  In this research the number of palm trees was calculated from the satellite
image programmatically, taking advantage of the accuracy of the spatial
resolution of satellite image, the abilities of software recognition, and
characteristics of the palm tree, which give it a systematic top view can be
distinguished from the satellite image and the manner of cultivation and
vertical growth and stability form for long periods of time. While other trees
are irregular in shape mostly because of their twisted branches. Palm trees
consist of a long stem, a large head, and a large flare that is almost circular
and consists of large tufts. The palms have large self-shadows other than
ordinary leaves. The large shadows and the circular shape of the upper view
give it a special feature that we could use to design a program that
distinguishes the shape of the palm without all the trees. Then it counts the
number of palms in any field shown in the satellite image. This method is
useful in counting the number of palm trees for commercial, agricultural or
environmental purposes. It is also can be applied to high-resolution satellite
imagery such as QuickBird because the resolution of the images is 0.6 meters.
Less accurate images such as the 10-meter SPOT do not show the interior shadows
of the top view of the palm enough, nor the accurate satellites (5 meters),
while the interior shadows appear in high-resolution images only (0.6 meters)
or below. It can also be applied to aerial images of less capacity because they
are more accurate of course. Satellite images can be obtained free from Google
Earth explorer, which can be downloaded free from the Google website. It
connects the user to a global database of high-resolution images for all
regions of the world.
