Theobjectiveofthisstudywastoobtainspatialdistributionmapsofpaddyricefieldsusingmulti-datemoderate-resolutionimagingspectroradiometer(MODIS)datainChina.Paddyricefieldswereextractedbyidentifyingtheuniquechar-acteristicofhighsoilmoistureinthefloodingandtransplantingperiodwithimprovedalgorithmsbasedonricegrowthcalendarregionalization.Thecharacteristiccouldbereflectedbytheenhancedvegetationindex(EVI)andthelandsurfacewaterindex(LSWI)derivedfromMODISsensordata.Algorithmsforsingle,early,andlatericeidentificationwereobtainedfromselectedtypicaltestsites.Thealgorithmscouldnotonlyseparateearlyriceandlatericeplantedinthesamefields,butalsoreducetheuncertainties.ThearealaccuracyoftheMODIS-derivedresultswasvalidatedbycomparisonwithagriculturalstatistics,andthespatialmatchingwasexaminedbyETM+(enhancedthematicmapperplus)imagesinatestregion.Majorfactorsthatmightcauseerrors,suchasthecoarsespatialresolutionandnoisesintheMODISdata,werediscussed.Althoughnotsuitableformonitoringtheinter-annualvariationsduetosomeinevitablefactors,theMODIS-derivedresultswereusefulforobtainingspatialdistributionmapsofpaddyriceonalargescale,andtheymightprovidereferenceforfurtherstudies.
