For Agriculture

If you want to know exactly how vital water is to the agricultural sector, ask a farmer. Water is one of the absolute essentials for crop production. The right volume of water is essential to ensure yield. Water damage to crops is extremely costly and can be avoided.

Awell-informedfarmerisabetterfarmer

Farmers can prepare and take preventive measures to withstand extreme weather events. Short-term strategies include ad-hoc drainage and irrigation and adapting planting and harvest times. The efficacy of these measures depends on a farmer’s ability to assess the situation. Knowing the condition of the farmland and the crop is essential when it comes to taking the right decisions and minimising the adverse effects of extreme weather. Detailed, reliable and timely information about the current condition of the soil and crop can be the difference between survival and disaster.

VanderSat provides remote sensing data and analytics on relevant factors for agriculture production: soil moisture, water availability, biomass and temperature. These data can help build smarter digital farming solutions for every growing season and every crop: improving profitability, increasing yields, lowering input. The value of VanderSat’s remote sensing data is acknowledged by our full range of clients, from farmers and (re)insurers to the food industry.

 

Low High

High resolution

Passive microwaves from the Earth’s surface give off a relatively weak signal, producing raw image resolution in the 10 to 20 km range. However, VanderSat has developed and patented a method that combines multiple images over the same area to yield a single high resolution image at 100×100 m. This enables us to specify moisture for individual agricultural fields and facilitate farm-scale water management.

Not hindered by cloud cover

Other major advantages of passive microwave imaging are that the signal is or nightfall, and several readings a day can be taken. The images become available within six hours of satellite overpass, while processing takes only minutes.

REAL TIME, LONG TERM

We supply the information you need within six hours after satellite overpass. This means you are always primed for a rapid response. Not only do we provide a near real-time service, we can also furnish you with data that goes back years. This puts relevant trends and a deeper understanding of long-term conditions firmly in your grasp.

Optimisingwatermanagementinyourfield

VanderSat’s near real-time hydrological data services help optimise production and avoid crop failure, allowing timely detection of adverse conditions and detailed decision support. With the help of satellite products it is also possible to estimate crop water requirements and pinpoint times when soil moisture is low and irrigation is required. Moreover, drought data from the satellites can be employed to assess crop damage and losses after a drought has occurred. This can be done post-disaster, for example, where assessment is needed to support agricultural insurance for farmers. Satellite data gives you an instant insight into the condition of your field, with all the relevant information at your fingertips.

Some of our clients

BASF
Climate Corporation
Kleffmann Group
Achmea
Tongaat Hulett
Our cases in agriculture

VanderSat’s data services are based on passive microwave images from sensors on board satellites launched by the world’s leading space agencies: NASA, ESA and JAXA. Water molecules in the soil and on the ground are highly sensitive to this microwave radiation, and so these sensors can immediately detect any change in soil moisture. This direct measurement is far more accurate than a hydrological estimate based on rainfall.

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Get in touch

Tell me about the problem you’re facing or the soil-related business case you would like to explore.

Arjen Bakker
Head of Agri, Food & Commoditiesabakker@vandersat.com