Vocabulary

Essential Agricultural Variables for GEOGLAM are Earth observation-based building blocks that in combination with one another or with other non-EO information provide insight into the GEOGLAM Agricultural Indicators  which themselves provide actionable information on the state, change, and forecast of agricultural land use and productivity. This list cover Land Use and Productivity EAVs.

• Above Ground Agricultural BiomassThe mass of live and/or dead organic matter in terrestrial vegetation (excluding roots, litter and dead wood), expressed as a mass or mass per unit area (GCOS).
• Actual EvapotranspirationETa estimates the actual water evaporated from the soil and transpired by the vegetation at all stages of crop development and all levels of crop stress. (FAO 1998)
• Agriculture MaskA binary map of land devoted to agriculture, defined as the systematic and controlled use of land and livestock to produce food, fiber, and fuel. This includes croplands (as defined in the Cropland Ma…
• Air TemperatureAir temperature at a known height above surface (2 m or less)
• Crop Condition AssessmentQualitative indicator of crop health status relative to short-term reference (definition must be declared)
• Crop Residue Cover PercentageOn a cultivable and cultivated cropland, the percentage of soil covered by non-photosynthetically active vegetation that remains on a field after the harvest of a cash crop or the termination of a sea…
• Crop Rotation SequenceAn expression of crop sequences over multiple cropping cycles and years.
• Crop Type Area EstimateA quantitative determination of the horizontal projection of the area under identified crop types.
• Crop Type MasksA spatially-explicit determination of identified types of non-perennial crops, types of perennial crops, managed grasslands, and/or of mixed-crop mosaics, as identified within the Cropland Mask. Types…
• Crop Yield EstimationEnd of season harvestable weight of commodity per unit area (*definitions must be declared)
• Crop Yield ForecastWithin season, pre-harvest forecast of harvestable weight of commodity per unit area (*definitions must be declared
• Cropland MaskA binary map of land devoted to agriculture for the cultivation of perennial crops, non-perennial crops, and managed grasslands. It does not include lands indicated by Rangelands or Seasonal Fallow ma…
• Current Crop StageSpatially explicit identification of the stage of growth in which a crop is during the current cropping cycle.
• Degree Growing DaysGrowing degree days for a given crop are calculated each day, as the average of the daily maximum and minimum temperatures, minus a certain base temperature, where this base temperature represents the…
• Field BoundariesField boundaries are the geometric borders of agricultural fields. A field in this case is an area of land, enclosed or otherwise, used for agricultural purposes such as cultivating crops.
• Fractional CoverFractions (of an area or the pixel) of photosynthetic (green) vegetation and non-photosynthetic (dry, litter) vegetation and the remaining fraction of bare soil, including stones and rock.
• Incoming RadiationIncoming radiation represents the amount of energy radiating from the sun to the land surface, including direct radiation and diffuse radiation.
• Irrigated Cropland MapA binary determination of where managed water was applied to aid in the growth of perennial and non-perennial crops as well as managed grasslands.
• Land Surface TemperatureThe Land Surface Temperature (LST) is aggregated radiometric surface temperature of the ensemble of components within the sensor field of view.
• Leaf Area IndexOne half of the total green leaf area per unit horizontal ground surface area. (WMO/GCOS & Copernicus Land Services)
• Managed Grasslands MaskA binary map of land seasonally or annually sown with grasses or herbaceous forage for grazing and/or mowing. If there is no sowing or harvesting for more than one year, then the lands are considered …
• Non-Perennial Cover Crop Utilization MaskA binary map that indicates agricultural land which has a permanent, seasonal, or winter cover crop applied and established (vegetation emerged). Cover crops are defined as non-harvestable crops appli…
• Non-Perennial Cropland MaskA binary map of land to produce food, fiber, and fuel, where at least one crop is sowed/planted and fully harvestable typically within the 12 months after the sowing/planting date (with exceptions mad…
• Perennial Cropland MaskA binary map of land to produce food, fiber, and fuel, where crops are harvestable multiple times without resowing. This includes perennial oil seeds, legumes, forages (multi year managed grasslands) …
• PrecipitationIntegration of solid and liquid precipitation rate reaching the ground over several time intervals. The reference requirement refers to integration over 24h. (https://gcos.wmo.int/en/essential-climate…
• Rangeland Condition AssessmentQualitative indicator of rangeland vegetation status relative to short-term reference or potential status (definition must be declared)
• Rangelands MaskA binary determination of rangelands, which are defined as where wild and domestic animals graze or browse on uncultivated vegetation, being dominated by grasses or shrubs, where tree cover does not e…
• Reference Crop CalendarsIdentification of the typical or usual planting and harvesting dates or windows per crop per region.
• Reference EvapotranspirationETo from the reference surface. The reference surface is a hypothetical grass reference crop with an assumed crop height of 0.12 m, a fixed surface resistance of 70 s m-1 and an albedo of 0.23. (FAO).
• Relative HumidityRelative humidity is the ratio of the amount of atmospheric moisture present relative to the amount that would be present if the air were saturated with respect to water or ice to be specified in the …
• Root Zone Soil MoistureRelative water content available to plants, depth depends on landscape/soil but usually ranges 20-200 cm, expressed in percent water content
• Seasonal Dynamics of Surface Water AvailabilityAreas covered by inland water providing a maximum and minimum extent of water surface as well as the seasonal dynamics. Binary map / water / non water Frequency (See CGLS waterbodies)
• Seasonal Fallow MaskA binary determination of cultivable cropland that is not seeded (for harvestable crop or seasonal cover crop) for at least one or more cropping cycle(s) in a year. If left uncultivated for more than …
• Surface Soil MoistureRelative water content of the top few centimeters soil, describing how wet or dry the soil is in its topmost layer, expressed in percent water content
• Water ProductivityCrop production per unit of water consumed through ET expressed through kg per cubic meter, calculated per crop type.
• Wind SpeedSpeed of air at a known height above the surface which is to be specified in the metadata (m/s). Direction from which wind is blowing at a known height above the surface which is to be specified in th…
• fAPARFraction of photosynthetically active radiation (ie the radiation in the spectral range of 400 to 700 nm) absorbed by vegetation (GCOS)