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By Kendall Russell | April 25, 2017

Atos announced a solution that captures agricultural data directly via satellite to optimize farming practices. Together with start-up TerraNIS , Atos is using its business analytics solution Atos Codex to convert data into valuable information for the agriculture sector.

Atos uses its Atos Codex analytics platform to capture biophysical indicators via satellite to help farmers best optimize farming practices — such as best crop choice, appropriate crop nutrition and the right fertilization and harvesting periods.

Atos is using the Sentinel 2 Earth Observation (EO) satellite developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), which is capable of providing views using visible and near infrared light with a resolution of 10m to 60m, a perimeter of 290km and a revisit frequency of five days, which is ideal for monitoring crops, according to the company.

For one of its biggest clients in the United States, Atos is monitoring more than 100,000 hectares of crops and 6,000 plots of land (including wheat, corn, soy and vegetables) to provide biophysical indicators of plant development, such as the level of chlorophyll and the proportion of green foliage. This monitoring can detect any anomalies or discrepancies within and between plots of land.

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With around 90% of world trade carried by ships, making sure a vessel follows the fastest route has clear economic benefits.

By merging measurements from different satellites, ESA is providing key information on ocean currents, which is not only making shipping more efficient but is also helping to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Shipping companies forecast ocean currents down to a depth of about 15 m to route their vessels through favourable currents and avoid those that might hinder a voyage. Reliable forecasts are essential for making sure that goods arrive on time and that ships use as little fuel as possible. The problem is that forecasts might not always be accurate. Combining satellite measurements such as sea-surface height and temperature, surface winds and gravity, along with measurements taken in situ, can yield a unique view of ocean-surface circulation.

ESA’s Globcurrent project has merged measurements to build a picture of daily global ocean surface currents over the last 24 years. Shipping companies can use this information to understand general circulation characteristics of particular regions.

Building on Globcurrent, a near-realtime product would then allow them to choose the most reliable forecast for a given time and location.

Ocean scientists therefore teamed up with CGM-CMA, a worldwide shipping group, to optimise routing using Globcurrent data.

Fabrice Collard from Ocean Data Laboratory said, “The lack of confidence in ocean-circulation models has hindered ship routing.
“Today, Globcurrent can help assess which forecast products are the most reliable for a given local area. This, in turn, helps shipping companies choose a particular route that would make use of favourable currents.”
Patrice Bara from CGM-CMA remarked, “Reducing container vessel fuel consumption is an important challenge, especially when trying to cut down on emissions that contribute to global warming.
“Based on our experience with the Europe-Asia route, using existing ocean forecast products gives us a 0.4% cost saving. However, Globcurrent could help us achieve savings of up to 1.2% on fuel consumption.
“It is extremely important for us to assess the reliability of model forecasts against Globcurrent products in near-real time and to achieve our first target of reducing emissions of carbon dioxide by 180 000 tonnes a year.”

Craig Donlon, ESA ocean scientist, added, “The importance of ocean surface currents cannot be overstated for those working on the ocean.
“Helping European industry to fine-tune their ship routing operations with Globcurrent brings not only financial savings but also the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Now Globcurrent has been demonstrated, the operational generation of products will be transferred to the Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring Service in the coming months.
ESA will continue the fundamental task of scientific research and development to maintain and evolve the new system to take full benefit of the Copernicus Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 satellites, and in the future Sentinel-6.”

Source ESA

Dakar, Senegal, 24-28 April 2017

WHAT: The 2nd MESA Forum is organised by the African Union Commission (AUC) in collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Government of the Republic of Senegal under the theme “from Earth Observation to Policy Development and Implementation”. The European Union provides financial support to the MESA Project.

WHERE: Dakar, Senegal

WHEN: 24-28 April 2017

The Media is invited to cover the opening ceremony and Press Conference on Monday, 24 April 2017, at King Fahd Hotel, Dakar, from 9:00 – 12:00 AM.

