Description

Curious about how satellite data is transforming agriculture? Join NASA's Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET) for a workshop on Earth observations for agricultural applications. This training is open to everyone, regardless of your background; no prior experience is required. Whether you’re a professional or completely new to remote sensing, we encourage you to attend.

Prerequisites

• To follow along with the exercises in these trainings, you will need:
  • A NASA Earthdata Login
  • An OpenET Login
  • To Install QGIS
    • A short QGIS tutorial is available through the ARSET learning management system. It walks you through how to download and install QGIS for a Windows operating system. Note: If you do not already have an account for the ARSET learning management system, you will be prompted to create a free account before you can take this training.

Objectives

By the end of these trainings attendees will be able to:

• Recognize the different agricultural applications of NASA satellites and sensors;
• Access NASA Earth observation data products through Worldview and explore the data layers;
• Download data products through Earthdata search and AppEEARS;
• Identify data products and web tools related to regional and conservation district needs for rangeland management, vegetation health, and water quality and quantity monitoring; and
• Calculate and analyze vegetation indices within GIS software using analysis ready optical imagery.

Target Audiences

• Conservation district staff
• Conservation district board members
• Anyone interested in remote sensing applications for agriculture and conservation

Session 1: NASA Satellite Resources and Tools to Support Conservation Districts

Sunday, July 19, 2026 | 12:30-4:30 PM | Thornapple Room

This four-hour, introductory, in-person training provides an overview of NASA Earth observation (EO) data products and web tools for supporting agriculture and conservation district needs. This training will address priorities such as water management, land use/land cover change, and vegetation health. It will also provide an overview of data visualization and analysis platforms. Demos and exercises will highlight how to use NASA EO data and tools for tasks such as estimating rangeland biomass or monitoring evapotranspiration and water quality.

Materials:

• Session 1 Materials (ZIP, 15.1 MB)

Session 2: From Vegetation Health to Water Quality: Earth Observations for Agricultural Applications

Monday, July 20, 2026 | 1:30 PM-3:30 PM | Thornapple Room

This two-hour, introductory, in-person training will provide an overview of NASA Earth observation data access and downloads through Earthdata and AppEEARS. Participants will explore applications of analysis-ready data products to derive vegetation and water indices within common GIS software. Demos and exercises will provide hands-on learning for calculating common indices, such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), for agricultural applications such as crop and forestry health and watershed management.

Materials:

• Session 2 Materials (ZIP, 4.1 MB)