Copernicus Summer Series - Golf Course monitoring in Italy [Aug/2024]
Benefits of Copernicus data allowing better water management in Italian golf course
Earth Observation (EO) data carry a wealth of information that
can contribute to interpreting geophysical phenomenon. Raw data once
transformed into information can support agents solving problems by supplying
actionable intelligence that reduces the uncertainty of a decision.
Sentinel-2, which is part of Europe’s flagship
EO programme Copernicus, is a wide-swath, high-resolution, multi-spectral
imaging mission, consisting of two twin satellites, Sentinel-2A and
Sentinel-2B. The data from these satellites, which are available under an open
and free data policy, are used to support a variety of services and
applications, including land management, agriculture, forestry, disaster
control, humanitarian relief operations, risk mapping, and security concerns.
An analysis by the European
Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC) was conducted to assess
the benefits generated by TETHYS, a decision-support application used by a
renowned Italian golf course that exploits Sentinel-2 data to monitor the
health status of the grass on its course, offering recommendations on efficient
irrigation.
This is particularly important as water scarcity in Italy is a
pressing issue since most of the country is under extremely high water-stress. As
a result, environmental protection and the efficient use and management of
water resources has become a pressing topic among sports clubs and
associations. A sector that is very reliant on the supply of water and
recognises its responsibility for its efficient use is the sport of Golf.
The report finds that thanks to the
Sentinel-2 enabled application, greenkeepers of the golf course can focus their
attention on parts of the golf course that need most care and employ precision
irrigation, resulting in:
- Financial benefits (reduced use of water and energy, which drives down costs)
- Environmental benefits (reduced water use benefits the environment, which already suffers from water stress)
- Societal benefits (reduced water use benefits the environment, which already suffers from water stress).
The full
report can be accessed in the restricted area (please log in before).