Flood damage assessment using computer-assisted analysis of color infrared photography

Use of digitized aerial photographs for flood damage assessment in agriculture is new and largely untested. However, under flooding circumstances similar to the 1975 Red River Valley flood, computer-assisted techniques can be extremely useful, especially if detailed crop damage estimates are needed within a relatively short period of time.

Airphoto interpretation techniques, manual or computer-assisted, are not intended to replace conventional ground survey and sampling procedures. But their use should be considered a valuable addition to the tools currently available for assessing agricultural flood damage.