms, 6098 cows) were collected at each performance recording during
the year 2014. In addition to routinely recorded data (e.g., milk yield, fertility),
body weight, body measurements, body condition score (BCS) and individual
feed information were also collected. The following efficiency traits were
considered: body weight efficiency as the ratio of energy-corrected milk
(ECM) to metabolic body weight, feed efficiency (kilogram ECM per kilogram dry-matter intake) and energy efficiency expressed as the ratio of energy in milk to
energy intake. The relationship of milk yield to body weight was shown to be nonlinear.
Milk yield decreased in cows above the 750 kg body weight class for HF, BS
and FV×RH with 68 % RH genes, but less dramatically and later
for FV at 800 kg. This resulted in an optimum body weight for feed and
energy efficiency. BS and HF had the highest efficiency in a narrower and
lighter body weight range (550–700 kg) due to a stronger curvature of the
parabolic curve. Contrary to this, the efficiency of FV did not change as
much as it did in the dairy breeds with increasing body weight, meaning that
FV had a similar feed and energy efficiency in a range of 500–750 kg. The
breed differences disappeared when body weight ranged between 750 and
800 kg. The average body weight of the breeds studied (FV 722 kg, BS 649 and HF
662 kg) was in the optimum range. FV was located at the upper end of the
decreasing segment. In conclusion, an optimum body weight range for efficiency does exist, due
to the nonlinear relationship of milk yield and body weight. Specialized
dairy breeds seem to respond more intensively to body weight range than
dual-purpose breeds, due to the stronger curvature. Cows with medium weights
within a population are the most efficient. Heavy cows (>750 kg)
produce even less milk. A further increase in dairy cows' body weights
should therefore be avoided.
Fractional governing equations of transient groundwater flow in unconfined
aquifers with multi-fractional dimensions in fractional time
Authors: Kavvas M. Levent , Tu Tongbi , Ercan Ali , Polsinelli James
Published: July 2019

Abstract. In this study, a dimensionally-consistent governing equation of transient unconfined groundwater flow in fractional time and multi-fractional space is developed. First, a fractional continuity equation for transient unconfined groundwater flow is developed in fractional time and space. For the equation of groundwater motion within a multi-fractional multi-dimensional unconfined aquifer, a previously-developed dimensionally consistent equation for water flux in unsaturated/saturated porous media is combined with the Dupuit approximation to obtain an equation for groundwater motion in multi-fractional space in unconfined aquifers. Combining the fractional continuity and groundwater motion equations, the fractional governing equation of transient unconfined aquifer flow is then obtained. Finally, a numerical application to an unconfined aquifer groundwater flow problem is presented to show the skills of the proposed fractional governing equation.
EVALUATION OF PRE-HARVEST PRODUCTION FORECASTING OF MUSTARD CROP IN MAJOR PRODUCING STATES OF INDIA, UNDER FASAL PROJECT
Authors: Latwal A. , Saxena S. , Dubey S. K. , Choudhary K. , Sehgal S. ,   Neetu, Ray S. S.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Rapeseed-mustard (Brassica spp.) is the major rabi oilseed crop of India. India is fourth largest contributor of oilseeds and Rapeseed-mustard contributing to around 11% of world’s total production and about 28.6% in total oilseeds production of the country. More than 85% Rapeseed-mustard production comes from 5 States viz. Rajasthan [48%], Haryana [12%], MP [10%], UP [9%] and West Bengal [7%]. In the previous few years, remote sensing technique has been progressively more considered for evolving as an alternative, standardized, possibly cheaper and faster technology for crop acreage estimation. Furthermore, satellite remote sensing data have strong advantages in comparison with other monitoring techniques because it provides timely, synoptic and latest information of crop at various stages over large scales. Therefore, under FASAL project, cloud free crop season’s images of different satellites (Sentinel-2, Resourcesat-2 and Landsat-8) were used and mustard crop was discriminated using Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC). Yield was estimated using different methods such as remote sensing derived NDVI, Agrometeorological yield model and Semi-Physical Model. The RMSE values for state level were found to be 4–17%, 8–19% and 13–23% for area, yield and production, respectively. The correlation coefficient (r) between DES and FASAL estimates were close to 0.9 in all the cases. The results of t-test at 5% level of significance inferred that FASAL and DES results were not significantly different. These results show that RS and weather-based techniques can be effectively used for pre-harvest acreage, yield and production estimation of mustard crop at district, state and national level.
