Use case: agriculture
Crop monitoring and precision farming
Satellites help farmers in two ways. Earth observation shows how the crop develops across every field, for example through vegetation indices from Sentinel-2 images taken every few days. Satellite positioning steers machines and places fertiliser, seed and water where the field needs them. Combined, the two make variable-rate application possible.
- Reference
- UC-26
- Technologies
- Challenge
- Land use and vegetation
- Updated
- Published by
- LETO SPACE
01Technology
How it works
Crop monitoring reads the state of the plants from space. Precision farming uses that reading to decide how much each part of a field receives.
Earth observation measures how strongly the crop reflects red and near-infrared light. Vegetation indices such as the NDVI turn these two bands into a value for greenness, which helps to understand vegetation density and to assess changes in plant health Source: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), accessed 6 October 2026U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)Landsat Normalized Difference Vegetation Indexaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens usgs.gov). Sentinel-2 adds four red-edge bands designed for vegetation Source: European Space Agency (ESA), SentiWiki, accessed 6 October 2026European Space Agency (ESA), SentiWikiSentinel-2 missionaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens sentiwiki.copernicus.eu). According to EUSPA, Earth observation lets a farm follow crop performance without visiting every field and use less fertiliser and other inputs Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 26 May 2026EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)EU Space Market Report 2026, Issue 126 May 2026Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu). ESA names crop health, disease detection, yield prediction, soil moisture and irrigation among the uses of Earth observation in farming Source: European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space Solutions, accessed 6 October 2026European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space SolutionsESA Space Solutions: Space for the bioeconomyaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens business.esa.int).
Satellite positioning (GNSS) is what turns such a map into action in the field. Variable-rate application combines GNSS positioning with Earth observation to distribute different amounts of seed and agrichemicals across a field, and precision irrigation does the same with water: the image shows where the crop needs more or less, and the receiver on the machine knows where it is Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 26 May 2026EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)EU Space Market Report 2026, Issue 126 May 2026Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu). EUSPA describes the aim as using less fuel, water and chemicals Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), accessed 6 October 2026EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)Agriculture (EU Space Programme market segment page)accessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu).
- L1 Base mapTerrain, river and parcels
- L2 Crop vigourField parcels, from low (light) to high (dark)
Sensors in the field can add measurements that satellites cannot take from orbit. Where no mobile network reaches them, they can send their data by satellite, as described in the use case on satellite IoT.
02Data
Which data and satellites
| Question | Data | Example |
|---|---|---|
| How is the crop developing in each field? | Optical images and vegetation indices | Copernicus Sentinel-2 |
| What happens under a closed cloud cover? | Radar images | Copernicus Sentinel-1 |
| Where does the machine apply more or less? | GNSS positioning plus an application map | Galileo and EGNOS on the machine |
| Where exactly are the field boundaries? | Earth observation and GNSS | Field mapping services |
Satellite data is already part of farm policy in the EU. Under Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 every member state runs an area monitoring system, defined as the regular and systematic observation of agricultural activities and practices with Copernicus Sentinel data or data of at least equivalent value. Since 1 January 2024 this system has had to be fully operational in all member states Source: European Union, EUR-Lex, 6 December 2021European Union, EUR-LexRegulation (EU) 2021/2116 of 2 December 2021 on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy6 December 2021Open source (opens eur-lex.europa.eu).
03Deliverables
What you get
- Crop vigour maps for each field, updated whenever a clear image is available Source: European Space Agency (ESA), SentiWiki, accessed 6 October 2026European Space Agency (ESA), SentiWikiSentinel-2 missionaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens sentiwiki.copernicus.eu).
- Zones within a field that develop differently, as the basis for variable-rate application of fertiliser, seed and agrichemicals Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 26 May 2026EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)EU Space Market Report 2026, Issue 126 May 2026Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu).
- Signs of stress or disease, which tell you which fields to walk first Source: European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space Solutions, accessed 6 October 2026European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space SolutionsESA Space Solutions: Space for the bioeconomyaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens business.esa.int).
- Yield estimates before harvest Source: European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space Solutions, accessed 6 October 2026European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space SolutionsESA Space Solutions: Space for the bioeconomyaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens business.esa.int).
