Land Measurement Bias: Comparisons from Global Positioning System, Self-Reports, and Satellite Data
Dillon, Andrew; Rao, Lakshman Nagraj | March 2018
Abstract
Agricultural statistics derived from remote sensing data have been used primarily to compare land use information and changes over time. Nonclassical measurement error from farmer self-reports has been well documented in the survey design literature primarily in comparison to plots measured using Global Positioning System (GPS). In this paper, we investigate the reliability of remotely sensed satellite data on nonrandom measurement error and on agricultural relationships such as the inverse land size–productivity relationship and input demand functions. In our comparison of four Asian countries, we find significant differences between GPS and remotely sensed data only in Viet Nam, where plot sizes are small relative to the other countries. The magnitude of farmers’ self-reporting bias relative to GPS measures is nonlinear and varies across countries, with the largest magnitude of self reporting bias of 130% of a standard deviation (2.2-hectare bias) in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic relative to Viet Nam, which has 13.3% of a standard deviation (.008-hectare bias). In all countries except Viet Nam, the inverse land size–productivity relationship is upwardly biased for lower land area self-reported measures relative to GPS measures. In Viet Nam, the intensive margin of organic fertilizer use is negatively biased by self-reported measurement error by 30.4 percentage points. As remotely sensed data becomes publicly available, it may become a less expensive alternative to link to survey data than rely on GPS measurement.
Citation
Dillon, Andrew; Rao, Lakshman Nagraj. 2018. Land Measurement Bias: Comparisons from Global Positioning System, Self-Reports, and Satellite Data. © Asian Development Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/11540/8127. License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.ISSN
2313-6537 (print)
2313-6545 (electronic)
Keywords
Sustainable agriculture
Commercial agriculture
Agricultural And Rural Development
Microenterprises Finance
Commercial Finance Companies
Enterprise Financing
Financial Analysis
Banking Finance And Investment
Agribusiness
Agroindustry
Agricultural institutes
Agricultural development
Joint projects
Business Financing
Investment Requirements
Insurance Companies
International Monetary Relations
International Financial Market
Exchange Rate
Food Supply
Economic development
New agricultural enterprises
Cooperative agriculture
Government policy
Entrepreneurship
Rural land use
Land use
Natural resource
Water supply
Mill
Natural resource
Water
Irrigation systems
Insurers
Insurance stocks
Insurance holding companies
Insurance carriers
Insurance agencies
Business subsidies
Investment companies
International banks and banking
Stock exchanges
Agricultural diversification
Agricultural resource
Farm produce
Rice farming
Soil science
Agricultural information network
Agricultural landscape management
Farm management
Agricultural innovations
Technological innovations
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