High-resolution drought monitoring based on satellite and ground data

The project aims towards permanent solutions for monitoring of drought, which is one of the most frequent natural disasters. During several phases we will:

1. determine and analyse the most suitable and stable drought-related indices based on optical satellite data
2. develop a method for merging satellite data with ground measurements for an accurate (overall producer’s accuracy of more than 90%), high-resolution detection of drought;
3. design a prototype system for a comprehensive characterization of drought in agricultural areas at a national level.

We will achieve this by examining, evaluating, and enhancing the satellite data processing techniques; data fusion of high and medium-resolution imagery (downscaling); data fusion of imagery and in-situ data; applying time series analyses and machine (deep) learning to find statistically relevant variables and models to indicate the impacted areas. We shall test the universality, comparability, and practicability of satellite-derived indices for operational use, and propose the most suited ones that can serve as proxies for environmental indicators.