From Field to Satellite: How EO data powers smarter agriculture.

Agricultural systems are shaped by highly dynamic events, some driven by farmers’ management decisions, others by rapidly changing in weather conditions. In this context, Earth Observation (EO) is revolutionizing the way agriculture is practiced, offering farmers a deeper understanding of their lands and enabling more informed decision-making processes.

Thanks to their frequent revisit time, fine spatial resolution, rich spectral information, optical satellites can detect subtle changes in vegetation vigor, soil conditions, and water status. Many of these changes remain invisible to the human eyes, which can only perceive visible radiation. However, multispectral satellites are equipped with sensors that measure reflected solar radiation across numerous wavelengths, from visible to infrared. In other words, EO systems can capture biophysical signals (e.g., crop stress) to provide objective insights into crop health and environmental conditions. As a result, EO data is rapidly becoming an indispensable tool for enabling smarter agriculture.

Within the UNIVERSWATER project, thanks to the synergy between advanced field technologies and remote sensing data, Planetek Italia is applying optical satellites to estimate vegetation responses to soil salinity, through the investigation of various qualitative and quantitative indices.