ANALYSIS OF SUGARCANE ACREAGE AND YIELD ESTIMATES DERIVED FROM REMOTE SENSING DATA AND OTHER HYBRID APPROACHES UNDER FASAL PROJECT
Authors: Sharma N. , Saxena S. , Dubey S. , Choudhary K. , Sehgal S. ,   Neetu, Ray S. S.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is a most important cash crop of India. India has the largest area under sugarcane cultivation in the world and is the world’s second largest producer of sugarcane next to Brazil. Uttar Pradesh stands as the leading producer of sugarcane in India followed by Maharashtra. Under FASAL project, the crop acreage and yield forecasts at National/State/District level, is issued at two levels. This study was carried out to analyze under FASAL Project at Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre, New Delhi during year 2018. Five-year state and district level area, yield and production estimates were observed and analyzed using different approaches in 6 major sugarcane producing states of India. The state and district-wise sugarcane area yield and production estimates of MNCFC were compared with the DES Data of the corresponding year. Two statistical parameters were computed namely, Root Mean Square Error RMSE (%) and correlation coefficient (R). The results when compared to the DES statistics revealed that the RMSE (%) for district level analysis were 23.4%, 30% and 18.35%, while the correlation coefficient (R) between the DES and FASAL estimates was computed 0.94, 0.95 and 0.60 for area, production and yield respectively. These results revealed that RS based technique can be effectively used for state level acreage, yield and production estimation. The national level statistics revealed that the correlation of FASAL sugarcane area and production is in good agreement with the DES estimates as compared to Yield estimates.
MACHINE LEARNING APPROACH FOR KHARIF RICE YIELD PREDICTION INTEGRATING MULTI-TEMPORAL VEGETATION INDICES AND WEATHER AND NON-WEATHER VARIABLES
Authors: Chandra A. , Mitra P. , Dubey S. K. , Ray S. S.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. The development of kharif rice yield prediction models was attempted through Machine Learning approaches such as Artificial Neural Network and Random Forest for the 42 blocks covering 13,141 sq km upland rainfed area of Purulia and Bankura district, West Bengal. Models were developed integrating monthly NDVI with weather and non-weather variables at block-level for the period 2006 to 2015. The model correlation obtained was 0.702 with MSE 0.01. Though the weather variables vs NDVI models are quite satisfactory, NDVI vs kharif rice yield models however, show relatively less correlation, about 0.6 revealing the requirement of varied additional farmer-controlled inputs. Development of NDVI vs crop yield models for different crop growth stages or fortnightly over a larger data set with selective adding of weather and non-weather variables to NDVI would be the most appropriate.
VEGETATION CONDITION INDEX: A POTENTIAL YIELD ESTIMATOR
Authors: Dubey S. K. , Gavli A. ,   Neetu, Ray S. S.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Early yield assessment at local, regional and national scales is a major requirement for various users such as agriculture planners, policy makers, crop insurance companies and researchers. Current study explored a remote sensing-based approach of predicting the yield of Wheat, Kharif Rice and Rabi Rice at district level, using Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), under the FASAL programme. In order to make the estimates 14-years’ historical database (2003–2016) of NDVI was used to derive the VCI. The yield estimation was carried out for 335 districts (136 districts of Wheat, 23 districts of Rabi Rice and 159 districts of Kharif Rice) for the period of 2016–17. NDVI products (MOD-13A2) of MODIS instrument on board Terra satellite at 16-day interval from first fortnight of peak growing period of crop were used to calculate the VCI. Stepwise regression technique was used to develop empirical models between VCI and historical yield of crops. Estimated yields are good in agreement with the actual district level yield with the R2 of, 0.78 for Wheat, 0.52 for Rabi Rice and 0.69 for Kharif Rice. For all the districts, the empirical models were found to be statistically significant. A large number of statistical parameters were computed to evaluate the performance of VCI-based models in predicting district-level crop yield. Though there was variation in model performance in different states and crops, overall, the study showed the usefulness of VCI, which can be used as an input for operational crop yield forecasting, at district level.
