The MAGDA Project: Integration of GNSS, Sentinel, Meteodrone, and In-Situ Observations for Weather Warnings and Irrigation Advisories in Agriculture
The Meteorological Assimilation from Galileo and Drones for Agriculture (MAGDA) project, funded by EUSPA in the framework of the Horizon Europe program, aims to develop a comprehensive toolchain for atmosphere monitoring, weather forecasting, and advisory services related to severe weather, irrigation, and crop monitoring. By integrating GNSS, Copernicus Sentinel, Meteodrone, ground-based weather radar, and in-situ weather and soil observations into open source weather and hydrological models, MAGDA seeks to provide valuable information to agricultural operators. Measured data, model results, and warnings/advisories are delivered to farmers through a dedicated dashboard or by interfacing with existing Farm Management Systems. The technical and methodological components developed within MAGDA will form the basis for services supporting agricultural operations.
The project is based on the concept that continuous monitoring, combined with advanced prediction models, is essential for effective resource management. As extreme weather events, such as droughts and heatwaves, become more frequent due to climate change, farmers need to leverage technology to mitigate disasters, conserve resources, and enhance productivity. A system that can automatically collect and process measurements of key parameters significantly reduces economic losses. When this data is presented clearly and usefully to end users, it can significantly enhance agricultural efficiency.
MAGDA unites seven partners from seven European countries (Austria, France, Italy, Romania, Spain, The Netherlands, and Switzerland) and is inherently interdisciplinary, drawing on expertise from various sectors to develop a system tailored to agricultural meteorological and hydrological forecasts.
The selected demonstrator areas in Italy (Cuneo), France (Burgundy), and Romania (Braila) target different crops/cultures and allow for the gathering of different user needs and feedback through direct interactions with farmers. Deployment includes nine low-cost, dual-frequency GNSS stations, along with fifteen low-cost in-situ sensor stations, and three Meteobases to fly meteodrones.
Severe weather cases were identified to test the open source WRF meteorological model's performance: in Italy, the focus was on rainfall events, while in France and Romania, hail events were prioritized. Water balance simulations were conducted to support an operational irrigation advisory service, using the open source SPHY hydrological model across the pilot areas in France, Italy, and Romania.
All data used in the MAGDA project are open for research applications, and the GNSS processing software utilized in this project leverages the goGPS open source software. The MAGDA dashboard for result visualization uses Leaflet as a web mapping tool and OpenStreetMap data as a background layer. The results presented here are derived from the currently ongoing MAGDA demonstrators, showcasing the project's impact on weather forecasting and water management for agricultural operations.