Identification of USSR Indicator Regions

Abstract

Potential indicator regions were determined by comparing the statistics for barley and wheat at the lowest administrative levels for which published statistics were available. Fourteen were selected for review based on their relative abundances of wheat and barely. These potential indicator regions were grouped according to three conditions that could affect labeling and classification accuracies: (1) high-barley content; (2) presence of barley and spring wheat; and (3) presence of barley and winter wheat. Each region was further evaluated based on the availability of crop calendars, LANDSAT acquisitions, and ancillary data. Based on the relative abundance of wheat and barley and the availability of data, three indicator regions were recommended. Within each region, individual oblasts and/or krays were selected according to segment availability and segment acquisition histories for potential barley separation.