WHO: Opening

  • Keynote address by Prof. Abdoulaye Dia, Executive secretary and CEO Pan African Agency of the Great Green Wall;
  • Welcome Remarks by H.E. Mr. Marcel Alain de Souza, President of the ECOWAS region;
  • Remarks by H.E. Mr. Isidor Embola, CEMAC, current PSC Chair;
  • Remarks by H.E. Ambassador, Joaquin Gonzalez-Ducay, Head of EU Delegation to the Government of the Republic of Senegal;
  • Statement by H.E. Mrs Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union Commission;
  • Statement by H.E. Mr. Abdoulaye Balde, Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development and H.E. Mr. Oumar Gueye; Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy of the Government of the Republic of Senegal.

Press Conference Speakers

  • H.E. Mrs. Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union Commission;
  • H.E. Mr. Oumar Gueye, Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy of the Government of the Republic of Senegal;
  • H.E. Mr. Abdoulaye Balde, Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development of the Government of the Republic of Senegal;
  • H.E. Mr. Marcel Alain de Souza, President of the ECOWAS Commission;
  • H.E. Ambassador, Joaquin Gonzalez-Ducay, Head of EU Delegation to the Government of the Republic of Senegal.

More than 200 international delegates composed of decision and policy makers, planners, earth observation data users and experts from 49 beneficiary countries of MESA Project, other stakeholders and partner institutions are expected to attend the second MESA Forum.

WHY: The objectives of the 2nd MESA Forum, among others include, to:

  • Show case achievements of the MESA Project;
  • Demonstrate how MESA services has influenced policy and decision making, policy development, and policy implementations at national, regional and continental levels in Africa;
  • Discuss how stories of successes in MESA will be enhanced in the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES & Africa Project) and other related pro- grams in Africa;
  • Share best practices of the uses of satellite data for different applications at national, regional and continental scales in Africa;
  • Contributions of MESA to livelihoods of community development;
  • Enhance Africa’s capacity to access Earth Observation data and applications.

Distributed by APO on behalf of Monitoring for Environment and Security in Africa (MESA).
For more information: Dr. Jolly Wasambo (AUC) MESA Programme Coordinator African Union Commission Tel: +251912646235 E-mail: WasamboJ@Africa-Union.org Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

  • Dr. Bakary Djaby (AU-MESA) MESA TAT Team Leader African Union Commission Tel: +251 909 537954 Email: Bakary.Djaby@HD-MESA.org Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Mr. Hailu Wudineh (AU-MESA) AU-MESA Communication Officer African Union Commission Email: Hailu.Wudineh@HD-MESA.org; HailuW@Africa-Union.org Tel: +251 911671683 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
  • Mrs. Thioro Codou Niang (CSE) Communications Marketing and External Relations Officer Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE) Email: Thioro.Niang@CSE.sn Tel: +221 33825 8066 Dakar, Senegal

About MESA: The Monitoring for Environment and Security in Africa (MESA) Project uses space-based and in-situ data to enable an improved management of the environment and food security at continental, regional and national levels in Africa. MESA consolidates and widens the operational environmental services developed in the African Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development (AMESD) programme, and is a contribution to the GMES-Africa initiative.
The objective of the MESA Project is to enhance access to reliable, timely and accurate land, marine and climate data and information for Africa. And the purpose of the MESA project is to increase the capacity in information management, decision making and planning of African continental, regional and national institutions mandated for environment, climate and food security. This is being achieved by enhancing access to reliable, timely and accurate land, marine and climate data and information for Africa. MESA is exploiting Earth Observation (EO) data and technologies to promote socioeconomic progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: Agenda 2063.
The MESA project provides eighteen services for the seven thematic actions: Management of Water Resources in Central Africa; Coastal and Marine Resources Management in the ECOWAS Region; Water Management for Cropland and Rangeland in the ECOWAS Region; Land Degradation, Natural Habitat Conservation and Forest monitoring in the IGAD Region; Marine and Coastal Management in the IOC region; Climate Services for Disaster Risk Reduction in Africa.
The MESA Project, funded by the European Union, is implemented with the overall coordination of the African Union Commission. Specialised technical institutions of the Regional Economic Communities and Inter-Governmental Organisations (CEMAC, ECOWAS, IGAD, IOC and SADC) lead the implementation of the project in their respective regions. The project is also implemented with close cooperation of the European Union and partners such as European Organisation for the Exploration of Meteorological Satellite (EUMETSAT) and the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC).

