Information processing device and information processing method

Abstract

This information processing device (100) comprises: an image information acquisition unit (111) that acquires a plurality of pieces of image information about a paddy field at a plurality of different points in time, the plurality of pieces of image information including radar image information, based on information from a radar device, about the paddy field at a first point in time, and optical image information, based on information from an optical imaging device, about the paddy field at a second point in time different from the first point in time; a determination unit (116) that determines whether the paddy field is in a flooded state, in which the paddy field is flooded, or in a non-flooded state, in which the paddy field is not flooded, at the plurality of points in time on the basis of the plurality of pieces of image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit (111); and a period calculation unit (117) that calculates a period in which the paddy field is in the flooded state on the basis of the change over time of the determination result from the determination unit (116).

Description

Information Processing Apparatus and Information Processing Method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus and an information processing method.

[0002] Conventionally, an apparatus has been disclosed that specifies the water management state of paddy fields, such as the flooded state and the mid-dry state, based on data of SAR images of areas including paddy fields obtained by a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) of an earth observation satellite (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This apparatus is configured to detect the backscattering coefficient corresponding to the pixel value of the pixels indicating the target paddy field from the data of the read SAR image, and to specify (determine) the water management state of the target paddy field based on the detected backscattering coefficient.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2024-048329

[0004] For example, in areas other than low-latitude areas where a geostationary satellite can be used, image information such as SAR images of paddy fields by artificial satellites can be obtained only when the artificial satellite other than the geostationary satellite is above the target paddy field. However, depending on the operation of the artificial satellite, it may be difficult to obtain image information of the target paddy field at a sufficient frequency. Also, when it is difficult to obtain image information of paddy fields at a sufficient frequency, there is a problem that it is difficult to improve the calculation accuracy when calculating the period during which the paddy field is flooded.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made based on the recognition of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing apparatus and an information processing method capable of improving the calculation accuracy when calculating the period during which a paddy field is flooded, compared with the conventional art.

[0006] The information processing device according to this disclosure is characterized by comprising: an image information acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of image information of a rice paddy at a plurality of different time points, including radar image information of a rice paddy at a first time point based on information from a radar device and optical image information of a rice paddy at a second time point different from the first time point based on information from an optical imaging device; a determination unit that determines whether the rice paddy is in a flooded state, where it is submerged in water, or in an unflooded state, where it is not submerged in water, based on the plurality of image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit; and a period calculation unit that calculates the period during which the rice paddy is in a flooded state, based on the time change of the determination result by the determination unit.

[0007] The information processing device described herein can improve the calculation accuracy when calculating the period during which rice paddies are flooded compared to conventional methods.

[0008] This is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of an information processing system according to Embodiment 1. This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device according to Embodiment 1. This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device according to Embodiment 1. This is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by an information processing device according to Embodiment 1. Figure 5A is a diagram showing an optical image in the visible light region captured by an optical imaging device according to Embodiment 1, and Figure 5B is a diagram showing an image obtained by superimposing an optical image in the visible light region and an optical image in the short-wavelength infrared region captured by an optical imaging device according to Embodiment 1. Figure 6A is a schematic diagram illustrating how microwaves irradiated from a radar device according to Embodiment 1 are reflected on the water surface, and Figure 6B is a radar image including a flooded rice paddy captured by a radar device according to Embodiment 1. Figure 7A is a schematic diagram illustrating how microwaves irradiated from a radar device according to Embodiment 1 are scattered by plants, and Figure 7B is a radar image including a non-flooded rice paddy captured by a radar device according to Embodiment 1. Figure 8A is a graph showing the changes in signal levels for three paddy fields that are flooded for a period of time, as displayed on a display device by the information processing device according to Embodiment 1. Figure 8B is a graph showing the changes in signal levels for three paddy fields that are not flooded for a period of time, as displayed on a display device by the information processing device according to Embodiment 1. This is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the information processing system according to Embodiment 2. This is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the information processing device according to Embodiment 2.

[0009] The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Embodiment 1. First, the information processing system according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Figure 1. The information processing system according to Embodiment 1 is a system. For example, the information processing system according to Embodiment 1 calculates the period of time during which winter flooding is carried out to increase groundwater levels.

[0010] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of an information processing system according to Embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 1, the information processing system according to Embodiment 1 comprises a database (DB) 10, an input device 20, a display device 30, and an information processing device 100, which are connected wirelessly or via wired connections so that they can communicate with each other. The DB 10, the input device 20, the display device 30, and the information processing device 100 may be connected to each other via devices or communication lines not shown, or they may be configured as a single integrated device.

[0011] DB10 stores information used by the information processing device 100 to perform various processes. For example, DB10 stores map information for a specific area that includes one or more target rice paddies. In the following description, "a specific area that includes one or more target rice paddies" is also referred to as "specific area".

[0012] Furthermore, DB10 stores information indicating the latitude and longitude of each paddy field in a specific area, and information indicating the extent of each paddy field in a specific area. Furthermore, DB10 stores, for example, multiple radar image information, which is information about images including paddy fields in a specific area taken at multiple points in time by a radar device (not shown), and multiple optical image information, which is information about images including paddy fields in a specific area taken at multiple points in time by an optical imaging device (not shown). For example, the radar image information is image information acquired by imaging by synthetic aperture radar mounted on a quasi-zenith satellite (not shown), other artificial satellites, or an aircraft (not shown). Furthermore, for example, the optical image information is image information acquired by imaging by an optical imaging device, which is an imaging device in the visible light region, near-infrared region, or short-wavelength infrared region, mounted on a quasi-zenith satellite (not shown), other artificial satellites, or an aircraft (not shown). Furthermore, radar image information and optical image information are not limited to image information acquired by imaging with these devices, but may also include image information acquired by imaging with other devices, such as ground-based fixed radar devices or portable imaging devices.

[0013] Furthermore, DB10 may store information other than that described above, for example, soil information relating to the attributes of the soil in a specific area, meteorological information relating to the weather in a specific area, flow rate information indicating the flow rate of rivers flowing through a specific area, information indicating the area of ​​each paddy field in a specific area, and other information used by the information processing device 100 to perform various processes. Also, DB10 may store all of the above-mentioned information, or it may store only some of this information.

[0014] The input device 20 inputs information used by the information processing device 100 to perform various processing operations. For example, the input device 20 receives input operations from a user of the information processing system and inputs information corresponding to the input operations to the information processing device 100. For example, the input device 20 is composed of a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, or other device that inputs information corresponding to the user's input operations to the information processing device 100. The information processing device 100 may be configured to acquire the various types of information stored in the DB 10 from the input device 20 through user input operations, or it may be configured to acquire information stored in the DB 10 via the input device 20.

[0015] The display device 30 acquires information from the information processing device 100 and displays the acquired information as visual information to the user of the information processing system. For example, the display device 30 is composed of a liquid crystal display panel, an organic or inorganic EL (Electroluminescence) panel, a projector, or other devices. The display device 30 may also be integrally formed with an input device 20, which is composed of, for example, a touch panel.

[0016] The information processing device 100 includes an image information acquisition unit 111, a paddy field information acquisition unit 112, a determination unit 116, a period calculation unit 117, and a display control unit 119.

[0017] The image information acquisition unit 111 acquires time-series data of image information, which includes radar image information of a rice paddy acquired by imaging a specific area using a radar device, and optical image information of a rice paddy acquired by imaging a specific area using an optical imaging device at a different time from the imaging of the specific area using the radar device. In other words, the image information acquisition unit 111 acquires multiple image information of a rice paddy at multiple different time points, which includes radar image information of a rice paddy acquired by imaging a specific area using a radar device, and optical image information of a rice paddy acquired by imaging a specific area using an optical imaging device at a different time from the imaging of the specific area using the radar device. In other words, the image information acquisition unit 111 acquires multiple image information of a rice paddy at multiple different time points, which includes radar image information of a rice paddy at a first time point based on information from the radar device, and optical image information of a rice paddy at a second time point different from the first time point based on information from the optical imaging device. For example, the image information acquisition unit 111 acquires these multiple image information by referring to information stored in DB 10. The image information acquisition unit 111 may also be configured to acquire these multiple image information directly from a radar device or an optical imaging device.

[0018] The paddy field information acquisition unit 112 acquires paddy field information indicating the extent of a paddy field in a specific area. For example, the paddy field information acquisition unit 112 acquires paddy field information indicating the extent of a paddy field by estimating the extent of the paddy field based on image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit 111. For example, the paddy field information acquisition unit 112 estimates the extent of a paddy field by detecting edges using an edge detection algorithm and detecting spectral characteristics specific to rice plants in a paddy field, based on optical image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit 111. Alternatively, for example, the paddy field information acquisition unit 112 estimates the extent of a paddy field by detecting patterns specific to the paddy field caused by rice plants arranged in an aligned manner, based on optical image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit 111. In general, the appearance of a paddy field differs depending on the season in which the optical image information is acquired, such as when it is tilled in spring, when it is flooded in early summer, when the rice is growing in mid-summer, and when the rice ears have matured in late summer or autumn. For this reason, the paddy field information acquisition unit 112 may be configured to estimate the extent of the paddy field by detecting changes in the appearance of the paddy field between different seasons, based on optical image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit 111 in different seasons.

[0019] The paddy field information acquisition unit 112 may be configured to directly acquire paddy field information indicating the extent of paddy fields in a specific area from DB 10, or to acquire information indicating the latitude and longitude of paddy fields in a specific area from DB 10 and estimate the extent of paddy fields based on the information indicating the latitude and longitude of paddy fields acquired from DB 10 and image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit 111, or to acquire map information of a specific area from DB 10 and estimate the extent of paddy fields based on the map information acquired from DB 10 and image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit 111, or to acquire a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of a specific area from DB 10 and estimate the extent of paddy fields based on the Digital Elevation Model acquired from DB 10 and image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit 111, or to acquire paddy field information based on input operations to the input device 20 by the user.

[0020] The determination unit 116 determines, based on multiple image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit 111, whether each paddy field in a specific area is in a flooded state (filled with water) or a non-flooded state (not filled with water) at multiple different time points in time when each image information was acquired. For example, the determination unit 116 determines whether each paddy field is in a flooded state or a non-flooded state at multiple different time points in time, based on representative values ​​of feature quantities of the image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit 111 within the range of each paddy field acquired by the paddy field information acquisition unit 112. Specifically, the determination unit 116 determines, based on multiple image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit 111, whether the signal amount, which is a feature quantity resulting from the difference in microwave backscattering coefficients of each paddy field at multiple different time points when each image information was acquired, or the difference in infrared absorption rates of each paddy field at multiple different time points when each image information was acquired, exceeds a preset threshold. For example, the determination unit 116 determines, based on the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) as a signal quantity, whether each paddy field is in a flooded state or an unflooded state.

[0021] The period calculation unit 117 calculates the period during which each paddy field in a specific area is flooded, based on the time change of the determination result by the determination unit. Details of the processing by the period calculation unit 117 will be described later.

[0022] The display control unit 119 displays images related to the processing performed by the information processing device 100 on the display device 30. For example, the display control unit 119 automatically displays images on the display device 30 showing the period during which each paddy field in a specific area is flooded, based on the calculation results of the period calculation unit 117. Specifically, the display control unit 119 automatically displays images on the display device 30 showing the start and end dates of the period during which each paddy field in a specific area is flooded, based on the calculation results of the period calculation unit 117. Furthermore, the display control unit 119 automatically displays images on the display device 30 showing the length of the period during which each paddy field in a specific area is flooded, based on the calculation results of the period calculation unit 117. The display control unit 119 may display either the images showing the start and end dates of the period during which each paddy field in a specific area is flooded, or the images showing the length of the period during which each paddy field in a specific area is flooded, or it may display both on the display device 30. Furthermore, the display control unit 119 may be configured to display on the display device 30 an image showing the period during which each paddy field in a specific area is flooded, using text information, or it may be configured to display on the display device 30 an image showing the period during which each paddy field in a specific area is flooded, using a bar graph, pie chart, line graph (see, for example, Figures 8A and 8B).

[0023] Next, the hardware configuration of the information processing device 100 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 100, and Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 100 that is different from Figure 2. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the information processing device 100 is composed of a computer having a processor 100a, memory 100b, and I / O port 100c, and the processor 100a reads and executes a program stored in memory 100b.

[0024] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, for example, the information processing device 100 is comprised of a computer that executes programs, having a processing circuit 100d which is dedicated hardware, and an I / O port 100c. The processing circuit 100d is comprised of, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. Each function of the information processing device 100 is realized by these processors 100a or the processing circuit 100d which is dedicated hardware executing programs. Note that the information processing device 100 may also have hardware other than those described above, such as a hardware timer.

