Bengaluru, February 14 ISRO on Saturday said that NISAR is systematically imaging the Indian landmass in S and L bands to deliver high-resolution and wide-swath data with a repetition of 12 days.
This data has been effectively utilized to demonstrate the generation of soil-moisture products at a resolution of 100m, it said.
As a key indicator of crop health, irrigation needs, and drought risk, soil-moisture plays a vital role in India's agriculture and water management, the space agency said.
According to an ISRO statement, the soil-moisture products, demonstrated using both S and L-band data, provide consistent estimates across India's diverse agro-climatic regions – from irrigated plains and rainfed farmlands to semi-arid and high-rainfall zones.
The physics-based soil moisture retrieval algorithm, developed at Space Applications Centre (SAC-ISRO), ensures scientific robustness, reliability, and operational accuracy, it said.
"With the ability to deliver two observations every 12 days, NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) enables near-real-time tracking of soil moisture dynamics. This frequent monitoring supports irrigation planning, drought preparedness, agrometeorological advisories, and regional water resource management at scales relevant to districts and farming communities," ISRO stated.
The space agency explained that to support national operations, the 100m Level-4 operational soil moisture products with two observations every 12 days will be systematically generated at the National Remote Sensing Centre (IMGEOS/NRSC) and disseminated through the Bhoonidhi Portal, ensuring seamless access for farmers, planners, researchers, government agencies, and Non-Government Entities (NGEs) across the country.