Precision farming is a management concept that involves using various technologies to make informed and efficient decisions on the farm. An essential role in this management strategy is played by processing temporal, spatial, and individual data, which is combined with other information. This combination helps to improve product and resource efficiency and increase the sustainability of production.
The use of observable data makes it possible to optimize agricultural production while reducing the consumption of various resources, including water, land, fertilizers, and pesticides. The collection of information involves many different means:
- satellite imagery
- machine learning
- GPS control of agricultural machinery
- field tests
- weather monitoring
- drones
- robots
What Are the Potential Uses?
Satellite technologies are used in agriculture for various purposes. They significantly empower farmers and provide them with valuable information about the condition of plants and soil. Satellites also make it possible to recognize multiple changes and problems in the fields on time.
Remote Sensing/Scouting for stress management of crops
Crop management is the most useful application of satellite imagery in this sector. Detection and analysis of the slightest differences in the NDVI-Score show risk areas and allow you to take timely measures to protect the crop. For example, the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI or NDMI) manages water stress and determines the water content in plants. Thanks to remote sensing technologies, farmers can detect early stages of plant stress that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
Modern solutions for agriculture, such as the satellite digital platform Crop Monitoring, created by EOS Data Analytics, offer users satellite monitoring of fields in a mode close to real-time. With the help of this platform, farmers receive accurate data on the state of the crop to make informed and timely decisions, preventing potential threats to crops throughout the growing season. This information gives growers a chance to increase productivity and profit.
EOS Data Analytics also offers a free mobile application that scouts can use while in the field to take photos of problem areas and infested or damaged plants, add these photos to your online reports. Thus, satellite imagery, combined with a field check of the problem area, allows you to pinpoint what went wrong. In addition, over time, you will also be able to discover patterns that affect productivity and the causes of problems.
Farm Water Management
Conservation of water resources is one of the priorities of sustainable agriculture. Water use is affected by many different factors that make it inefficient and result in large amounts of water being wasted. Fortunately, this problem has a solution.
Satellite technology helps to control the consumption of water by agriculture and makes it possible to distribute it more efficiently. In this case we have one more beneficial application of satellite imagery. It is the determination of various indices, which will tell a lot about the state of plants and soil. Exposure to excessive amounts of water for a long time and lack of water can cause a decrease in yield.
Crop Fertilization
Every crop has individual needs when it comes to fertilizers. Some plants require more, and others need a minimum for optimal development. Unfortunately, this cannot be understood just by looking at the field. In addition, excessive fertilizer, as well as its lack, can be detrimental to plants. Uniform distribution of fertilizers is also not very effective since all crops are different.
Satellite data allows you to determine the needs of plants and make a significant contribution to the correct distribution of fertilizers. Moreover, recognizing the needs of plants helps to save valuable resources to a great extent. Drones are also an aid in this case. Once an area requiring fertilizer has been found, a drone can be sent there to solve various problems.
Satellite imagery helps to reduce crop-loss risk
Agricultural productivity is highly dependent on weather conditions. The weather affects the shape of plants and soil throughout the growing season, so an accurate weather forecast is essential for plant protection and field planning. Smallholder farmers are particularly in need of precise weather data. Otherwise, they could lose their entire crop.
Weather data combined with satellite imagery gives farmers a complete picture of what is happening in their fields. Using satellite monitoring tools allows you to see weather reports for several years and discover patterns that affect crop yields. Weather information is most often represented by temperature, precipitation, and soil moisture indicators.
Software that uses satellite data will benefit both large and small farms. It dramatically simplifies managing any area, offering many opportunities for improved planning, resource optimization, forecasting, and loss prevention. In addition, small farms can get satellite imagery with great detail and make informed and efficient decisions.
What Is The Future of Agriculture?
In the view of many in the future, agriculture is waiting for full automation. Agribusiness and manufacturing are growing, and their participants are looking for different ways to make them more productive. In the future of agriculture, satellite technology plays a critical role. For a closer look at farm sites, drones and other UAVs are used in tandem with satellites.
The first unique project in the history of the use of satellite technology for agriculture will also appear in the near future. In partnership with Dragonfly Aerospace, EOS Data Analytics, a global provider of AI-based satellite analytics, plans to launch a unique satellite constellation of 7 optical satellites by 2025. The optical satellite constellation will be equipped with 11 agricultural frequency bands. The launch of the first agriculture-oriented satellite is planned for 2022.
