Objectives
As farms mainly consist of crop fields, which can be hundreds of acres in size, much time and a great deal of resources are demanded of farmers in obtaining an accurate picture of the overall condition of these farms.
Drying out of plants or, conversely, an excess of moisture and a rise in the number of pests: these can all take their toll on the size and quality of the harvest and demand a rapid response. There are also such problems as the danger of overusing fertilisers, which poses a threat not only in terms of extra costs but also in that it is harmful to the environment and primarily to the health of farmers themselves.
To maximise harvests, constant monitoring is required throughout the season; and it is not easy finding the time to keep up with changes for each crop, not to mention monitoring the condition of every single acre. When deciding on long-term plans, a comparative analysis has to be carried out for both the usual course of the seasonal cycle and, in particular, any crises that have arisen.
To assess the current situation and to keep track of changes compared with preceding seasons and with the condition of neighbouring fields, accurate information on both the past and the present is needed as well as future forecasts that are as precise as possible.
Solutions
There are currently numerous services that help with managing farms for any acreage: checking boundaries and nutrient and moisture intake, monitoring the negative effects of weather conditions and diseases, and controlling pest numbers. And this can all be done without having to visit the fields, just by using a phone or tablet screen or a PC.
It is exactly to provide these services that OpenWeather offers a wide range of APIs for different weather and satellite data combined in the one product, the Agro API, with universal and simple syntax.