1.000 sensors collecting data for GROW Observatory

Published on 4 October 2018 by Rianne Giesen

Within two years from its start, more than 1000 Flower Power soil moisture sensors have been registered to take part in the GROW citizen observatory. The sensors are distributed over nine confined regions within Europe, called GROW Places. This milestone is only the beginning, one year from now the number of sensors is expected to have reached 10,000.The soil moisture sensors are provided by the GROW project to small-scale and commercial growers, helping them to better understand and manage their soil. The sensors record soil moisture, air temperature and solar irradiation. The sensors are accompanied by additional soil experiments, online courses and support from local Community Champions.

Scientists will use the collected soil moisture data to validate soil moisture products derived from Sentinel-1 satellite images. Through validation with thousands of in-situ collected sensor data in different climate zones and soil types, global soil moisture products from remote sensing can be improved.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No. 690199.