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Munich, 18/04/2017
A new ground station and a unique 30 cm satellite constellation enable unprecedented capabilities

European Space Imaging announced today that the company has started operations of its new ground station with access to the entire satellite fleet of its WorldView Global Alliance partner DigitalGlobe. The Munich-based company is now in a unique position to directly task five very high resolution satellites (GeoEye-1, WorldView-1, WorldView-2, WorldView-3 and WorldView-4). This speeds up the whole process of planning, collection, data downlink and delivery and allows European Space Imaging to quickly deliver satellite imagery products to WorldView Global Alliance customers in Europe, North Africa, CIS countries and the Middle East.

WorldView-4, the latest addition to the DigitalGlobe satellite fleet, joins WorldView-3 as the second commercial 30 cm optical sensor in a 617 km orbit. Both most technologically advanced satellites offer true 30 cm panchromatic, combined with four 1.24 m multispectral resolution and an accuracy of 4 m CE90 at nadir. These characteristics make WorldView-4 and WorldView-3 the perfect tandem for collecting large areas of 30 cm data very rapidly.

“The capabilities of our new ground station and the direct access to the entire DigitalGlobe satellite fleet start a new era in the availability of highest resolution imagery in Europe. It’s a major milestone especially in the 30 cm resolution class”, says Adrian Zevenbergen, Managing Director of European Space Imaging. “In 2017, we plan to collect more than two times the entire European land mass with the 30 cm satellite constellation alone.”

European Space Imaging has already started the supply of 30 cm WorldView-3 and WorldView-4 satellite imagery to its European key programs and the WorldView Global Alliance channel partners.


WorldView-4 satellite in space © [2017] DigitalGlobe, Inc.


Leaning Tower of Pisa | Italy | 28 March 2017 | WorldView-4 © [2017] European Space Imaging

Events Spring 2017

April 2017
Start Date End Date Name Locality Country
April 18, 2017 Webinat
April 19, 2017 April 21, 2017 Moscow Russia
April 19, 2017 April 21, 2017 Zurich Switzerland
April 19, 2017 April 21, 2017 The Hague Netherlands
April 20, 2017 April 21, 2017 Florence Italy
April 23, 2017 April 28, 2017 Vienna Austria
April 24, 2017 April 26, 2017 Cadiz Spain
April 24, 2017 April 28, 2017 Berlin Germany
April 24, 2017 Brussels Belgium
April 25, 2017 April 27, 2017 Silicon Valley USA
April 25, 2017 Milpitas, CA USA
April 26, 2017 April 27, 2017 Nice France
April 26, 2017 Brussels Belgium
April 26, 2017 April 28, 2017 Cadiz Spain
April 27, 2017 April 28, 2017 Porto Portugal
May 2017
Start Date End Date Name Locality Country
May 2, 2017 May 5, 2017 Pisa Italy
May 8, 2017 May 12, 2017 Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa
May 9, 2017 May 11, 2017 Geneva Switzerland
May 9, 2017 Bucharest Romania
May 10, 2017 May 11, 2017 Lund Sweden
May 12, 2017 Frascati Italy
May 12, 2017 May 13, 2017 GEO Work Programme Symposium Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa
May 15, 2017 May 18, 2017 Lisbon Portugal
May 16, 2017 June 18, 2017 Rotterdam Netherlands
May 16, 2017 May 18, 2017 London United Kingdom
May 17, 2017 Berlin Germany
May 18, 2017 May 19, 2017 Grenoble France
May 23, 2017 Messe Düsseldorf Congress Center, Düsseldorf Germany
May 23, 2017 May 24, 2017 London United Kingdom
May 23, 2017 May 25, 2017 Rome Turkey
May 24, 2017 Prague Czech Rep.
May 25, 2017 Cairo, Egypt
May 28, 2017 May 31, 2017 Santos, Brazil
May 29, 2017 June 2, 2017 Helsinki Finland
May 29, 2017 June 2, 2017 Télédétection Radar : applications continentales Champs-sur-Marne France
May 30, 2017 June 1, 2017 Manchester United Kingdom
May 31, 2017 June 2, 2017 College Park, Maryland USA
June 2017
Start Date End Date Name Locality Country
June 4, 2017 June 7, 2017 San Antonio, Texas USA
June 5, 2017 June 9, 2017 New York USA
June 6, 2017 Brussels Belgium
June 6, 2017 June 8, 2017 Brussels Belgium
June 7, 2017 June 9, 2017 Dublin Ireland
June 7, 2017 June 8, 2017 Brussels Belgium
June 7, 2017 June 9, 2017 Arlington, VA USA
June 9, 2017 June 11, 2017 Athens Greece
June 12, 2017 Hertogenbosch Netherlands
June 12, 2017 June 14, 2017 Barcelona Spain
June 12, 2017 June 16, 2017 Barcelona Spain
June 12, 2017 June 14, 2017 Gdansk Poland
June 13, 2017 Maaspoort, Venlo Netherlands
June 13, 2017 June 15, 2017 Sunyani, Ghana
June 14, 2017 June 15, 2017 St. Petersburg Russia
June 14, 2017 June 16, 2017 Brussels Belgium
June 16, 2017 June 20, 2017 Pécs Hungary
June 19, 2017 June 21, 2017 Helsinki Finland
June 20, 2017 June 22, 2017 Montréal Canada
June 20, 2017 June 21, 2017 Plymouth United Kingdom
June 26, 2017 June 27, 2017 Kalkara Malta
June 27, 2017 July 6, 2017 17th International Conference SGEM 2017 Albena Bulgaria
June 27, 2017 June 29, 2017 Bari Italy
June 27, 2017 June 28, 2017 Kalkara Malta
June 27, 2017 Belfast, Northern Ireland
July 2017
Start Date End Date Name Locality Country
July 2, 2017 July 7, 2017 Washington USA
July 3, 2017 July 6, 2017 Milan Italy
July 4, 2017 Brussels Belgium
July 5, 2017 Brussels Belgium
July 11, 2017 July 14, 2017 Kampala, Uganda
July 20, 2017 July 21, 2017 Munich Germany
July 21, 2017 July 26, 2017 Honolulu, Hawaii USA
July 23, 2017 July 28, 2017 Fort Worth (TX) USA
August 2017
Start Date End Date Name Locality Country
August 14, 2017 August 19, 2017 Boston USA
August 22, 2017 August 24, 2017 Denver, Colorado USA
August 22, 2017 August 24, 2017 Putrajaya, Malaysia
September 2017
Start Date End Date Name Locality Country
September 4, 2017 September 9, 2017 Szent István University, Gödöllő Campus Hungary
September 4, 2017 September 8, 2017 Germany and France
September 4, 2017 September 15, 2017 Svalvard Norway
September 6, 2017 September 7, 2017 Singapore
September 11, 2017 September 15, 2017 Paris France
September 11, 2017 September 14, 2017 Warsaw Poland
September 18, 2017 September 22, 2017 Valencia Spain
September 18, 2017 September 22, 2017 Jeju Island, South Korea
September 18, 2017 September 22, 2017 Wuhan China
September 18, 2017 September 20, 2017 Vienna Austria
September 25, 2017 September 29, 2017 Brussels Belgium
September 26, 2017 September 28, 2017 Berlin Germany
September 26, 2017 September 28, 2017 INTERAERIAL SOLUTIONS part of INTERGEO Berlin Germany
September 26, 2017 September 28, 2017 Stavanger Norway
September 27, 2017 September 29, 2017 Nairobi, Kenya
September 27, 2017 September 29, 2017 Port Louis, Mauritius
October 2017
Start Date End Date Name Locality Country
October 2, 2017 October 3, 2017 Vienna Austria
October 2, 2017 October 6, 2017 Rome Italy
October 10, 2017 Brixen, Bressanone,
October 16, 2017 October 21, 2017 Vladivost
ok City
Russia
October 23, 2017 October 27, 2017 Washington DC USA
October 24, 2017 October 26, 2017 Bremen Germany
October 31, 2017 November 1, 2017 London United Kingdom
November 2017
Start Date End Date Name Locality Country
November 13, 2017 November 17, 2017 Rome Italy
November 15, 2017 November 16, 2017 ExCel, London United Kingdom
November 22, 2017 November 25, 2017 Sousse, Tunisia
November 27, 2017 December 1, 2017 Brussels Belgium
January 2018
Start Date End Date Name Locality Country
January 16, 2018 January 19, 2018 Hyderabad, India

EARSC Offers more to its Members!

