Planet and Sentinel imagery integrations in FarmQA

FarmQA users can sign their fields up for annual satellite imagery subscriptions. FarmQA offers satellite imagery subscriptions through two sources: Planet Labs and Sentinel-2. Planet Labs offers 3-meter resolution satellite imagery, which is provided by their constellation of approximately 200 satellites. Planet's high-number of satellites allows them to provide near-daily imagery anywhere on the surface of the globe, only limited by adverse weather or cloud cover. Sentinel-2 offers 10-meter resolution satellite imagery, provided by their constellation of two satellites. The smaller size of Sentinel-2's constellation results in lower imagery cadence than Planet Labs offering, but FarmQA's Sentinel-2 offering can still provide approximately weekly imagery for subscribed fields. 

A breakdown of the differences between Planet Labs and Sentinel-2 imagery subscriptions is provided below: 

For further reference, here are two comparable NDVI images from the same field that can show the differences in image resolution between Planet Labs and Sentinel-2 imagery: 

Both Planet and Sentinel imagery can be used to create management zones and write prescriptions within FarmQA. Metrics can also be tracked on imagery indexes like NDVI and MSAVI through FarmQA's Analytics feature. Check out the article below to learn more about FarmQA's imagery integrations. 

Imagery included with an imagery subscription

Managing your imagery subscription

Imagery included with a subscription

Included with your Planet imagery subscription of $1.25/acre for a year's worth of high cadence imagery are six imagery products: 

True color imagery

Imagery as it would appear to the naked eye, presented from a birds eye view. This imagery is best used for getting a baseline when comparing other imagery indexes. 

Modified soil adjusted vegetation index (MSAVI)

An index generated by comparing NIR and red band imagery that also takes into account any variability in readings caused by bare soil. This index was created to assess crop health from emergence to leaf development, during a point in the growing season when there is a lot of bare soil in the fields. 

Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)

An index generated by comparing near infra-red (NIR) and red band imagery used to assess crop growth and development. NDVI is one of the most commonly used imagery indexes used in agriculture today due to it's ease of calculation and interpretation. Essentially, NDVI calculates the amount of green light that is being reflected off of a surface, meaning the more green light that is reflected, the higher the index is. NDVI is generally most effective during the middle part of the growing season when crops are between leaf growth and development and biological maturity. 

Normalized difference red edge (NDRE) index

An index generated by comparing red-edge and red band imagery used to assess crop health. As crops approach biological maturity stop growing taller/broader and developing more leaves, they reach a sort of maximum amount of green light they can reflect, making NDVI a less useful crop health index. The red-edge light spectrum picks up on changes in plant chlorophyll content, making it a better indicator of crop health later in the season. 

Red-edge band imagery

This can be used to broadly assess crop health later in the growing season, after the crop has reached biological maturity. One use case for red-edge band imagery is assessing nitrogen deficiencies in crops. 

Red band imagery

This can be used to broadly assess crop health in the middle part of the growing season, between crop leaf development and biological maturity. 

Managing your imagery subscription

Available from the: Web App

User permissions: Enterprise Administrator

• Click on the Settings icon, then click on the Imagery tab.
• Access the following functionality in the Configure map layers and metrics for Planet and Sentinel imagery and individual Imagery sections (pictured below): 

1. Turn on the toggle next to each imagery index and related metric that you want to turn on for your satellite imagery subscription(s). 
2. Check the Months you want to have imagery loaded in for. 
3. Use the % maximum acceptable cloud coverage text box to set the maximum amount of cloud coverage you want on your imagery. We suggest setting this to 10%. 
4. Use the Get images starting on calendar to set the date you want to start getting imagery starting on. Imagery backfill is available with your subscription up to 5 years, so you can set your backfill date up to 5 years prior to the current day.
5. Click on the Subscribed fields text box to access the menu you'll use to subscribe your fields to imagery.

• At the top of the Select Fields menu you'll find some important information regarding your subscription (pictured below):
  1. The total number of acres you've purchased for an imagery subscription.
  2. The number of acres you have selected or have already subscribed for imagery.
  3. The number of acres you have left that you can subscribe.

• Select fields to subscribe for imagery either from the View list or View map page (pictured below).

• When you're done selecting fields, click the Update button.
  • NOTE: it may take a few minutes for imagery to load into your fields.