UP-SCALING PADDY YIELD AT SATELLITE-FOOTPRINT SCALE USING SATELLITE DATA IN CONJUNCTION WITH CCE DATA IN SAHIBGANJ DISTRICT, JHARKHAND
Authors: Parida B. R. , Ranjan A. K.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Agriculture plays a vital role in the economy of India as almost half of the workforce dependent on agriculture and allied activities. Rice is an important staple food and provides nutritious need for the billions of population. Mapping the spatial distribution of paddy and predicting yields at district level aggregation are crucial for food security measures. This study has utilized the time-series MODIS-based Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) data in conjunction with CCE data to derive a statistical model for up-scaling paddy yield at satellite-footprint scale over Sahibganj district in Kharif (monsoon) season 2017. The CCE data were collected from ten random paddy plots. In addition, Area, Production, and Yield (APY) data were collected during harvesting period by interacting with eighty farmers belong to eight villages. The AquaCrop model was also used to simulate the paddy yield for Kharif season. The key results showed that based on the farmers-based yield data, paddy yield was observed as ~3200 kg/hectare, whereas, NDVI and EVI-based yield models based on satellite data showed about 2,960 and 3,530 kg/hectare, respectively. Moreover, multi-regression-based yield model showed the mean yield of 3,070 kg/hectare. With respect to farmers-level yield data, the relative deviation (RD) of yield based on NDVI data was −7.5% (underestimation), while EVI was 10.31% (overestimation). The multi-regression-based yield model and AquaCrop model were underestimated by −4.06 and −10.16%, respectively. Thus, it can be inferred that the multi-regression-based yield was close to farmers-based survey yields. It can be concluded that the satellite databased yield prediction can be reliable with ± 10% of RD. Nevertheless, remote sensing technology can be beneficial over traditional survey method as the satellite-based methods are cost-effective, robust, reliable, and time-saving than the traditional methods.
RICE GRAIN YIELD ESTIMATION OVER SOME ASIAN COUNTRIES USING ISRO’S SCATSAT-1 KU-BAND SCATTEROMETER DATA
Authors: Tripathy R. , Bhattacharya B. K. , Tahlani P. , Gaur P. , Ray S. S.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Rice crop monitoring and yield prediction at country-scale can be effectively done using high-repeat active microwave remote sensors due to its all-weather observation capability of land surface. The Ku-band with a frequency of 13.515 GHz has the ability to interact with the surface layer and hence is useful for providing information on top portion of canopy and hence the grain and awns of rice crop. Also it has the capability to generate information over the whole region of South Asia in one day. Hence the present study was carried out to explore the super resolved Ku band back scattering coefficient from space borne scatterometer (SCATSAT-1) for rice productivity assessment over six Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka). The super resolved sigma-0 in both polarization (H and V) for the kharif rice season of 2017 (May to Mid-Nov) was used for this study. The temporal backscatter was used to generate rice planting date using polynomial fitting. Multiple regression models were developed using the daily SH/SV ratio and the farm-level fresh paddy yield collected through the Crop Cutting Experiment (CCE). The validation of the model was done for India at state level. For other countries national average reported yield was compared with the estimated yield. The rice planting date was found to vary from first week of June to last week of August in different parts of the six countries. Country average yield was found to vary from 3.45 t ha−1 in Sri Lanka to 4.32 t ha−1 in Myanmar. The absolute difference was lowest in India (8 %) followed by Sri Lanka (−11 %) and maximum in Nepal (35 %). In Indian states, the validation results showed a correlation coefficient of 0.95 at state level with a RMSE of 0.28 t ha−1 (11.4 % of mean reported yield). This study showed the possibility of using high frequency and high resolution Ku-band back scattering coefficient for rice grain yield estimation at continental scale such as Asia. The yield estimation can be further improved with the use of country-wise crop cutting data for model development and validation.
SOIL MOISTURE ANALYSIS OF LALITPUR DISTRICT UTTAR PRADESH INDIA USING LANDSAT AND SENTINEL DATA
Authors: Yadav S. K. , Singh P. , Jadaun S. P. S. , Kumar N. , Upadhyay R. K.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Soil moisture is the available water content within the voids of soil particles. Remote sensing and GIS technique provide an advance & better information to extract the soil moisture of Lalitpur district Uttar Pradesh. The Landsat-8 OLI+TIRS (Optical Level Imager +Thermal Infrared Sensor) data (2013–18) and Sentinel 2A & 2B data (2015–18) was used to retrieve soil moisture content for the period 2013–2018. The optical and thermal bands were used to retrieve Land surface temperature (LST), NDVI and NDWI of Lalitpur district for the different years. Using land surface temperature encompasses with NDVI and NDWI the moisture content of the soil was estimated for the study area.Using Advance Microwave Scanning Radiometer-2, (2013–18) (AMSR-2) data and measurement of soil moisture through in-situ (Field) soil samples collections for soil moisture estimation was used to check the accuracy of the output resulted from Landsat and Sentinel data. This study results that; the output obtained from Landsat-8 in comparison to Sentinel data provide an accurate and better information of soil moisture at a high resolution.
