Back to the catalog
Spinoff story
Satellite Imagery Helps Farmers Cut Water Use in Half
A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.
About this technology
Overview
Irrigation accounts for around 80 percent of fresh water use across the United States. Oakland, California’s Tule Technologies Inc. aims to improve irrigation efficiency by calculating how much water plants are using and losing daily, in part thanks to data from multiple satellites built at Goddard Space Flight Center. Today, the company sells its systems to grape, almond, and other growers across California, who use the data to cut their water use in half or get higher yield with the same amount of water.