[0025] Next, with reference to Figures 1, 4 to 6, the details of the processing performed by the information processing device 100 will be described. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing performed by the information processing device 100 according to Embodiment 1. The processing performed by the information processing device 100 shown in Figure 4 is a process for calculating the period during which the rice paddy is in a flooded state, based on information acquired from DB 10 and input device 20.

[0026] As shown in Figure 4, when the information processing device 100 starts processing, it first acquires time-series data of image information (step ST01). In this process, the information processing device 100 acquires multiple image pieces of information, each representing an image of a specific region captured at multiple different points in time, using the image information acquisition unit 111.

[0027] When the information processing device 100 performs the processing in step ST01, it acquires paddy field information (step ST02). In this process, the information processing device 100 acquires paddy field information indicating the range of each paddy field included in the image information acquired in the processing of step ST01, using the paddy field information acquisition unit 112.

[0028] When the information processing device 100 performs the processing in step ST02, it determines the state of the paddy field (step ST06). In this process, the information processing device 100 uses a determination unit 116 to determine whether each paddy field in a specific area is in a flooded state (filled with water) or an unflooded state (not filled with water).

[0029] Figure 5A shows an optical image in the visible light region captured by the optical imaging device according to Embodiment 1, and Figure 5B shows an image obtained by superimposing the optical image in the visible light region and the optical image in the short-wavelength infrared region captured by the imaging device according to Embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 5B, for example, in the optical image in the infrared region, because water has the property of easily absorbing infrared rays, the amount of signal from the flooded paddy field A1 decreases, and the area of ​​the flooded paddy field A1 in the image becomes darker than the paddy field that is not flooded. Therefore, based on the optical image information obtained by imaging a specific area with the optical imaging device, it is possible to determine whether each paddy field is in a flooded state or an unflooded state.

[0030] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram illustrating how microwaves emitted from the radar device according to Embodiment 1 are reflected from the water surface, and Figure 6B is a radar image including a flooded rice paddy captured by the radar device according to Embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 6A, microwaves M1 have a low backscattering coefficient and are easily reflected when irradiated onto the water surface W1. As shown in Figure 6B, the signal amount from the flooded rice paddy A2 decreases, and the area of ​​the flooded rice paddy A2 in the image becomes darker.

[0031] Figure 7A is a schematic diagram illustrating how microwaves emitted from a radar device according to Embodiment 1 are scattered by plants, and Figure 7B is a radar image taken by the radar device according to Embodiment 1, including a paddy field in a non-flooded state. As shown in Figure 7A, microwaves M1 have a property of scattering easily, as the backscattering coefficient when irradiated onto rice plants K1 or soil D1 is greater than the backscattering coefficient when irradiated onto a water surface. Therefore, when a paddy field is not flooded, the signal amount from that paddy field is less than that from a flooded paddy field. For example, in radar image information acquired by imaging during a period when rice is not being grown in a flooded paddy field, such as in winter, if a specific part of the image is brighter than that of a flooded paddy field A2, as shown in Figure 7B, then that part can be determined to be a non-flooded paddy field.

[0032] Figure 8A is a graph showing the trend of signal amounts obtained from optical image information of three paddy fields that have a period of being flooded, as displayed on the display device 30 by the information processing device 100 according to Embodiment 1, and Figure 8B is a graph showing the trend of signal amounts obtained from optical image information of three paddy fields that do not have a period of being flooded, as displayed on the display device 30 by the information processing device 100 according to Embodiment 1. For example, the information processing device 100 determines, using the determination unit 116, that a paddy field is flooded if the value of the signal amount calculated based on the difference in microwave backscattering coefficients of the paddy field, extracted from the radar image information corresponding to a paddy field in a specific area, exceeds a preset first threshold, based on the radar image information obtained by the image information acquisition unit 111. Furthermore, for example, the information processing device 100 determines, by the determination unit 116, that a rice paddy is flooded if the signal amount value calculated based on feature quantities resulting from differences in infrared absorption rates by rice paddies, extracted from radar image information corresponding to a specific area of ​​rice paddies based on optical image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit 111, exceeds a preset second threshold. Figure 8A shows that the signal amounts of rice paddies that have periods of being flooded all have periods in which they exceed the threshold (second threshold) of "-0.2". Figure 8B shows that the signal amounts of rice paddies that do not have periods of being flooded all do not have periods in which they exceed the threshold of "-0.2".