- Irrigation support from soil moisture data Source: European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space Solutions, accessed 6 October 2026European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space SolutionsESA Space Solutions: Space for the bioeconomyaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens business.esa.int).
04Limits
Limits
Limit 01
Cloud gaps
Optical satellites cannot see through cloud, while radar can Source: European Space Agency (ESA), 3 November 2025European Space Agency (ESA)Sentinel-1 mission… did you know?3 November 2025Open source (opens esa.int). Cloudy weeks can leave gaps exactly when a decision is due.
Limit 02
Pixel size
At 10 m, one Sentinel-2 pixel covers 100 square metres Source: European Space Agency (ESA), SentiWiki, accessed 6 October 2026European Space Agency (ESA), SentiWikiSentinel-2 missionaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens sentiwiki.copernicus.eu). Narrow strips, field edges and small plots mix with their surroundings, and single plants are not visible.
Limit 03
Greenness is not a diagnosis
A lower index shows that the crop differs from the rest of the field, not why. Water, nutrients, disease or a sowing problem can all cause it, so the signal still needs a look in the field.
05Next steps
How we help
Before you choose a crop monitoring service, three questions need an answer: which data fits your crops and field sizes, how often you need it, and how it reaches your farm software and machines. In a strategy engagement we answer these questions with you, and we then write the requirements for choosing a provider.
More on requirements and procurement
To see who offers such services, use Spacegraph, our discovery platform. Its marketplace has a use-case category for vegetation and crop health.
06Use cases
Related use cases
- Monitoring forest health and deforestationThe same imagery, applied to forest damage and clearings.
- Connecting remote sensors via satellite IoTField sensors that report where there is no mobile network.
- Agriculture, forestry and environmentAll use cases for farms, forests and environmental bodies.
Frequently asked questions
Q1Which satellite data is used for crop monitoring, and how often is it updated?
The main free source is Sentinel-2: it records 13 spectral bands, four of them at 10 m, and with two satellites revisits the same place every five days at the equator Source: European Space Agency (ESA), SentiWiki, accessed 6 October 2026European Space Agency (ESA), SentiWikiSentinel-2 missionaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens sentiwiki.copernicus.eu). Like all Copernicus data it is free of charge Source: European Commission, DG Defence Industry and Space (EU Space portal), accessed 7 October 2026European Commission, DG Defence Industry and Space (EU Space portal)Copernicusaccessed 7 October 2026Open source (opens eu-space.europa.eu). Cloud can hide a field on a given pass, so the usable interval is often longer. Radar satellites such as Sentinel-1 deliver images in any weather, day and night Source: European Space Agency (ESA), accessed 6 October 2026European Space Agency (ESA)Sentinel-1accessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens esa.int).
Q2Which satellite positioning do farm machines use?
In Europe, 97% of new tractors that use GNSS are equipped with EGNOS, and 69% of new agricultural machinery is equipped with Galileo, according to EUSPA. EUSPA also writes that Earth observation data, "combined with Galileo's centimetre accuracy and boosted by EGNOS, can enable accurate and efficient variable rate applications" Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), accessed 6 October 2026EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)Agriculture (EU Space Programme market segment page)accessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu).
Q3How do we start a pilot for crop monitoring?
Pick a few fields and one decision you want to improve, for example the second nitrogen application or the irrigation schedule. Then check which data your farm management software and machine terminals can already take in.
Sources (9)
- Landsat Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (opens usgs.gov)
- Sentinel-2 mission (opens sentiwiki.copernicus.eu)
- Sentinel-1 (opens esa.int)
- Sentinel-1 mission… did you know? (opens esa.int)
- Copernicus (opens eu-space.europa.eu)
- EU Space Market Report 2026, Issue 1 (opens euspa.europa.eu)
- Agriculture (EU Space Programme market segment page) (opens euspa.europa.eu)
- ESA Space Solutions: Space for the bioeconomy (opens business.esa.int)
- Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 of 2 December 2021 on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy (opens eur-lex.europa.eu)
Contact
Which decision on your fields should satellite data support first?
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Tell one of our experts about your project. Together we work out where you stand, whether satellite data and AI can help and what a sensible next step would be.
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