Projects
Beyond pretty green pictures -Interpreting and ground-truthing satellite imagery for farmers in the Ord River Irrigation Area
The project aimed to enhance the understanding and practical application of satellite imagery among farmers.
It included nitrogen response trials in maize and chickpea, providing an ideal scenario to evaluate satellite images against traditional manual sampling methods. The findings demonstrated that while satellite imagery could not replace traditional scouting and measurements due to its lack of definition and numerical data, it provided informative trends that closely replicated manually collected data. This showed that satellite imagery could be a cost-effective tool for identifying obvious problems over large areas.
The project also focused on extension and dissemination activities. NACRA hosted a farm tech planning workshop, emphasizing the use of existing technology and information generated from tractor and header screens, such as autosteer and yield monitoring functions. The outcomes of the project were published in DPIRD’s biannual publication ‘Fresh thoughts’ and shared with the wider industry.
Overall, the project concluded that while satellite imagery fell short of expectations for detailed crop scouting, it has its uses, particularly for identifying large-scale issues. The project provided valuable insights into the practical application of satellite imagery, highlighting its potential as a supplementary tool for traditional farming practices. The findings and recommendations from this project will inform future efforts to integrate satellite imagery into agricultural decision-making processes.
It included nitrogen response trials in maize and chickpea, providing an ideal scenario to evaluate satellite images against traditional manual sampling methods. The findings demonstrated that while satellite imagery could not replace traditional scouting and measurements due to its lack of definition and numerical data, it provided informative trends that closely replicated manually collected data. This showed that satellite imagery could be a cost-effective tool for identifying obvious problems over large areas.
The project also focused on extension and dissemination activities. NACRA hosted a farm tech planning workshop, emphasizing the use of existing technology and information generated from tractor and header screens, such as autosteer and yield monitoring functions. The outcomes of the project were published in DPIRD’s biannual publication ‘Fresh thoughts’ and shared with the wider industry.
Overall, the project concluded that while satellite imagery fell short of expectations for detailed crop scouting, it has its uses, particularly for identifying large-scale issues. The project provided valuable insights into the practical application of satellite imagery, highlighting its potential as a supplementary tool for traditional farming practices. The findings and recommendations from this project will inform future efforts to integrate satellite imagery into agricultural decision-making processes.