[0033] Generally, optical image information tends to show a more pronounced difference between flooded and non-flooded rice paddies compared to radar image information. Therefore, it is desirable that the threshold (first threshold) used by the determination unit 116 to determine whether or not the paddy is flooded based on radar image information be set based on the signal amount of radar image information acquired when the optical image information has determined that the paddy is flooded. For example, the threshold used by the determination unit 116 to determine whether or not the paddy is flooded based on radar image information can be set as the minimum value of the signal amounts of multiple radar image information acquired at different time points when the optical image information has determined that the paddy is flooded. By setting the threshold in this way, the determination accuracy can be improved compared to setting the threshold based solely on radar image information.

[0034] When the information processing device 100 performs the processing in step ST06, it calculates the period during which the field is flooded (step ST07). In this process, the information processing device 100 extracts the period during which the signal amount obtained from the image information of the paddy field continuously exceeds a threshold, based on the time change of the determination result from the processing in step ST06, and calculates this period as the period during which the field is flooded.

[0035] Furthermore, in a state where the signal amount obtained from the image information of the paddy field alternates between being above and below a threshold without continuous intervals, the information processing device 100 considers the state in which the signal amount is above the threshold to be continuous, for example, if the signal amount exceeds the threshold multiple times in a row, then falls below the threshold only once, and then exceeds the threshold multiple times in a row again, to be ignoring the signal amount that fell below the threshold only once. Also, for example, if the signal amount falls below the threshold multiple times in a row, then exceeds the threshold only once, and then falls below the threshold multiple times in a row again, to be ignoring the signal amount that exceeded the threshold only once, to be ignoring the state in which the signal amount is below the threshold to be continuous.

[0036] Furthermore, for example, the information processing device 100 may be configured to set a threshold value for signal quantity to determine whether or not the field is flooded by a trained model that learns from time-series data of multiple signal quantities and outputs an appropriate threshold value based on the input of time-series data of multiple signal quantities; or it may be configured to determine whether or not the field is flooded based on a preset threshold value by a trained model that learns from time-series data of multiple signal quantities and outputs a determination result of whether or not the field is flooded based on the input of time-series data of multiple signal quantities; or it may be configured to determine whether or not the paddy field is flooded by learning from the input of multiple image information acquired by imaging a specific region and outputting a determination result of whether or not the paddy field is flooded based on the input of image information acquired by imaging a specific region.

[0037] When the information processing device 100 completes the process in step ST07, it displays the period of flooding on the display device 30 (step ST09). In this process, the information processing device 100 outputs information indicating the period of flooding for each paddy field, calculated in the process in step ST07, to the display device 30, and displays an image on the display device 30 showing the period of flooding for each paddy field, thereby informing the user of the period of flooding for each paddy field. When the information processing device 100 completes the process in step ST09, it terminates its processing.

[0038] As described above, the information processing device 100 according to Embodiment 1 includes an image information acquisition unit 111 that acquires a plurality of image information of a rice paddy at a plurality of different time points, including radar image information of a rice paddy at a first time point based on information from a radar device and optical image information of a rice paddy at a second time point different from the first time point based on information from an optical imaging device; a determination unit 116 that determines whether the rice paddy is in a flooded state where it is submerged in water or in an unflooded state where it is not submerged in water at a plurality of time points based on the plurality of image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit 111; and a period calculation unit 117 that calculates the period during which the rice paddy is in a flooded state based on the time change of the determination result by the determination unit 116.

[0039] For example, the information processing device 100 according to Embodiment 1 includes a paddy field information acquisition unit that acquires paddy field information indicating the extent of a paddy field, and the determination unit is configured to determine whether the paddy field is in a flooded state or a non-flooded state at multiple time points in time, based on the feature quantities of image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit within the extent of the paddy field acquired by the paddy field information acquisition unit.

[0040] Generally, when calculating the period during which rice paddies are flooded based on image information, it is necessary to acquire image information at a sufficiently high frequency. However, depending on the operation of the radar equipment, optical imaging equipment, etc. used to acquire image information, it may be difficult to acquire image information at a sufficiently high frequency. For example, if image information is acquired only with an optical imaging equipment mounted on a satellite, it may not be possible to image rice paddies depending on the weather. Also, for example, if image information is acquired only with a radar equipment mounted on a satellite, it may not be possible to acquire image information at a sufficiently high frequency depending on the period during which the satellite passes over a specific area. The information processing device 100 according to Embodiment 1 is configured as described above, so that it can acquire image information at a higher frequency than when calculating the period during which rice paddies are flooded using either radar image information from a radar equipment or optical image information from an optical imaging equipment, and thus the calculation accuracy when calculating the period during which rice paddies are flooded can be improved compared to when calculating the period during which rice paddies are flooded using either radar image information from a radar equipment or optical image information from an optical imaging equipment.

