How about inexpensive, shoe box sized satellites, that offer high resolution satellite images of every farm and field on earth every day? Instead of regular satellite images once every 5 days – that is, if it’s not cloudy above your farm at the moment the satellite is passing – American scale-up company Planet Labs made it its mission to image the entire earth’s landmass every day.
Compared to regular multimillion satellites, Planet Labs managed to build shoe box sized satellites (called doves), supposedly costing just €20,000 each. For growers, the advantages of the concept are clear. Don’t worry if it’s cloudy today, Planet Labs’ satellites will pass over your farm and fields again tomorrow. So no more waiting for 5, 10 or sometimes even 15 days for usable satellite imagery. The company is expanding rapidly and although headquartered in San Francisco nowadays, it also has offices in amongst others Alberta, Amsterdam and Berlin.
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