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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Sugarbeet Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #422471
Research Project: Improving Sugarbeet Productivity and Sustainability through Genetic, Genomic, Physiological, and Phytopathological Approaches

Location: Sugarbeet Research

Title: Satellite remote sensing on crop fields

Author
item Kim, James

Submitted to: Resource Magazine
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/25/2025
Publication Date: 3/1/2025
Citation: Kim, J.Y. 2025. Satellite remote sensing on crop fields. Resource Magazine. 32(2):4-6. https://bt.e-ditionsbyfry.com/publication/?i=842435.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Satellite imagery is undergoing rapid adoption by growers and industry innovators as one of foundational information layers for precision agriculture. The large number of small satellites in Sun-synchronous orbit provide daily scenes on the same location at the same time, revealing patterns in rapidly changing infrastructure, crop fields, soil, and water resources. An abundance of images and atmospheric effect, however, require data refinery to extract the valid images. Although filtering causes a significant reduction of satellite images, it is essential to eliminate unusable images prior to correct interpretations of the field condition. Open-source software, iCalendar, was developed for high-throughput image analysis and spatiotemporal observation of crop health conditions throughout the growing season. iCalendar offers data download, refinery, calibration, field map calendar, and seasonal vegetation profile via graphic user interface. A satellite-based crop field monitoring system delivers a quick and continuous assessment of plant health conditions and thus provide insights for farmers to make informed decisions for proactive crop management.