Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare signed a MOU with Pixxel Space India Pvt Limited

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The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Pixxel Space India Pvt Limited.

An overview of the news

• The MOU aims to develop various geospatial solutions for the Indian Agriculture Ecosystem using Pixxel's hyperspectral dataset.

• The project focuses on utilizing Pixxel's pathfinder satellites' hyperspectral data to develop analytics models for crop mapping, crop stage discrimination, crop health monitoring, and soil organic carbon assessments.

• The collaboration will enable the Government to leverage hyperspectral dataprovided by Pixxel for developing use cases and implementing suitable methodologies.

• The adoption of new technology will reduce dependence on manual surveys and measurements, which are time-consuming and prone to errors.

• The collaboration is expected to benefit millions of farmers by providing improved crop risk management solutions and strengthening the current advisory system of the Government.

Hyperspectral remote sensing technology

• Hyperspectral remote sensing technology, which involves spectral measurements in narrow wavelength bands by satellites, offers unique capabilities for monitoring agriculture.

• The application of hyperspectral data includes crop health monitoring, early detection of crop stress, accurate diagnostics of crop stress due to pests/diseases or water, and soil nutrient mapping, particularly soil organic carbon assessments.

• The collaboration with a young startup like Pixxel will help in developing innovative geospatial solutions using advanced satellite imaging technology.