Houston, USA, July 05, 2007: AgroWatch, a trademark of DigitalGlobe, is a line of products that uses high resolution satellite imagery to produce green vegetation maps to aid in identifying specific problem areas to help farmers and growers to make better long-term farming decisions. These maps show the integrated result of inputs and environmental, physical and cultural factors affecting crops. Calibrated data can assist in routinely and quantitatively assessment of vegetation amount, status and variation across land, from bare soil to a dense canopy, to better manage of crops this season and to work backward in time to identify yield-limiting factors.
AgroWatch’s line of products include:
Green Vegetation Index maps which is a color-coded maps that depict the quantity of green vegetation, variations in vegetation density and general plant health. These maps, using remote sensing technology from high resolution satellite images like QuickBird, IKONOS and SPOT-5, are calibrated using your crops and special developed spectral algorithms are applied to separate the reflectance of vegetation from variation caused by underlying soils or water. It quantitatively shows variations across a field or region, the extent and severity of problems affecting vegetative growth, and where to sample.
Soil Zone Index maps which is a quantitative and calibrated map generated each time Satellite Image data is collected. These maps indicate your soil’s surface moisture, texture, organic matter and other visible characteristics. It can be used in case of optimal soil sampling strategies, shifting crops to more suitable zones, determining which production practices are best for the soil and visualize surface patterns that affect plant health.
The TreeGrading product provides an assessment of each individual tree in an orchard to help growers manage trees for top production. High resolution QuickBird, IKONOS or SPOT-5 Satellite Image data can be collected in support of Agriculture Management, developing TreeGrading Maps to reveal the location and extent of each tree canopy determined by using a proprietary spectral algorithm.
This Geospatial information is valuable when used in conjunction with ancillary data to define management zones for a field. Once data has been collected it can be implemented into a mapping environment such as GIS (Geographic Information Systems) for management and control of agricultural resources.
