Better satellite technology helps read the ground more effectively
As climate change becomes more severe, the world is seeking more reliable environmental data through high-tech means. One such tool is the Copernicus Global Land Service (CGLS), which provides pivotal data used in monitoring vegetation, water cycle and energy budget. Specifically, the data helps researchers investigate ecosystems, manage natural resources, calculate crop yields and evaluate carbon budgets. The EU-funded IMAGINES (Implementation of multi-scale agricultural indicators exploiting sentinels) project worked on supporting CGLS through more products and services. It tested new downstream activities for monitoring crop and fodder production, improving the retrieval of basic biophysical variables by combining data from different sensors. One important project achievement was the development of advanced software that can process multi-sensor data automatically on a global level. Another key achievement involved new technology to provide better data to monitor crop and fodder biomass production together with carbon and water fluxes. This also involved outlining benefits to users. Notable results also included 40 high-resolution ground-based maps used for validating moderate resolution biophysical products. The successes of the project resulted in higher-resolution imaging for the CGLS and better algorithms to retrieve biophysical data. Overall, IMAGINES has effectively achieved better quality monitoring of the CGLS, helping to improve evaluation and surveillance of observation errors in relation to five satellite-derived biophysical variable products. These include Leaf Area Index, Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Surface Albedo, Soil Water Index and Land Surface Temperature. The project’s work, which has been successfully exploited, has already begun benefiting society in a number of ways, from improving crop management to lowering emissions. The technology and research developed couldn’t have come at a better time in the fight against climate change and resource depletion.
Keywords
Imaging, biophysical data, climate change, CGLS, IMAGINES, agricultural indicators
