WorldCereal aims to develop an efficient, agile and robust EO based system for timely global crop monitoring at field scale.
The OpenSource WorldCereal system will be able to:
Create local to global annual cropland extent maps at 10 m resolution
Update the crop maps on a seasonal basis
Differentiate between actively irrigated and rainfed fields
Produce global maps of maize and wheat
WorldCereal is a global R&D challenge aiming to engage the global agricultural community to achieve optimal results. For the development of the system, we will therefore build upon existing initiatives on e.g in situ data collection and sharing, algorithm development, IT infrastructures and best practices.
WorldCereal will rely heavily on the operational time series of the Copernicus Sentinels missions, which allow an unprecedented dynamic crop monitoring at global scale.
By focusing on maize and wheat during the system demonstration, WorldCereal aims to contribute to the global food security challenge as together with rice, these crops form the world’s most widely cultivated species, accounting for an estimated 42.5 percent of the world’s food calorie supply (FAO).
