Satellite Data Indices We Analyze
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index
Measures crop health & chlorophyll activity
NDVI analyzes near-infrared light reflected by vegetation to quantify photosynthetic activity. Healthy crops absorb more visible light and reflect more NIR, producing higher NDVI values (0.6-0.9). Stressed or diseased areas show lower readings, enabling early intervention.
Normalized Difference Water Index
Detects water stress in crops
NDWI uses green and NIR bands to assess water content in vegetation canopy. It detects dehydration stress before wilting becomes visible, enabling proactive irrigation adjustments. Critical for arid and semi-arid farming regions.
Soil Moisture Index
Optimizes irrigation planning
Satellite-derived soil moisture measurements at 10-30cm depth provide field-wide moisture mapping. This eliminates guesswork in irrigation scheduling, ensuring each zone receives exactly the water it needs, no more, no less.
Land Surface Temperature
Monitors heat stress & growth conditions
Thermal satellite bands measure surface temperature variations across the farm. Temperature anomalies indicate irrigation deficiencies, canopy gaps, or disease hotspots. Critical for predicting heat stress events and optimizing planting windows.
Weather Analytics Layer
Satellite + ground weather fusion for pest & yield models
Integrates satellite atmospheric data (Sentinel-5P, MODIS, GOES) with ground weather stations and reanalysis (ERA5) into a unified hyperlocal forecast layer. Feeds pest outbreak predictions, spray windows, and yield models with 14-day horizon.
Advanced Crop Science Indices
Beyond remote sensing, we track biophysical, atmospheric, and phenological parameters that drive precision interventions at every growth stage.
Vapour Pressure Deficit
Controls transpiration & stomatal behavior
VPD quantifies the drying power of air, the difference between saturated and actual water vapor pressure. Optimal VPD (0.8–1.2 kPa) maximizes photosynthesis; too high forces stomatal closure, halting growth.
Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density
Satellite-derived PAR for photosynthesis potential
PPFD measures photosynthetically active photons (400–700nm) reaching the canopy. Derived from satellite solar radiation products (CERES, MODIS, Sentinel-3 OLCI) using the relationship PAR ≈ 0.45 × Rs, then converting to μmol/m²/s via the 4.57 μmol/J factor.
Growing Degree Days
Predicts crop phenological stages
GDD accumulates thermal units above a base temperature to predict crop development stages, germination, flowering, and maturity. Essential for scheduling irrigation, fertilization, and harvest with precision.
Evapotranspiration
Quantifies total crop water demand
ET combines soil evaporation and plant transpiration to measure actual water loss. The Penman-Monteith equation calculates reference ET (ET₀), then crop coefficients (Kc) scale it per crop and growth stage.
Leaf Area Index
Measures canopy density & light interception
LAI is the total one-sided leaf area per unit ground area. LAI of 3–5 indicates optimal canopy closure; below 2 means poor coverage and wasted light; above 6 risks self-shading and fungal conditions.
Fraction of Absorbed PAR
Measures photosynthetic efficiency of canopy
fAPAR is the fraction of incoming photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) absorbed by the vegetation canopy. Directly proportional to net primary productivity (NPP) and used in yield estimation models.
Canopy Temperature Depression
Detects water stress via thermal imaging
CTD measures the difference between air temperature and canopy temperature. Well-watered crops are cooler than air (CTD > 0); water-stressed crops become warmer, signaling immediate irrigation need.
Canopy Health Index
Composite score of overall crop vigor
Our proprietary CHI combines NDVI, LAI, CCI (Chlorophyll Content Index from Sentinel-2 Red Edge bands), and canopy temperature into a single 0–100 health score per zone.
Pest Risk Model
ML-driven pest outbreak probability score
Our pest risk model combines real-time weather data (T, RH, rainfall), crop stress indicators (NDVI decline), growth stage (GDD), and historical outbreak records to output a 0–100% risk score for 12+ pests.
Real-Time Weather & Atmospheric Data
Continuous environmental monitoring from meteorological satellites and hyperlocal weather APIs (IMD, ECMWF), feeding live data into every farming decision — no field hardware required.
Relative Humidity
Drives disease risk & transpiration rate
RH above 85% creates ideal conditions for fungal pathogens like blast, blight, and mildew. Below 40%, plants face excessive transpiration stress. We track RH at canopy level every 15 minutes.
Air Temperature
Controls growth rate & enzyme activity
Every crop has cardinal temperatures, base, optimum, and ceiling. Rice optimum: 25–30°C. Coconut: 27–32°C. We track min/max/mean daily temperatures for GDD calculation and heat stress alerts.
Rainfall & Precipitation
Water budget & flood/drought assessment
Satellite rain estimates (GPM/IMERG) combined with ground rain gauges deliver sub-hourly rainfall data. Used for irrigation offset calculation, waterlogging risk, and dry spell detection.
Wind Speed & Direction
Spray efficacy & ET calculation input
Wind > 15 km/h causes spray drift, wasting chemicals and causing crop damage. Wind is a key input to the Penman-Monteith ET equation. We provide 10-min wind rose data for spray window optimization.
Solar Radiation
Energy input for photosynthesis & ET
Net solar radiation (Rn) is the primary energy driver for both photosynthesis and evapotranspiration. Measured in MJ/m²/day, it determines maximum possible crop growth rate and water demand per day.
Dew Point Temperature
Condensation risk & fungal disease trigger
When air temperature approaches the dew point, moisture condenses on leaf surfaces, creating ideal conditions for fungal spore germination. Dew point alerts trigger preventive fungicide scheduling 24–48 hours ahead.
How These Indices Combine
No single index tells the full story. Our analytics engine fuses all 20+ data streams into actionable farm decisions, every hour, every zone.
Irrigation Decisions
ET + SMI + NDWI + Rainfall + VPD combine to output exact liters per zone, timed to avoid peak evaporation.
Fertilizer Timing
NDVI + LAI + GDD + soil test feed variable-rate prescriptions, nitrogen at flowering, potassium at grain fill.
Pest & Disease Alerts
RH + Dew Point + Temp + NDVI anomalies + historical outbreak data feed our ML pest risk model with 14-day forward prediction.
Yield Forecast
fAPAR + LAI + GDD accumulation + solar radiation + weather forecast combine in our yield model, 85-92% accurate from flowering.
