STACK Analysis
A STACK is a powerful tool that combines multiple layers of satellite imagery into a single map, giving you a clear view of your field’s productivity and long-term variability over multiple seasons or years. It helps identify consistent productivity zones, making it ideal for soil sampling and creating accurate Variable Rate Technology (VRT) maps.
By using STACK, you can:
See how different parts of your field have performed over time
Identify areas that consistently yield higher or lower results
Create stable management zones that reflect the true, long-term behaviour of your paddocks
This helps you plan more accurately and make smarter decisions for things like Variable Rate Applications (VRA), fertiliser, lime, or seed, ultimately improving your farm’s efficiency and profitability.
Fig1. Five years STACK analysis output map
Why might I need to create STACK Analysis?
You might need to create a STACK analysis when you want a clearer understanding of your field’s long-term performance, rather than relying on a single image or dataset. As a farmer, it's often difficult to make confident decisions from one NDVI or yield map alone, especially since seasonal factors like weather or crop type can influence results. By creating a STACK, you're combining multiple layers of historical imagery, to highlight consistent productivity patterns and long-term variability across your paddocks. This gives you more confidence to define stable management zones, plan variable rate applications more accurately, and optimise inputs like lime, seed, or nitrogen.
STACK analysis is also highly effective for guiding targeted soil sampling, ensuring you collect samples from the most representative areas.
Essentially, STACK analysis helps you make smarter, data-backed decisions that reduce risk and improve efficiency across seasons.
Why should I use STACK?
You should use STACK because it helps you make smarter, more confident decisions by showing the long-term variability of your fields not just a snapshot from one season. Rather than relying on a single NDVI image map, STACK combines multiple layers of NDVI imagery over several years to highlight consistent productivity zones.
This allows you to:
Identify areas that consistently perform well or poorly
Target inputs like fertiliser, lime, or seed more precisely
Select the best locations for soil sampling, so your soil tests are more accurate and meaningful
Reduce guesswork, improve input efficiency, and plan more sustainably
Using STACK supports more profitable and data-driven farm management across seasons.
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