Iowa Crop Field Soil Moisture and Temperature Validation Data

SMEX02 Iowa Regional Ground Soil Moisture Data, Version 1 contains in-situ measurements collected for validating satellite-based soil moisture readings from the AMSR-E instrument. The dataset was produced by NASA using manual soil sampling and sensor arrays including infrared pyrometers and Hydra probes. It represents a focused validation study conducted in Iowa crop fields.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-derived soil moisture estimates from the AMSR-E instrument against ground truth measurements.
• Analyzing relationships between gravimetric soil moisture, bulk density, and soil temperature in agricultural settings.
• Comparing soil moisture data collected via manual sampling with data from automated sensors like infrared pyrometers and Hydra probes.
• Studying spatial and temporal variability of soil properties within crop fields for precision agriculture applications.

Strengths

• Data collection employed multiple validated methods: manual soil samples, infrared pyrometers, and Hydra probes, providing measurement redundancy.
• Dataset is specifically designed for satellite validation, ensuring relevance for remote sensing calibration.

Limitations

• Key quantitative details like row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date, with one platform listing 2002-07-12 and another listing a future date of 2026-03 12.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Collected in crop fields using manual soil samples for gravimetric and bulk density data, infrared pyrometers for soil moisture, and Hydra probes for soil moisture and temperature.

Time Range

2002 (inferred from SMEX02 campaign and last updated date)

Freshness

2002-07-12 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Iowa, United States (crop fields)