Deliverable 4.3.1 data grids for agriculture

The review of existing literature and the analysis of data sources have provided valuable insights into the relationships among various data sources, while summarizing aspects related to accessibility, data formats, and metadata. Given the considerable heterogeneity of these sources, it becomes evident the necessity of data harmonization, encompassing aspects such as accessibility, data formats, and metadata standards.

Upon deconstructing the table  and delving into a detailed analysis, we identified a total of 79 distinct information layers as reported in the spreadsheet in this dataset. It is important to highlight the heterogeneity of the data formats. The data formats are spreadsheets, NetCDS, raster, vector, and online services. The table format, which includes structured and not structured data, is widely used and data harmonization is needed. The NetCDF format is widely used in climatology, meteorology, with 21 data sources employing this format. NetCDF is a platform-independent format characterized by arrays of data inclusive of metadata. Accessing and manipulation of this data format is supported in many languages through libraries that allow the data integration into GIS applications and are visualized as regular grids. The fundamental difference between NetCDF and raster is the array structure of the information, whereas raster is a rectangular matrix. Raster data are present in 19 of the total sources; this category includes remote sensing data, derived indices, or maps available as Web Map Services (WMS).  In contrast, vectorial data are only present in two sources. Finally, text format is represented by six sources. About data accessibility, the majority need manual downloads, while only few data sources are accessible through online services such as WMS, a Web Coverage Services (WCS), dedicated tools, Application Programming Interface (API), and, in some instances they require a registration on the respective websites.