Most agriculture takes place outdoors and as such is highly dependent on the weather. The use of satellite and radar images allows us to more closely monitor the weather and the state of the environment and to take timely action in the event of adverse events in the environment. In addition to cloud monitoring, satellite data are useful for integrated crop condition monitoring, focusing on vegetation status monitoring. During the growing season, the leaf area index (LAI) can be monitored, and vegetation development is described by the normalized vegetation index (NDVI). Changes in the state of vegetation can be related to heat waves, drought, soil compaction, the appearance of weeds, diseases or pests, all of which can also be monitored by satellites. The European radar program OPERA provides radar data for the forecast of precipitation and hail, and the Meteoalarm system provides warnings of dangerous weather events on the basis of radar measurements. Satellite and radar data in agriculture enable us to continuously monitor the situation and control larger areas, reduce the necessary field work and increase the possibilities for timely action in the event of inappropriate weather and other environmental conditions. In addition, we can analyze the past situation on the basis of multi-annual data and predict expected changes. Satellite and radar data are projected to become increasingly important in the future as agriculture evolves and increasingly focuses on precision farming.
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