Browsing by Author "Gurwinder Singh"

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A novel deep learning change detection approach for estimating spatiotemporal crop field variations from Sentinel-2 imagery
(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Neelam Dahiya; Gurwinder Singh; Dileep Kumar Gupta; Kleomenis Kalogeropoulos; Spyridon E. Detsikas; George P. Petropoulos; Sartajvir Singh; Vishakha Sood
The analysis of crop variation and the ability to quantify it is a critical and challenging task. Remote sensing (RS) has proven to be an effective tool for monitoring crops and detecting seasonal variations worldwide. This opens new opportunities for developing effective crop monitoring models, with deep learning models showing great promise. This study presents a deep learning-based U-Net v5 Change Detection (UCD) model capable of identifying and monitoring the spatio-temporal variations in crop fields. The application of the model is demonstrated using Sentinel-2 imagery over Patiala district in India to monitor the seasonal crop variation (rabi crop) during 2017–2018. The results have shown that the UCD model has achieved better results (95.6–98.4%) in accuracy for classified maps and more than (91.6%–96.6%) in accuracy for change maps. This study will be useful for crop monitoring, precision agriculture and crop yield prediction and can assist in decision and policy making towards a more sustainable environment. © 2024
Long-Term Impact of Aerosols and Climate Variability on Rice Yields across Agroclimatic Zones in India
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2025) Dileep Kumar Gupta; Subhajit Pramanick; Abhay Kumar Singh; Vivek B. Singh; Dhiraj Kumar Singh; Aqil Tariq; Hamza A. Halwani; Yazeed H. Alsubhi; Ahmed S. Hantoush; Gurwinder Singh
The need for a robust food security framework in India requires assessing the effects of air quality and weather on crop yields, while adopting practices such as choosing suitable varieties, adjusting planting schedules, and improving irrigation to reduce adverse impacts. In this study, a long-term assessment of the impact of weather, Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR), soil moisture (SM), and Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) on historical rice production was conducted across various Agroclimatic Zones in India from 1998 to 2019. A statistical model was developed for this purpose, achieving an exceptional accuracy of 94.9% for rice crop during the Kharif season in India. The findings indicate that the highest negative impacts of rainfall, FAPAR, and AOD on rice production were observed in the EPH region. However, the minimum and maximum temperatures had the most adverse effects in the MGP and GPH regions. Rainfall exhibited an almost negligible impact on rice yield during the studied period. Relative humidity (RH), FAPAR, and SM were generally favorable for rice yield across most of Agroclimatic Zones during the historical period. India experienced an average annual decline in rice yields of − 4.09%, − 1.11%, − 0.11%, and − 0.73% due to adverse fluctuations in maximum and minimum temperatures, rainfall, and aerosol levels, respectively. In contrast, RH, FAPAR, and SM contributed to yield increases of 0.56%, 0.08%, and 1.17% per year, respectively. Overall, the model indicates that Indian rice production declined by an average of − 3.93% annually between 1998 and 2019, due to the combined impact of weather/FAPAR/SM/AOD fluctuations. The combined effects of these factors led to an average annual decline in rice production in the states of Odisha, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. The limitation of this study is the absence of future projections for AOD, which are essential to evaluate its potential impacts across diverse agroclimatic zones. © King Abdulaziz University and Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.
The Opening of Kartarpur Corridor for Promoting Peace
(Global Institute for Sikh Studies, 2021) Gurwinder Singh
The partition of India in 1947 also sketched the inferential dividing line segregating the religious places of worship between the Indian and Pakistani side of Punjab. The people of Punjab, and the Sikh community in particular of India have, for long, wanted an easy access to their religious shrines in Pakistan. A number of attempts were made previously, finally leading to the recent success of the opening of Kartarpur Corridor. When dialogue to open the Corridor had just begun, analysts and politicians were sceptical about reaching any positive conclusion due to the problematic relations between India and Pakistan. It can be said that perhaps it is the teachings of Guru Nanak that showed the light for the success of this project. The opening of Kartarpur Corridor between India and Pakistan is not only a great example of accommodating Punjabi people in general, and Sikhs in particular by Pakistan, but can be considered also as a stepping stone for the establishment of long‐term peace between India and Pakistan. The corridor, between India and Pakistan, is of great importance for the people of India and also for establishing peace in the SAARC Region as a whole. In light of these developments, this paper explores the idea that the opening of Kartarpur Corridor will strengthen the peace process between India and Pakistan, and also, the harmonious resolution of issues between the two nations can promote social, economic, and political growth in the SAARC Region. © 2021, Global Institute for Sikh Studies. All rights reserved.