Optimizing Agriculture Monitoring : A Guide to Satellite Imagery Selection for Crop Management

When monitoring crops through satellite images based on field size, the choice of satellite imagery depends on the specific requirements and objectives of your monitoring project. Here are some commonly used satellite images and their suitability for different field sizes:

Source : researchgate

1. Sentinel-2:

• Spatial Resolution: 10 meters (visible, near-infrared) to 20 meters (shortwave infrared)
• Coverage Frequency: Every 5 days (global coverage)
• Suitable for: Medium to large-sized fields
• Why: Sentinel-2 provides high-resolution multispectral imagery, making it suitable for monitoring medium to large-sized fields. The frequent revisit time allows for regular monitoring of crop conditions and vegetation dynamics.

1. Landsat:

• Spatial Resolution: 30 meters (visible, near-infrared) to 60 meters (thermal infrared)
• Coverage Frequency: Every 16 days (global coverage)
• Suitable for: Medium to large-sized fields
• Why: Landsat imagery offers a longer historical archive and is suitable for monitoring medium to large-sized fields. The moderate spatial resolution allows for general assessment of crop health and land cover changes.

1. High-Resolution Satellite Images (e.g., WorldView, GeoEye):

• Spatial Resolution: 0.5 meters to 2 meters
• Coverage Frequency: Varies (depends on specific satellite and acquisition planning)
• Suitable for: Small to medium-sized fields
• Why: High-resolution satellite images offer detailed information and are ideal for monitoring small to medium-sized fields. The fine spatial resolution enables precise crop analysis, pest and disease detection, and monitoring of individual crop rows or field management practices.

1. MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer):

MODIS ndvi animation

• Spatial Resolution: 250 meters (visible, near-infrared) to 1 kilometer (thermal infrared)
• Coverage Frequency: Daily (global coverage)
• Suitable for: Large-scale monitoring, regional assessments
• Why: MODIS provides broad-scale coverage and is suitable for large-scale monitoring and regional assessments. While the spatial resolution is coarser, it offers daily imagery, making it useful for tracking broad-scale crop conditions, droughts, and vegetation phenology.

In summary, for monitoring crop fields based on size, Sentinel-2 and Landsat are suitable for medium to large-sized fields, providing moderate to high spatial resolution. High-resolution satellite images are ideal for small to medium-sized fields, offering fine spatial resolution for detailed analysis. MODIS is appropriate for large-scale monitoring and regional assessments due to its broad coverage and daily imagery, although with coarser spatial resolution. Select the satellite imagery based on the field size, desired level of detail, revisit frequency, and the specific monitoring objectives of your crop monitoring project.