Synergistic Use of Sentinel-2 and UAV Multispectral Data to Improve and Optimize Viticulture Management

Abstract

The increasing use of geospatial information from satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has been contributing to significant growth in the availability of instruments and methodologies for data acquisition and analysis. For better management of vineyards (and most crops), it is crucial to access the spatial-temporal variability. This knowledge throughout the vegetative cycle of any crop is crucial for more efficient management, but in the specific case of viticulture, this knowledge is even more relevant. Some research studies have been carried out in recent years, exploiting the advantage of satellite and UAV data, used individually or in combination, for crop management purposes. However, only a few studies explore the multi-temporal use of these two types of data, isolated or synergistically. This research aims to clearly identify the most suitable data and strategies to be adopted in specific stages of the vineyard phenological cycle. Sentinel-2 data from two vineyard plots, located in the Douro Demarcated Region (Portugal), are compared with UAV multispectral data under three distinct conditions: considering the whole vineyard plot; considering only the grapevine canopy; and considering inter-row areas (excluding all grapevine vegetation). The results show that data from both platforms are able to describe the vineyards’ variability throughout the vegetative growth but at different levels of detail. Sentinel-2 data can be used to map vineyard soil variability, whilst the higher spatial resolution of UAV-based data allows diverse types of applications. In conclusion, it should be noted that, depending on the intended use, each type of data, individually, is capable of providing important information for vineyard management.