Detailed Information

SATROMO (Satellite Data for Drought Monitoring – SAtellitendaten fürs TROckenheitsMOnitoring) is an automated geospatial data processing system that generates analysis-ready satellite products specifically designed for drought monitoring across Switzerland.

SATROMO transforms raw satellite imagery into valuable environmental insights through a fully automated processing chain:

• Processes Sentinel-2 satellite data using Google Earth Engine's powerful cloud computing platform
• Generates multiple specialized products for vegetation health and drought assessment
• Publishes data daily to accessible platforms for researchers, policymakers, and the public
• Maintains a complete archive of historical data for trend analysis

SATROMO produces four primary product types that help monitor Switzerland's vegetation health and drought conditions:

• Surface Reflectance
  Description: Cloud-free, terrain-corrected satellite imagery
  Update Frequency: Daily
  Use Case: Base data for environmental analysis

• Vegetation Health Index
  Description: Comprehensive vegetation stress indicator
  Update Frequency: Weekly
  Use Case: Drought early warning

• NDVI Z-Score
  Description: Statistical vegetation anomaly detection
  Update Frequency: Bi-monthly
  Use Case: Identifying unusual vegetation patterns

• NDVI Difference
  Description: Vegetation change analysis
  Update Frequency: Bi-monthly
  Use Case: Monitoring vegetation dynamics

SATROMO operates as a serverless, automated system that runs without manual intervention:

• Data Collection (22:00 UTC daily): The system checks for new satellite data and initiates processing
• Smart Processing: Advanced algorithms remove clouds, correct for terrain shadows, and create seamless mosaics
• Quality Control: Automatic validation ensures only high-quality data reaches users
• Publication (03:00 UTC daily): Processed data is published to multiple platforms simultaneously

The system uses a sophisticated two-stage processing approach:

• Stage 1: Pre-processes raw satellite data with cloud masking and terrain correction
• Stage 2: Generates specialized indices and analysis products

All SATROMO products are freely available through:

• Swiss Federal Spatial Data Infrastructure (FSDI)
• AWS S3 Storage – Direct access for bulk downloads
• STAC Catalog – Standardized metadata for easy discovery and integration

• Early Warning: Provides timely information for drought preparedness
• Scientific Basis: Supports research on climate change impacts
• Decision Support: Helps agricultural and environmental authorities make informed decisions
• Open Data: Freely accessible to everyone who needs it
• National Coverage: Complete coverage of Switzerland with consistent quality