NISAR Revolutionizes Soil-Moisture Monitoring in India

The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) is capturing high-resolution soil-moisture data across India. With two observations every 12 days, this data aids in managing agriculture and water resources, supporting drought preparedness and irrigation planning, and is disseminated via the Bhoonidhi Portal for easy access.

ISRO has announced that the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) is providing systematic imaging of the Indian landmass in S-and L-bands. This imaging delivers high-resolution, wide-swath data every 12 days, crucial for generating precise soil-moisture products at a 100-meter resolution.

Soil moisture is a critical indicator of crop health, irrigation requirements, and drought risk. The consistent estimates provided by NISAR across diverse agro-climatic regions of India aid significantly in agriculture and water management.

The data, accessible through the Bhoonidhi Portal, allows for near-real-time monitoring of soil moisture dynamics, supporting planning and management at district and community levels. Developed at the Space Applications Centre, the retrieval algorithm ensures accuracy and reliability of observations.

(With inputs from agencies.)