NISAR to provide 100 m soil moisture data every 12 days: ISRO

Bengaluru: ISRO on Saturday said that NISAR is systematically imaging the Indian landmass in S-and L-bands to deliver high-resolution and wide swath data with a repetivity of 12 days.

This data has been effectively utilised to demonstrate the generation of soil-moisture products at a high resolution of 100m, it said.

Being a key indicator of crop health, irrigation needs and drought risk, soil-moisture plays a vital role in India's agriculture and water management, the space agency said.


According to a ISRO statement, the soil-moisture products, demonstrated using both S-and L-bands data, provide consistent estimates across India's diverse agro-climatic regions - from irrigated plains and rainfed farmlands to semi-arid and high-rainfall zones.

The physics-based soil moisture retrieval algorithm, developed at Space Applications Centre (SAC-ISRO), ensures scientific robustness, reliability, and operational accuracy, it said.

"With the ability to deliver two observations every 12 days, NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) enables near-real-time tracking of soil moisture dynamics. This frequent monitoring supports irrigation planning, drought preparedness, agrometeorological advisories, and regional water resource management at scales relevant to districts and farming communities," ISRO stated.

The space agency explained that to support national operations, the 100m Level-4 operational soil moisture products with two observations every 12 days will be systematically generated at National Remote Sensing Centre (IMGEOS/NRSC) and disseminated through the Bhoonidhi Portal, ensuring seamless access for farmers, planners, researchers, government agencies and Non-Government Entities (NGEs) across the country.