INDO-FRENCH HIGH-RESOLUTION THERMAL INFRARED SPACE MISSION FOR EARTH NATURAL RESOURCES ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING – CONCEPT AND DEFINITION OF TRISHNA
Authors: Lagouarde J.-P. , Bhattacharya B. K. , Crébassol P. , Gamet P. , Adlakha D. , Murthy C. S. , Singh S. K. , Mishra M. , Nigam R. , Raju P. V. , Babu S. S. , Shukla M. V. , Pandya M. R. , Boulet G. , Briottet X. , Dadou I. , Dedieu G. , Gouhier M. , Hagolle O. , Irvine M. , Jacob F. , Kumar K. K , Laignel B. , Maisongrande P. , Mallick K. , Olioso A. , Ottlé C. , Roujean J.-L. , Sobrino J. , Ramakrishnan R. , Sekhar M. , Sarkar S. S.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. The Indian and French Space Agencies, ISRO and CNES, have conceptualized a space-borne Thermal Infrared Reflectance (TIR) mission, TRISHNA (Thermal infRared Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural Resource Assessment). The primary design drivers of TRISHNA are the monitoring of (i) terrestrial water stress and use, and of (ii) coastal and continental water. A suit of four TIR bands and six optical bands is planned. The TIR bands will be centred at 8.6 μm, 9.1 μm, 10.3 μm and 11.5 μm to provide noon-night global observations at 57m nadir resolution over land and coastal regions. The field of view (FOV) is ±34° and the orbit of 761 km altitude was designed to allow 3 sub-cycle acquisitions during the 8-day cycle. The optical bands correspond to blue, green, red, and NIR plus two SWIR bands at 1.38 μm and 1.61 μm. The green, red, NIR and the 1.61 μm SWIR bands will have better radiometry quality than those of AWiFS. ISRO and CNES will develop optical and TIR payloads, respectively. Assessing evapotranspiration and furthermore Gross and Net Primary Productivity (GPP and NPP) will in turn assist in quantifying water use in rainfed and irrigated agriculture, water stress and water use efficiency, with expected applications to agricultural drought and early warning, crop yield prediction, water allocation, implementation of water rights, crop insurance business and agro-advisories to farmers. The other scientific objectives of TRISHNA are also briefly described. TRISHNA instrument will fly aboard a ISRO spacecraft scheduled to be launched from 2024 for a minimum period of 5 years’ mission lifetime.
WEATHER EXTREMES AND AGRICULTURE
Authors: Ray K. , Arora K. , Srivastav A. K.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Agricultural production is highly vulnerable to weather extremes. The changing patterns of these extreme events have significant implications on food security. Unprecedented weather extremes can strongly impact crop yield regionally and globally. The present study examines change in the frequency of extreme events (Floods, heat/cold waves, Tropical Cyclones and Lightning) over half a century from 1960 to 2016 and its effects on crop yield over India. The analysis aims at identifying the regions which are more susceptible to extreme events and the changing patterns in the occurrence of these events. Case studies to analyse the influence of the extremes on yields are also attempted for some of the regions with a high frequency of these events.
MAPPING TREES ON FARMLANDS USING OBIA METHOD AND HIGH RESOLUTION SATELLITE DATA: A CASE STUDY OF KORAPUT DISTRICT, ODISHA
Authors: Rizvi R. H. , Newaj R. , Srivastava S. , Yadav M.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Agroforestry is an integrated self-sustainable land use management system that is not only capable of producing food from marginal agricultural land but also capable of maintaining and improving the quality of environment. Accurate assessment of trees on farmlands i.e. agroforestry would help in determining their contribution in meeting timber demand and also in carbon sequestration vis-a-vis climate change mitigation. In the present, high resolution multispectral satellite imagery (LISS-IV) has been used for mapping and estimating agroforestry area in Koraput district of Odisha. Both supervised and Object based Image Analysis (OBIA) classifications methods have been applied. In case of supervised maximum likelihood method, those pixels are fully captured where trees exist, whereas in OBIA captures trees according to their crown shapes. This proved OBIA method to be better in identification of trees on farmlands (scattered trees, boundary, and block plantations) than supervised method. This can lead to accurate estimation of area under trees in scattered form, in linear form and also in patch form. Improved results were obtained in case of OBIA classification with more than 90% accuracy. This research implies that remote sensing provide promising tools for evaluating and mapping of agroforestry at district level. Hence, the proposed approach of using high resolution remote sensing data in conjunction with OBIA method would be promising for mapping agroforestry area.
