# Satellite data in agriculture, forestry and environment Satellite data shows the condition of crops, forests, water and habitats over large areas and over time. Farms use it to monitor crops and apply inputs precisely, forest owners to detect damage and deforestation, fisheries to track vessels, and environmental bodies to monitor ecosystems. The use cases below show what satellite data can already do there, and where it stops. ## What satellite data can do in agriculture, forestry and the environment Fields, forests, rivers and coasts cover large areas that are hard to survey on foot. Satellites observe them regularly and over many years. **New to the technologies?** - [What is Earth observation?](https://leto.space/knowledge/earth-observation/): How satellites observe crops, forests and water over time. - [What is GNSS?](https://leto.space/knowledge/gnss/): Satellite positioning for machines, drones and livestock. - [What is satellite communication?](https://leto.space/knowledge/satellite-communication/): Connectivity for remote farms, forests and vessels. ## How to find solutions in agriculture, forestry and the environment [Spacegraph](https://leto.space/spacegraph/), the discovery platform we develop, lists providers of space-enabled solutions in a marketplace, with industry categories for agriculture and forestry and for environment and climate, and use-case categories such as forestry management and biodiversity and ecosystems. ## Talk to us about your use case Our consulting covers the whole path for farms, forest owners and environmental bodies: from the first assessment of a use case to a service in operation. [How we work](https://leto.space/consulting/) ## Agriculture, forestry, fisheries and the environment ### Agriculture Earth observation monitors vegetation, biomass and soil condition and forecasts crop yields. It also feeds weather and climate services for agriculture and the monitoring of practices required under the EU Common Agricultural Policy. GNSS steers tractors automatically, guides farm machinery and tracks livestock, and together with Earth observation it maps field boundaries and directs variable-rate application and precision irrigation [1]. Satellite communication connects sensors in remote fields and can automate irrigation based on soil moisture and weather data [3]. [Crop monitoring and precision farming](https://leto.space/use-cases/crop-monitoring/) ### Forestry Earth observation monitors forest inventories and their health from a distance and detects illegal logging and deforestation. GNSS guides forest machinery, positions drones for hyperspectral or lidar imaging and locates sensors on trees. For the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which sets due diligence requirements for commodities such as soy, beef, palm oil, cocoa, coffee, rubber and timber, EUSPA describes how authorities can draw on GNSS coordinates of the plots of land and on deforestation analysis from Earth observation [2]. [Monitoring forest health and deforestation](https://leto.space/use-cases/forest-monitoring/) ### Fisheries and aquaculture Earth observation helps locate fish stocks, and optical and radar imagery traces fishing vessels to help combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. GNSS tracks vessels through the Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) and supports safety at sea. In aquaculture, Earth observation supports the selection of sites for new fish farms [1]. [Tracking fleets beyond mobile coverage](https://leto.space/use-cases/fleet-tracking/) ### Climate, environment and biodiversity Earth observation monitors snow, ice caps and permafrost, sea-level rise and the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In ecosystems on land, in water and along coasts, it measures parameters such as soil health and water quality and shows when an imbalance threatens plants and animals. GNSS tracks threatened animals [1]. Satellite data also shows the quality and level of water in reservoirs and rivers [3]. [Monitoring habitats and water quality](https://leto.space/use-cases/habitat-water-quality/) ## When satellite data is not the answer in agriculture, forestry and the environment **Limits** - **Clouds in the growing season:** Optical sensors cannot see through cloud, and cloudy weeks often fall exactly when a crop or a forest needs watching. Radar sees through cloud but measures different things. - **Field and tree level:** Whether a small field, a single tree or a narrow stream can be seen depends on the resolution of the data. Free data covers large areas well; fine detail usually costs more. - **Biodiversity needs fieldwork:** Biodiversity monitoring still relies heavily on observations on site; Earth observation is increasingly used to assess ecosystem conditions and habitat change at scale \[1]. ## Frequently asked questions ### How can satellite data help agriculture? Earth observation lets farmers monitor crop performance remotely and reduce their use of inputs such as fertiliser, and it gives public authorities and economists data for their analyses. GNSS guides machinery and tracks livestock [1]. Satellite communication brings internet access to rural farms and connects sensors in the field for real-time monitoring [3]. Our use case on [crop monitoring and precision farming](https://leto.space/use-cases/crop-monitoring/) explains how this works on the field. ### Which problems does Earth observation solve in agriculture and forestry, and which does GNSS solve? Earth observation answers questions about the state of the land and how it changes: crop and forest health, biomass, soil condition, yield forecasts, deforestation and illegal logging. GNSS answers questions about position: steering tractors and forest machines, mapping field boundaries, positioning drones and locating sensors on trees [1]. Many applications use both, for example variable-rate application, which pairs GNSS positioning with Earth observation to distribute varying amounts of agrichemicals and seed across a field [1]. ### Is there consulting for satellite data in agriculture in Europe? Our consulting is not tied to a sector: it takes a use case from the first assessment through requirements and procurement to a pilot. In agriculture and forestry, a good first step is often a market scan, because many services already exist: [Spacegraph](https://leto.space/spacegraph/), the discovery platform we develop, has marketplace categories for agriculture and forestry and for environment and climate. See our [consulting overview](https://leto.space/consulting/) for how we work. ### Do we have to pay for satellite data? Not necessarily. Copernicus services and data are free of charge [4]. What you usually still procure is the processing, analysis and delivery around the data, which our [procurement guide](https://leto.space/knowledge/procurement-guide/) explains. ## Sources 1. [EU Space Market Report 2026, Issue 1, EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 2026-05-26](https://www.euspa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/EU_Space_Market_Report_2026.pdf) 2. [EUSPA EO and GNSS Market Report, Issue 2, 2024, EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 2024](https://www.euspa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/external/publications/euspa_market_report_2024.pdf) 3. [ESA Space Solutions: Space for the bioeconomy, European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space Solutions, accessed 2026-10-06](https://business.esa.int/bioeconomy) 4. [Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of 28 April 2021 establishing the Union Space Programme and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme, European Union, EUR-Lex, 2021-05-12](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/696/oj/eng) Page: