swissEO Product Line: Near-Realtime Satellite Data for Drought Monitoring – and Other Applications
The increasing frequency and intensity of drought periods, such as those in 2018 and 2022, pose a growing challenge. Comprehensive drought monitoring is essential to enable timely responses. On behalf of the Federal Council, corresponding geodata products are being developed to provide precise, near-real-time data.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration for Innovative Solutions
The Federal Office of Topography (swisstopo) is responsible for the operational monitoring of vegetation conditions. In collaboration with the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss and the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), corresponding operational swissEO products have been defined. These products are based on satellite data (Sentinel-2, Landsat, and Meteosat). Satellite data is particularly well-suited for drought monitoring products, as one of the biggest limitations in the optical and thermal ranges, cloud cover, is rare during dry weather.
swissEO S2-SR: Preprocessed Satellite Data with the "Swiss Finish"
The foundation is the product "swissEO S2-SR" (Sentinel 2 Surface Reflectance). It provides surface reflectance data from Sentinel-2, processed to ensure high positional accuracy and to mask clouds and terrain shadows. This data is available for analysis two days after acquisition and allows for a clear assessment of current vegetation conditions across Switzerland. The integration of cloud-native formats and distribution via the STAC (SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog) infrastructure ensures efficient processing and provision of large data volumes.
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swissEO VHI: Scientific Validation of Forest and Vegetation Products
The "swissEO VHI" (Vegetation Health Index) product provides an assessment of vegetation health by comparing the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and surface temperatures from recent days with the corresponding values from the climate reference period 1991–2020. The VHI is available for both forested areas and all vegetation, enabling the detection of local anomalies, which supports quick and targeted decision-making.
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Outlook
The swissEO products from swisstopo demonstrate how modern satellite sensors and interdisciplinary collaboration enable effective drought monitoring. The combination of high-resolution data (temporal, spatial, spectral, and radiometric), cloud-native formats, and validated methods provides a solid foundation for precise analyses. Future developments will focus on expanding applications to better meet the challenges of climate change.
Insights
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