Crop classification in the middle reaches of the Hei River based on model transfer.

Crop classification using remote sensing technology is highly important for monitoring agricultural resources and managing water usage, especially in water-scarce regions like the Hei River. Crop classification requires a substantial number of labeled samples, but the collection of labeled samples demands significant resources and sample data may not be available for some years. To classify crops in sample-free years in the middle reaches of the Hei River, we generated multisource spectral data (MSSD) based on a spectral library and sample data. We pre-trained a model using labeled samples, followed by fine-tuning the model with MSSD to complete the crop classification for the years without samples. We conduct experiments using three CNN-based deep learning models and a machine learning model (RF). The experimental results indicate that in the model transfer experiments, using a fine-tuned model yields accurate classification results, with overall accuracy exceeding 90%. When the amount of labeled sample data is limited, fine-tuning the model based on MSSD can enhance the accuracy of crop classification. Overall, fine-tuning models based on MSSD can significantly enhance the accuracy of model transfer and reduce the reliance of deep learning models on large-scale sample datasets. The method to classify crops in the middle reaches of the Hei River can provide data support for local resource utilization and policy formulation.