[0041] Furthermore, for example, the information processing device 100 according to Embodiment 1 includes a paddy field information acquisition unit 112 that acquires paddy field information indicating the extent of a paddy field, and the paddy field information acquisition unit 112 is configured to acquire paddy field information by estimating the extent of the paddy field based on image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit 111. With this configuration, even if the extent of the target paddy field is not known in advance, the information processing device 100 can calculate the period during which the paddy field is flooded by calculating the extent of the paddy field based on the acquired image information.

[0042] Note that in Embodiment 1, the information processing apparatus 100 is configured to calculate the periods during which a plurality of paddy fields in a specific area are in a flooded state, but it is not limited thereto. For example, the information processing apparatus may be configured to calculate the period during which a single paddy field is in a flooded state.

[0043] Embodiment 2. Next, referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, an information processing system according to Embodiment 2 will be described. The information processing system according to Embodiment 2 differs from the information processing system according to Embodiment 1 in the configuration for the information processing apparatus to calculate the water retention amount, but the other configurations are the same. For the configurations that are the same as those in Embodiment 1, the same names and reference numerals as in Embodiment 1 are given and the description thereof is omitted.

[0044] Generally, the amount of water retained from a paddy field varies depending on the length of the period during which the paddy field is in a flooded state, the amount of water flooded in the paddy field, the attributes of the soil in which water is retained, weather conditions, the flow rate of the river flowing through the area where water is retained, and other conditions. Therefore, by clarifying various conditions that are factors for changing the amount of water retained from these paddy fields, the amount of water retained from the paddy fields can be calculated. As shown in FIG. 9, the information processing system according to Embodiment 2 includes a DB 10, an input device 20, a display device 30, and an information processing apparatus 100A, which are connected wirelessly or wired so as to be communicable with each other. The information processing apparatus 100A includes an image information acquisition unit 111, a paddy field information acquisition unit 112, a soil information acquisition unit 113, a weather information acquisition unit 114, a flow rate information acquisition unit 115, a determination unit 116, a period calculation unit 117, a water retention amount calculation unit 118, and a display control unit 119A. In the following description, the "amount of water retained from a paddy field (volume)" is referred to as the "water retention amount".

[0045] The soil information acquisition unit 113 acquires soil information relating to the attributes of the soil in a specific area where water is supplied from the paddy field. For example, the soil information acquisition unit 113 acquires soil information from DB 10 that shows the typical particle size, material, and ratio of particles of a specific particle size and material to the soil constituting the soil in the specific area, as soil information relating to the attributes of the soil in the specific area. The soil information acquisition unit 113 only needs to be configured to acquire information relating to the attributes of the soil in the specific area as soil information, and may also be configured to acquire other information relating to the soil, such as soil color and soil density.

[0046] The weather information acquisition unit 114 acquires weather information relating to the weather in a specific area. For example, the weather information acquisition unit 114 acquires weather information relating to the weather, such as precipitation, sunshine duration, temperature, and humidity, for a specific period in a specific area from DB 10.

[0047] The flow rate information acquisition unit 115 acquires flow rate information indicating the flow rate of a river flowing through a specific area. For example, the flow rate information acquisition unit 115 acquires flow rate information indicating the average flow rate of one or more rivers flowing through a specific area over a specific period of time.

[0048] The water retention amount calculation unit 118 calculates the water retention amount corresponding to a specific paddy field based on various conditions that are factors for changing the water retention amount. For example, the water retention amount calculation unit 118 preliminarily sets a reference water retention amount, which is a reference value of the water retention amount per unit period, and calculates the water retention amount by increasing or decreasing the reference water retention amount according to various conditions that are factors for changing the water retention amount. Specifically, the water retention amount calculation unit 118 calculates the water retention amount to be proportional to the period during which the paddy field calculated by the period calculation unit 117 is in a water retention state, calculates the water retention amount such that the larger the area of the paddy field acquired by the paddy field information acquisition unit 112, the larger the water retention amount, calculates the water retention amount such that the larger the water depth of the paddy field acquired by the paddy field information acquisition unit 112, the larger the water retention amount, and calculates the water retention amount such that the larger the water permeability of the soil calculated based on the soil attributes acquired by the soil information acquisition unit 113, the larger the water retention amount. Further, the water retention amount calculation unit 118 calculates the water retention amount such that the larger the precipitation amount acquired by the weather information acquisition unit 114, the shorter the sunshine duration, the lower the temperature, and the higher the humidity, the larger the water retention amount, and calculates the water retention amount such that the smaller the river flow rate acquired by the flow rate information acquisition unit 115, the larger the water retention amount. For example, the water retention amount calculation unit 118 sets coefficients corresponding to various conditions that are factors for changing the water retention amount, and calculates the water retention amount by multiplying the set coefficients by the reference water retention amount.

