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Managing Crop Water Demands
The Crop Water Demands use case focuses on managing crop water demands by utilising Earth Observation (EO) data to monitor and assess water consumption in agricultural fields. A key aspect is calculating the Normalized Multi-band Drought Index (NMDI), which helps detect drought conditions by analysing water content in both soil and vegetation. By comparing historical data with current measurements, the system identifies anomalies in crop water status, enabling near real-time monitoring.
The workflow uses ECOSTRESS data, including daily evapotranspiration rates, to estimate water consumption over time. This data is then aggregated to calculate Crop Water Requirements (CWR), which represents the ratio of water consumption through evapotranspiration to water availability. An additional metric, the Evaporative Stress Index (ESI), compares actual to potential evapotranspiration, giving insight into the crop's immediate water needs.
The results from this use case on managing crop water demands show several key findings:
  • NMDI (Normalized Multi-band Drought Index)
    The index effectively detected anomalies in canopy water content across different crop types and climatic regions. The study found that NMDI could highlight differences in water status between drought years and wet years, showing its reliability in monitoring water stress over time.
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  • Cumulative Drought Impact Indicator (CDII)
    This indicator quantified the cumulative effects of water shortages on crops, considering the intensity and duration of water stress. It proved useful for assessing overall water insufficiency across growing seasons, correlating well with crop yields in drought and normal years.
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  • Evaporative Stress Index (ESI)
    ESI was used to compare actual versus potential evapotranspiration, offering real-time insights into crop water status. It was particularly effective in assessing immediate water needs across different years and regions.
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  • Crop Water Productivity (CWP) and Water Use Efficiency (WUE)
    Although limited data availability restricted the full demonstration, these metrics offered valuable insights into water consumption and crop yield relationships. CWP and WUE were shown to be promising indicators for optimising irrigation and improving crop productivity under varying water availability.
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