The last few weeks have been highly significant in the development of the EARSC. On 13th March, we moved into an office for the first time in our 27 year history!! It became a necessity due to the second major change – all in the same week – where we have recruited 2 new persons to work for EARSC so that we are now 5 in total. Emmanuel Pajot and Natassa Antoniou have joined us to drive our programmes on the Marketplace Alliance and a much stronger Market Development programme. We are very pleased to add their skills to those of Mónica, Ariane and myself and to deliver even more value for our members.

I am often asked about what EARSC offers for a company considering to become a member. The answer is that it depends on the company and what they are searching for as different companies get different benefits from being members of the Association.

Each company benefits from different parts of our programme to which they all have equal access.

In the first place, some companies join EARSC for the networking opportunities which we can offer. The chance to meet other companies and potential partners through various meetings and events. For small enterprises and start-ups this can be as valuable as it is for larger companies. It gives them opportunities to partner for proposals or to exchange information related to their products or their national bases.

Some companies place great value on the intelligence information which they have access to. On one level, we are often asked to promote news of events, tenders, surveys etc by both public stakeholders (EC and ESA), other associations or networks (Eurogi, Eurisy, Nereus) and projects whether we are part of them or not (linked to H2020, ESA, GEO, etc). On a deeper level, we provide a monthly report to all members which contains news of the Association but also much news about the sector. Members also have access to a collated Business Intelligence service which we call eoSCAN. It is part of the member’s portal which offers intelligence on the EO market.

One specific service which we hope to develop further is news on tenders and bid opportunities. As soon as we are notified or become aware of any such opportunities, we post this into the dedicated portal area. If as an organisation procuring EO products reading this you wish to spread news of any tender you release, then just let us know and we shall promote it to our members through the Portal.

Members also benefit from being part of the network which we promote. We are at many meetings and conferences where we present the Association and, with the EARSC brand identity getting wider recognition, members are recognised as being part of EARSC which can lead to opportunities in many different ways.

Which brings me to eoPAGES and our certification scheme. The former is a brokerage site where companies can promote the services which they offer. It enables customers for bespoke services find suppliers which can meet their needs. In the future, we shall be developing the eoMALL which will offer the same service for on-line services. Either can also help companies find partners for projects and you will find a database of African companies in Africa eoPages

The certification scheme provides an effective way for companies to achieve a recognised level of their management processes. It can be used to achieve ISO9001 certification or an EARSC certification if they do not wish to invest in full ISO.

Finally, as mentioned earlier, we have a growing activity devoted to market development. This covers both commercial sectors and exports. We already have some agreements with companies or Associations in Japan, Africa and Latin America and we shall extend this shortly. We plan to organise presence and stands at international workshops, conferences and trade shows as well as B2B events. Our next event is in 3 weeks’ time in Pretoria during the ISRSE2017 and we are looking at other possibilities later in the year. This activity we expect to grow significantly in the coming years.

Any European company offering EO services can be a full member of the Association whilst any other organisation can be an observer. Come and join us!

Geoff Sawyer
EARSC Secretary General

Earth observation for decision-making is the subject of a new report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development .

The organisation, which promotes economic growth, prosperity, and sustainable development describes Earth observation data as a unique source of eommensurable information. It can be combined with administrative, social and economic data at multiple scales for in-depth policy analysis.

Examples of applications of Earth observation data included in the publication include the joint Research Centre’s Human Settlement layer, a global high-resolution multitemporal dataset which measures the extent of built-up areas and was developed through GEO.

Earth observation data is now routinely used in country reviews by OECD, and supports policy analysis. OECD joined GEO as an observer in 2015.

Download Earth observation for decision making brochure here

Data providers and users at all levels are invited to engage with the NextGEOSS project as it starts to build the next generation Earth observation data hub.

The NextGEOSS Project

GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems) is a central part of GEO’s Information System’s mission.The NextGEOSS project, a European contribution to GEOSS, is developing the next generation centralised hub for Earth Observation data, where the users can connect to access data and deploy EO-based applications. The data hub concept revolves around providing the data and resources to the users communities, together with Cloud resources, seamlessly connected to provide an integrated ecosystem for supporting applications. A central component of NextGEOSS is the strong emphasis put on engaging the communities of providers and users, and bridging the space in between.