[0049] The display control unit 119A automatically causes the display device 30 to display a video indicating the period during which each paddy field in a specific area is in a flooded state based on the calculation result by the period calculation unit 117, and a video indicating the water retention amount corresponding to each paddy field in the specific area based on the calculation result by the water retention amount calculation unit 118. Note that the function of the display control unit 119A to cause the display device 30 to display a video indicating the period during which each paddy field in a specific area is in a flooded state based on the calculation result by the period calculation unit 117 is the same as that of the display control unit 119 according to Embodiment 1, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[0050] Further, the hardware configuration of the information processing device 100A is the same as that of the information processing device 100 according to Embodiment 1, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[0051] Next, with reference to Figures 9 and 10, the details of the processing performed by the information processing device 100A will be described. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing performed by the information processing device 100A according to Embodiment 2. Note that some of the processing performed by the information processing device 100A according to Embodiment 2 is the same as the processing performed by the information processing device 100 according to Embodiment 1, so the same processing as in Embodiment 1 is denoted by the same reference numerals as in Embodiment 1 and its description is omitted.

[0052] As shown in Figure 10, when the information processing device 100A starts processing, it first acquires time-series data of image information (step ST01). After performing the processing in step ST01, the information processing device 100A acquires paddy field information (step ST02). In this process, the information processing device 100A may acquire paddy field information indicating the area of ​​each paddy field and the water depth of each paddy field, in addition to paddy field information indicating the range of each paddy field.

[0053] When the information processing device 100A performs the processing in step ST02, it acquires soil information (step ST03). In this process, the information processing device 100A acquires soil information, which is the condition for calculating the amount of recharge by the recharge amount calculation unit 118, using the soil information acquisition unit 113.

[0054] After performing the processing in step ST03, the information processing device 100A acquires weather information (step ST04). In this process, the information processing device 100A acquires weather information, which is a condition for calculating the amount of water supply by the water supply calculation unit 118, using the weather information acquisition unit 114.

[0055] When the information processing device 100A performs the processing in step ST04, it acquires flow rate information (step ST05). In this process, the information processing device 100A acquires flow rate information, which is a condition for calculating the amount of water to be supplied by the water supply amount calculation unit 118, using the flow rate information acquisition unit 115.

[0056] After performing the process in step ST05, the information processing device 100A determines the state of the paddy field (step ST06). After performing the process in step ST06, the information processing device 100A calculates the period during which the field is flooded (step ST07).

[0057] After performing the processing in step ST07, the information processing device 100A calculates the amount of recharge (step ST08). In this process, the information processing device 100A calculates the amount of recharge corresponding to each paddy field using the recharge amount calculation unit 118, based on the information obtained in the processing in steps ST02 to ST05.

[0058] When the information processing device 100A completes the process in step ST08, it displays the period of flooding on the display device 30 (step ST10). In this process, the information processing device 100A outputs information indicating the period of flooding for each paddy field, calculated in step ST07, and information indicating the amount of water recharged for each paddy field, calculated in step ST08, to the display device 30. By displaying images on the display device 30 showing the period of flooding for each paddy field and the amount of water recharged for each paddy field, the information processing device 100A informs the user of the period of flooding for each paddy field and the amount of water recharged for each paddy field. When the information processing device 100A completes the process in step ST10, it terminates the process.

