Satellite Data for SEBAL

SEBAL stands for Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land

It is a model that calculates evapotranspiration (ET) values, crucial for understanding crop water use, from thermal measurements taken from satellites by making use of the energy balance found on the Earth’s surface.

   The data going into SEBAL:

• TIR bands measure surface temperature

• NIR and Visible bands measure NDVI and albedo
There are also various meteorological inputs, such as wind speed, humidity and air temperature, which come from weather stations which work alongside the satellite data for as accurate of a measurement as possible.


The SEBAL model is applied to each pixel measured by the satellite, meaning that each pixel represents its own energy system, to which the energy balance equation is applied, and has its own measurement of water consumption.

This results in a detailed map of water consumption which is updated daily. These insights accumulate weekly, monthly and eventually seasonally so that trends and anomalies can be identified to create a dynamic picture and understanding of water use over time.

Actionable outputs:

ET Maps

These show how much water is being used and highlight variability across fields

Crop Stress Indicators

Areas where water is insufficient will be flagged, enabling early intervention

Water Productivity Metrics

These support efficiency improvements as output relative to water use is measured

Temporal Trends

Patterns can be seen throughout crop growth cycles and seasons, time scales at which ET fluctuates a lot over, allowing for anomalies to be spotted over time

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