One of the most critical duties of agricultural monitoring is identifying situations that are adverse to plant growth and departures from their typical development. By analysing satellite imagery, operational control of the typical vegetative development of crops in broad farm regions can be enhanced.
A farmer can use satellite surveillance to tackle a variety of issues. One of the most important ones is promptly notifying the farmer about the condition of the soil, the uniformity of crops, the state of plants under stress, and many other things. The data collected can be used to anticipate yields, schedule field activities, and evaluate field productivity. There are now many digital platforms that enable the download and study of satellite imagery, notably for agricultural uses. To increase the precision of remote farm management, there are even specific agri-based satellite constellations, such EOS SAT.
Monitoring Crops With Satellite Images
The radiation emitted by agricultural lands, which is measured by high-resolution spectrometers mounted on satellites, serves as the source of information for examining those areas. Agricultural crops have unique spectrum reflections that vary in the specificity of how they reflect certain wavelengths. When a plant's reflectivity is known, it is possible to recognise it on spectral photographs and evaluate its health.
Shooting occurs throughout a variety of spectral ranges. Lower reflectance values in the red area of the spectrum and greater values in the near infrared spectrum are caused by photosynthetic activity. Spectral vegetation indices that consider cloudiness, shadows, differences in shooting angles, environmental factors, etc. are used to analyse and interpret photos.
Although many research satellite images are publicly available online from a variety of sources, it is nearly impossible to decipher them and extract the necessary information for further use without vegetation indices.
Farm management software uses AI algorithms to provide farmers with automatically evaluated satellite imagery. Crop Monitoring is one of those tools. Visit https://eos.com/products/crop-monitoring/ to learn more.
The ability to compare data collected over a lengthy period of time is one of the key benefits of adopting satellite surveillance. Years of surveying the same areas at a frequency of once every few days is possible. Better decisions can be made by taking into account the dynamics of yield for specific fields and plots over a number of years, contrasting agricultural practises with the harvest acquired at the conclusion of the season.
Making Decisive Choices Based On Data From Satellite Imagery
The use of satellite monitoring enables huge farms with a land bank of thousands of hectares to receive operational data from the entire region. Problematic locations in the field are identified using satellite images. The ability to analyse the state of usage of territories, identify crop types, ascertain the dynamics of biomass growth, and discover temporal deviations is made possible by monitoring results, which take the role of field observations.
Multispectral image processing will reveal nitrogen deficit and the requirement for insecticides and fertiliser in particular fields. Additionally, it will be useful for determining crop maturity levels, forecasting production, examining irrigation system effectiveness, and more.
Remote sensing data cannot provide a complete causal analysis of the situation of agrocenosis. Field research, soil sampling, and other methods of crop condition monitoring are still necessary and should be used in addition to monitoring. But by highlighting trouble areas for effective scouting that saves time and money, it makes planning them much simpler.
Assistance With Precision Agriculture Techniques
One of the most cost-effective and accessible choices for agronomists is to monitor fields using satellites and other technology for precision farming. Farmers may identify issues, choose which approach to utilise in the target area, and decide the optimal time to do so thanks to satellite images and computer tools for its analysis used in precision agriculture. Basic precision agricultural technology include:
With the use of farming software that makes use of satellite pictures, precise farm plans, field maps, yield analyses, yield maps, and input requirements can all be calculated. The ability to use the VRA methodology to develop an environmentally friendly, sustainable farming plan, which in turn helps to lower costs and enhance yields, is one of the benefits of this method of precision farming in agriculture.
In order to determine the quantity of soil moisture, satellite images are used in precision farming to help identify issues that can stress a crop at a given period. Additionally, satellite imaging is easier to get and more adaptable than drone data.
Precision farming is a synthesis of many technical advancements that can help improve agribusiness management and greatly increase output. And every modern farmer aiming for efficiency and sustainability can use satellite imagery analysis as a terrific tool.