The project has a special focus on encouraging and stimulating data exploitation by businesses.

Capacity building is at the heart of NextGEOSS and the project will identify training needs to encourage wider user-engagement with EO data and its commercial potential in the next 3,5 years.

Listening Mode

The NextGEOSS data hub will be developed in incremental steps in order to integrate feed-back from various user groups from beginning to end. In the first phase of the development, the NextGEOSS team is in listening mode to make sure a wide range of user requirements are captured as early as possible.

Opportunities to Engage

You are invited to engage with the NextGEOSS team face-to-face at events or through our social media channels or via our website. In the coming months, NextGEOSS will be present at a series of events in Europe, South-Africa, and the US. Below you’ll find a list of events that you might find interesting:

April 2017
20th – 21st April 2017, 2nd GEO Data Providers workshop , Florence, Italy

24th – 27th April 2017, The European Geophysical Union , Vienna, Austria

  • 24th April ESSI2.6, X4 Hall, poster session
  • 27th April 10:30 – 12:00 Splinter meeting
    Throughout the week it is also possible to meet several of the NextGEOSS team individually, either at the conference, for lunch or after hours gatherings. We are interested in your input and questions you might have.

May 2017
8th – 13th May, ISRSE37 and GEO work program symposium , Tshwane, South-Africa

  • 9th May, NextGEOSS session
  • 11th May 17:30 – 19:00 Roundtable
  • 12th – 13th GEO Work program symposium
    Individual meetings on request throughout the stay in Pretoria

June 2017
19th – 22nd June, GEO European Project Workshop (GEPW), Helsinki, Finland
19th – 21nd June NextGEOSS will attend and present the project in sessions to be decided.
22nd June The 1st NextGEOSS Summit – For detailed program sign-up to get alerts and more information about NextGEOSS.

September 2017
11th – 15th September 2017, User Feed-back Week , Reading, UK and online
13th – 14th September Onsite Training, Reading, UK. Sign-up to get alerts about detailed program and more information about NextGEOSS.

October 2017
NextGEOSS will also be present at the GEO Plenary in Washington DC in October 2017.

The NextGEOSS team wants your input!

In addition to the possibilities to engage with the NextGEOSS team at the events mentioned above, you can always reach us through our social media channels. Twitter and Facebook are your best bets in this first phase. Mention us so we can see your question and respond.

Be a part of the future and help us make the next generation data hub for Earth observations meet your needs!

NASA strives to explore space and to expand our understanding of our Solar System and beyond. But they also turn their keen eyes on Earth in an effort to understand how our planet is doing. Now, they’re releasing a new composite image of Earth at night, the first one since 2012.

We’ve grown accustomed to seeing these types of images in our social media feeds, especially night-time views of Earth from the International Space Station. But this new image is much more than that. It’s part of a whole project that will allow scientists—and the rest of us—to study Earth at night in unprecedented detail.

Night-time views of Earth have been around for 25 years or so, usually produced several years apart. Comparing those images shows clearly how humans are changing the face of the planet. Scientists have been refining the imaging over the years, producing better and more detailed images.

More info

The European Space Agency (ESA) Copernicus Sentinel-2A satellite captured this image of the Vojvodina region of northern Serbia. The area lies in the southern part of a region previously covered by the Pannonian Sea from two million to 23 million years ago. Today, the land boasts a fertile soil, as evidenced by the many agricultural fields visible as geometric shapes.

The Tisza river snakes down from the north, and curved, light-green areas primarily along the east side of the river reveal its former course. Manmade waterways appear as straight black lines and likely are used for drainage, transportation and irrigation.

Sentinel-2’s main instrument has 13 spectral bands and is designed to provide false-color images that can be used to distinguish between different crop types as well as data on numerous plant features, such as active chlorophyll content and leaf water content, all of which are essential to accurately monitor plant growth.

Different colors in this image indicate varying vegetative states. For example, yellowish patches indicate soil or freshly ploughed land, while shades of blue (primarily in the lower left) indicate the same or different crops at a similar stage of growth.

Source