Agricultural Stress Index System (ASIS)
Global satellite‑based platform for monitoring agricultural drought
Description
The Agricultural Stress Index System (ASIS) Web Platform is a satellite‑based digital solution designed to identify agricultural areas affected by drought or abnormal vegetation stress worldwide. ASIS calculates the agricultural areas affected by drought, and classified as slight, moderate, and severe. The platform uses seasonal and non‑seasonal vegetation indicators, crop phenology layers, and anomaly maps, which are updated three times per month as soon as new satellite data become available. ASIS offers multi-annual data archive (back to 1984), contributing to various climate and socio-economic studies.
Technology
ASIS uses earth‑observation inputs such as NDVI, rainfall estimates, remote sensing anomalies, and multi‑decadal raster archives dating back to 1984. The service is built on ArcGIS Hub, enabling cloud‑based visualization, global spatial analysis, and access to ASIS datasets, maps, and metadata. The solution's raster datasets are accessible through the FAO Agro-informatics Platform and Google Earth Engine. Additionally, ASIS processes 1 kilometre resolution for the period of 1984-2006 from the United State's Department of Commerce Unit, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Meanwhile, data from 2007 onwards come from the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), specifically the information gathered by METOP-AVHRR sensor at 1 kilometre resolution.
Target
The platform supports food security analysts, national early warning systems, agricultural ministries, research institutions, and farm advisory actors who require continuous drought monitoring. Users can utilise ASIS in studies centred on seasonal forecasts, El Niño predictions, and socio-economic vulnerability studies.
Business model
The ASIS Web Platform is fully free. All ASIS raster datasets, indicators, and analytical layers are publicly accessible through the website, FAO Agro‑informatics Platform, and Google Earth Engine.
Impact
ASIS won the 2016 Geospatial World Excellence Award and in 2024, the initiative was recognized as a Digital Public Good by Digital Public Goods Alliance and included to DPG Registry. As of February 2026, some of the use cases featured on the platform's website include Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) Early Warning Reports.
Partners
Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO); Joint Research Centre of the European Commission
Four Betters
Better environment
Better production
