Use satellite imagery to prepare a crop inspection

Two examples of inspection preparation

These examples are illustrative. They do not report a Sensorius customer result, diagnosis or validated image-based detection.

A stripe or area looks different from its surroundings

An agronomist notices a stripe or other area that looks different from its surroundings in an available RGB scene. They check its acquisition date, cloud and shadow conditions, field boundary and crop context. The team compares the view with recent observations and decides whether to inspect the corresponding area.

At the field, the agronomist records what the crop and soil look like and considers other relevant evidence. If the pattern is not visible on site or the scene is too old or obscured, that limitation is recorded. The image helped frame a question; it did not establish a problem or its cause.

An old or clouded scene does not answer today’s question

The team opens a scene that is older than the field change it wants to understand, or cloud and shadow cover the area in question. It checks the date and visible coverage and notes that the image cannot answer the current question. The team uses recent records or arranges an inspection instead.

If other fields also need review, the team decides the order using its available information and resources. The platform does not rank fields automatically. The team records what was visible in the scene separately from what it confirmed on the ground.

Put a visible difference in context

A difference across a field can raise several questions. The crop may look uneven, an area may appear different from the surrounding stand, or a recent observation may need checking across a wider area. An image gives the team another view to discuss before the visit.

Sensorius connects available imagery with the field whose records you are considering. You can ask whether a visible pattern relates to recent work, an earlier observation or an area that needs a closer look. The image helps define the question. Its appearance alone does not establish a nutrient deficiency, disease or other cause.

Bring the field's history into the inspection

An inspection is easier to prepare when the team knows what has already happened. Crop and season details, sowing and other work records, available weather and observations all help you prepare. Their dates help explain whether they describe the same period as the image.

Your agronomist can take that background into the field and compare it with the stand. The operator can add knowledge of access, recent work and conditions that are not visible from above. Sensorius brings the field information together before the visit. Your team adds observations from the field to help interpret what it shows. That keeps the visit focused on a farm question rather than an unexplained change on a screen.

Understand what the image actually shows

Enabled fields can show acquired RGB Sentinel-2 images when scenes are available. RGB combines red, green and blue bands to show the visible surface in a colour image. It can provide context for comparing areas that look different and for discussing the field with the team.

The acquisition date tells you when the image was taken. It may be earlier than the question you are considering today. Cloud cover and other scene conditions can also limit what is visible. Use the available acquisition and cloud information when deciding whether a scene is useful. This offer does not promise vegetation indices, automatic crop diagnosis or analysis of the image by the Agronomic Adviser.

Combine the overview with local knowledge

A satellite scene and a local measurement answer different kinds of questions. The image shows the visible surface over an area. A correctly installed sensor provides measurements at its location. Neither establishes that all parts of a field share the same soil conditions.

Where soil measurements are available, your team can consider them with the image, work records and observations. This may help you decide what to check during the visit. Hardware is optional for viewing acquired scenes. Begin with your question and existing information. Consider additional measurements where they would add useful detail about local conditions.

Support a consistent discussion across the team

A farm manager may need to agree the purpose of a visit while an agronomist prepares the checks and an operator describes recent activity. Looking at the same field information helps them discuss the same place and period. They can agree which observations are needed before considering an intervention.

After the visit, the team can return to the records and distinguish the original concern from what was actually observed. This helps the team agree what to check next and keep the follow-up connected to the field history.

Choose an inspection question for the first conversation

A suitable starting point is a field where the team has a recent observation and wants more context before returning. Bring the field boundary, crop and season information, recent operations and the date of the observation. We can discuss whether satellite scenes are available for that field and how they could contribute.

For some questions, the most useful next source may be a direct inspection or a laboratory result. Sensorius helps you consider what each source can tell you. You can discuss the data available now and the limits of the current imagery offer before planning a wider deployment.