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Description

Since the launch of NASA’s first Landsat mission in 1972, satellite imagery has been used for global agricultural monitoring, providing one of the longest operational applications for the Landsat program. Although satellite observations of land began with agricultural monitoring, only in recent years has agricultural remote sensing seen reinvigoration among space agencies, national ministries of agriculture, and global initiatives. To monitor agricultural systems, NASA utilizes satellite observations to assess a wide variety of geophysical and biophysical parameters, including precipitation, temperature, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and vegetation health.

Past webinars on land and water resources by NASA's Applied Remote Sensing Training program (ARSET) cover remote sensing-derived parameters relevant to agriculture within a broader scope. This four-part, introductory ARSET webinar focuses on data products, data access, and case-studies demonstrating how remote sensing data can be used for decision-making among the agriculture and food security communities.

This training addresses how to use remote sensing data for agriculture monitoring, specifically drought and crop monitoring. It also provides end-users the ability to evaluate which regions of the world have agricultural productivity above or below long-term trends. This informs decisions pertaining to market stability and humanitarian relief.

Prerequisites

Objectives

By the end of this training, attendees will be able to:

  • Identify which satellites and sensors can be used for agricultural applications
  • Understand the limitations of remote sensing and modeled data for agriculture and food security
  • Acquire specific remote sensing data products that are appropriate for their work
  • Apply remote sensing techniques to crop monitoring, drought, and humanitarian relief

Target Audience

This training is designed for local, state, federal, private, and non-governmental organizations involved in agricultural monitoring, agricultural policy, food security, agricultural insurance, and humanitarian relief.

Course Format

  • Four 1.5-hour parts

Sessions

Part 1: Overview of Agricultural Remote Sensing

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

 

Remote video URL

This section will cover the ARSET program and give a general overview of remote sensing as it pertains to agriculture. This part will include the history of Earth observations (EO) for agriculture, satellites and sensors that can be used, the limitations of satellite data, an introduction of NASA HARVEST, examples of current EO applications in agriculture, and a Q&A session.

Materials

Materiales en Español

Part 2: Soil Moisture for Agricultural Applications

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Remote video URL

This part of the training provides an overview of Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) and case studies for agricultural applications and an overview of soil moisture and shallow ground water from the Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS), as well as a Q&A session.

Materials

Materiales en Español

Part 3: Earth Observations for Agricultural Monitoring

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Remote video URL

This section will cover previous ARSET trainings that relate to agricultural monitoring and present case studies of EO being used for agricultural monitoring. There will also be a Q&A session.

Materials

Materiales en Español

Part 4: Evapotranspiration (ET) and Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) for Agricultural Applications

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Remote video URL

This section includes a presentation from guest speaker Dr. Christopher Hain, along with an overview and case studies of ET and ESI in agricultural applications. This section will conclude with a Q&A session.

Materials

Materiales en Español

Reference Materials

Fact Sheets:

Citation

(2020). ARSET - Satellite Remote Sensing for Agricultural Applications. NASA Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET). https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/trainings/satellite-remote-sensing-agricultural-applications

Details

Last Updated

Jan. 30, 2026

Published

April 14, 2020

Data Center/Project

Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET)