USGS water data is fundamental to our economic well-being, protection of life and property, and effective management of our water resources. This article explores the Farm and Ranch Management Support (FARMS) tool developed by OpenET, highlighting its significance in enhancing agricultural practices and water management, particularly through the lens of USGS water data.

OpenET’s FARMS Tool

Purpose of the FARMS Tool

The FARMS tool delivers timely, high-resolution water data directly to individuals and small farm operators. By enhancing the accessibility of USGS water data, the platform aims to improve decision-making related to agricultural planning, water conservation, and water efficiency.

“It’s about discovering innovative methods to make satellite data more accessible and usable for as many individuals as possible,” said Forrest Melton, the OpenET project scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. “Our aim is to equip users with practical, science-driven data to aid in making informed decisions about water management across the West.”

Broader Applications

While FARMS primarily focuses on agriculture, it also holds value for other audiences in the western U.S.

Land Management

Land managers assessing the effects of wildfires can utilize USGS water data to analyze burn scars and shifts in local hydrology.

Resource Management

Resource managers can monitor changes in evapotranspiration over time to assess the effectiveness of various forest management strategies, leveraging USGS water data for accurate evaluations.

OpenET Data Explorer: Journey to FARMS

Overview of the OpenET Data Explorer Tool

The OpenET data explorer tool focuses on delivering evapotranspiration data. Evapotranspiration (ET) measures water that leaves Earth’s surface and returns to the atmosphere through evaporation and transpiration. ET is crucial in agriculture, water resource management, irrigation planning, drought monitoring, and fire risk assessment, all of which rely on USGS water data.

FARMS Resource Development

The FARMS resource represents the third phase of OpenET’s Data Explorer tool, launched in 2021, utilizing satellite data to quantify evapotranspiration across the western U.S., building on foundational USGS water data.

Data Collection and Integration

The process begins with Landsat data to assess patterns in land surface temperature and indicators of vegetation health. This satellite data integrates with agricultural information, such as field boundaries, and weather data, including air temperature, humidity, solar radiation, wind speed, and precipitation. All these elements contribute to a model that calculates the final evapotranspiration data, heavily informed by USGS water data.

User-Centric Interface Design

The new FARMS interface was created to simplify access to this data, featuring tools that address specific needs identified by users.

“This volume of data can be complex to utilize, so user feedback helped us shape FARMS,” stated Jordan Harding, app developer and interface design leader from HabitatSeven. “It offers a mobile-friendly, map-based web interface designed to facilitate automated, regular reports.”

New Features in FARMS

Development Process

To develop FARMS, the OpenET team held listening sessions with farmers, ranchers, and resource managers. One requested function was support for field-to-field comparisons; a feature designed for planning irrigation needs and identifying problem areas, such as where pests or weeds may be affecting crop yields.

Tool Capabilities

The tool includes numerous options for drawing or selecting field boundaries, generating custom reports based on selected models and variables, and automatically re-running reports at daily or monthly intervals, all utilizing USGS water data.

User Experience

“If I had told my father about this 15 years ago, he would have called me crazy,” said Dwane Roth, a fourth-generation farmer in Kansas. “Thanks to OpenET, I can now monitor water loss from my crops in real-time. By combining it with data from our soil moisture probes, this tool is enabling us to produce more food with less water. It’s revolutionizing agriculture.”

Conclusion

The FARMS tool by OpenET represents a significant advancement in agricultural technology, offering farmers and resource managers the data they need to make informed decisions. By enhancing water management practices and promoting sustainability through USGS water data, FARMS is poised to revolutionize agriculture in the western U.S.

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