{"id":185626,"date":"2025-03-13T03:24:30","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T17:24:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=833519"},"modified":"2025-03-13T03:24:30","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T17:24:30","slug":"nasa-isro-mission-will-map-farmland-from-planting-to-harvest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=185626","title":{"rendered":"NASA-ISRO Mission Will Map Farmland From Planting to Harvest"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The NISAR mission will help map crops and track their development through the entire growing season. Using synthetic aperture radar, the satellite will be able to observe both small plots of farmland and monitor trends across broad regions, gathering data to in-form agricultural decision making.<\/div>\n
Adobe Stock\/Greg Kelton<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Data from the NISAR satellite will be used to map crop growth, track plant health, and monitor soil moisture \u2014 offering detailed, timely information for decision making.<\/em><\/p>\n

When it launches this year, the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite will provide a powerful data stream that could help farmers in the U.S. and around the world. This new Earth mission by NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation will help monitor the growth of crops from planting to harvest, generating crucial insights on how to time plantings, adjust irrigation schedules, and, ultimately, make the most of another precious resource: time.<\/p>\n

Using synthetic aperture radar<\/a>, NISAR will discern the physical characteristics of crops, as well as the moisture content of the plants and the soil they grow in. The mission will have the resolution to see small plots of farmland, but a potentially more meaningful benefit will come from its broad, frequent coverage of agricultural regions.<\/p>\n

The satellite will image nearly all of Earth\u2019s land twice every 12 days and will be able to resolve plots down to 30 feet (10 meters) wide. The cadence and resolution could allow users to zoom in to observe week-to-week changes on small farms or zoom out to monitor thousands of farms for broader trends. Such big-picture perspective will be useful for authorities managing crops or setting farm policy.<\/p>\n

Tapping NISAR data, decision-makers could, for example, estimate when rice seedlings were planted across a region and track their height and blooming through the season while also monitoring the wetness of the plants and paddies over time. An unhealthy crop or drier paddies may signal the need to shift management strategies.<\/p>\n

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