[0059] As described above, the information processing device 100A according to Embodiment 2 includes: an image information acquisition unit 111 that acquires multiple image information of a rice paddy at multiple different time points, including radar image information of the rice paddy at a first time point based on information from a radar device and optical image information of the rice paddy at a second time point different from the first time point based on information from an optical imaging device; a determination unit 116 that determines whether the rice paddy is in a flooded state where it is submerged in water or in an unflooded state where it is not submerged in water at multiple time points, based on the multiple image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit 111; a period calculation unit 117 that calculates the period during which the rice paddy is in a flooded state based on the time change of the determination result by the determination unit 116; a soil information acquisition unit 113 that acquires soil information relating to the attributes of the soil of the rice paddy; and a water supply amount calculation unit 118 that calculates the amount of water supplied to the rice paddy based on the period calculated by the period calculation unit 117 and the soil information acquired by the soil information acquisition unit 113.

[0060] With this configuration, the information processing device 100A can calculate the amount of water recharge in a paddy field based on the period calculated by the period calculation unit 117 and other conditions that change the amount of water recharge.

[0061] In any of the embodiments described above, the information processing device may include some or all of the functions of the DB 10, input device 20, and display device 30, or some of the components of the information processing device may be provided in another device that is communicatively connected to the information processing device.

[0062] Furthermore, this disclosure allows for free combination of each embodiment, modification of any component of each embodiment, or omission of any component in each embodiment.

[0063] The information processing device relating to this disclosure can be used to estimate the amount of water recharged from rice paddies when flooding rice paddies in winter to increase groundwater levels, for example, by calculating the period during which the rice paddies are flooded.

[0064] 10 Database, 20 Input device, 30 Display device, 100 Information processing device, 100A Information processing device, 100a Processor, 100b Memory, 100c I / O port, 100d Processing circuit, 111 Image information acquisition unit, 112 Paddy field information acquisition unit, 113 Soil information acquisition unit, 114 Weather information acquisition unit, 115 Flow rate information acquisition unit, 116 Judgment unit, 117 Period calculation unit, 118 Recharge amount calculation unit, 119 Display control unit, 119A Display control unit, A1 Paddy field, A2 Paddy field, D1 Soil, K1 Rice plant, M1 Microwave, W1 Water surface.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising: an image information acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of image information of a rice paddy at a plurality of different time points, including radar image information of the rice paddy at a first time point based on information from a radar device and optical image information of the rice paddy at a second time point different from the first time point based on information from an optical imaging device; a determination unit that determines, based on the plurality of image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit, whether the rice paddy is in a flooded state where it is submerged in water or in an unflooded state where it is not submerged in water at the plurality of time points; and a period calculation unit that calculates the period during which the rice paddy is in a flooded state based on the time change of the determination result by the determination unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a paddy field information acquisition unit that acquires paddy field information indicating the extent of the paddy field.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the paddy field information acquisition unit acquires paddy field information by estimating the extent of the paddy field based on the image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the determination unit determines whether the paddy field is in a flooded state or a non-flooded state at the plurality of time points, based on the feature quantities of the image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit within the range of the paddy field acquired by the paddy field information acquisition unit.

5. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising: a soil information acquisition unit that acquires soil information relating to the attributes of the soil of the paddy field; and a recharge amount calculation unit that calculates the amount of water recharged by the paddy field based on the period calculated by the period calculation unit and the soil information acquired by the soil information acquisition unit.

6. The determination unit determines whether the rice paddy is in a flooded state or a non-flooded state at any of the multiple time points, based on whether the signal amount calculated based on the feature quantities extracted from the radar image information of the rice paddy exceeds a preset first threshold, and whether the signal amount calculated based on the feature quantities extracted from the optical image information of the rice paddy exceeds a preset second threshold; and the determination unit sets the first threshold based on the radar image information of the rice paddy acquired when it has been determined that the rice paddy is in a flooded state based on the optical image information of the rice paddy.

7. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a display control unit that causes a display device to display an image indicating the period calculated by the period calculation unit.

8. An information processing method performed by an apparatus comprising an image information acquisition unit, a determination unit, and a period calculation unit, the method comprising: a step of the image information acquisition unit acquiring a plurality of image information of a rice paddy at a plurality of different time points, including radar image information of the rice paddy at a first time point based on information from a radar device and optical image information of the rice paddy at a second time point different from the first time point based on information from an optical imaging device; a step of the determination unit determining, based on the plurality of image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit, whether the rice paddy is in a flooded state where it is submerged in water or in an unflooded state where it is not submerged in water at the plurality of time points; and a step of the period calculation unit calculating the period during which the rice paddy is in a flooded state based on the time change of the determination result by the determination unit.

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