ESTIMATION OF COTTON AND MAIZE CROP AREA IN PERAMBALUR DISTRICT OF TAMIL NADU USING MULTI-DATE SENTINEL-1A SAR DATA
Authors: Ashmitha Nihar M. , Mohammed Ahamed J. , Pazhanivelan S. , Kumaraperumal R. , Ganesha Raj K.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Crop classification is a key issue for agricultural monitoring using remote sensing techniques. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data has an advantage in crop classification because of its all-weather imaging capabilities. The objective of this study was to investigate the capability of SAR data for estimation of cotton and maize area in Perambalur district of Tamil Nadu. The multi-temporal Sentinel-1 SAR data was acquired from 2nd September, 2017 to 24th January, 2018. Both the Vertical-Vertical (VV) and Vertical-Horizontal (VH) polarized data was used. Ground truth data collection was performed for cotton and maize during the vegetative, flowering and harvesting stages. Sixty per cent of the ground truth data were used for training and remaining forty per cent were utilized for validation. The temporal backscattering coefficient (σ0) for cotton and maize were extracted using the training datasets.. The mean backscattering values for cotton crop during the entire cropping period had a range from −11.729 dB to −8.827 dB and from −19.167 dB to −14.186 dB for VV and VH polarization respectively. For maize crop it ranged from −11.248 dB to −8.878 dB and from −19.043 dB to −14.753 dB for VV and VH polarized data respectively. The Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) and Decision Tree classifier (DT) methods were adopted for cotton and maize area estimation. SAM classified 73259 and 51489 hectares (ha) as cotton and maize respectively in VV polarization. DT classified the area of 61501 and 64530 ha for cotton and maize respectively in VH polarization. The accuracy measures, such as overall accuracy, producer’s accuracy and user’s accuracy and kappa coefficient were estimated. SAM classifier exhibits the overall accuracy of 73.3% for VV Decision tree classifier reported the overall accuracy of 75.0% for VH. It is evident from the present study, that the multi-temporal Sentinel-1 SAR sensor can be well used for the discrimination of cotton and maize crops because of its high temporal resolution which captures the complete phenology of the crops during the cropping period.
Joint multifractal analysis: further developments and implementation on rainfall data
Authors: Gires Auguste , Tchiguirinskaia Ioulia , Schertzer Daniel
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Universal Multifractals (UM) have been widely used to simulate and characterize, with the help of only two physically meaningful parameters, geophysical fields extremely variable across wide range of scales. Such framework relies on the assumption that the underlying field is generated through a multiplicative cascade process. Derived analysis techniques have been extended to study correlations between two fields not only at a single scale and for a single statistical moment as with the covariance, but across scales and for all moments. Such framework of joint multifractal analysis is used here as a starting point to develop and test an approach enabling to analyse and simulate correlation between (approx.) UM fields. First, the behaviour of two fields consisting of renormalized multiplicative power law combinations of two UM fields is studied. It appears that in the general case the resulting fields can be well approximated by UM fields with known parameters. Limits of this approximation will be quantified and discussed. Techniques to retrieved the UM parameters of the underlying fields as well as the exponents of the combination have been developed and successfully tested on numerical simulations. In a second step tentative correlation indicators are suggested. Finally the suggested approach is implemented to study correlation across scales of detailed rainfall data collected with the help of disdrometers of the Fresnel Platform of Ecole des Ponts (see available data at https://hmco.enpc.fr/portfolio-archive/taranis-observatory/). More precisely, four quantities are used: the rain rate (R), the liquid water content (LWC), and the total drop concentration (Nt) along with the mass weighed diameter (Dm) which are commonly used to characterize the drop size distribution. Correlations across scales are quantified. Their relative strength (very strong between R and LWC, strong between DSD features and R or LWC, almost null between Nt and Dm) is discussed.