Territorial intelligence: from satellite imagery to asset decisions

Fifteen years ago, the decision to buy a farm was largely intuitive. The buyer visited the property, talked to the neighbors, looked at the soil, and listened to the history of the place. It was a human reading, and it had its merits.

That reading is still irreplaceable, but today it comes with data that makes the decision far better informed. Multitemporal remote sensing shows the actual history of land use. Official databases (INCRA, the federal land agency; CAR and its SICAR system; INPE, the national space research institute) point out documentary and regulatory inconsistencies.

Multi-year climate series show how harvests vary. Municipal records reveal the actual tax burden. Satellite images show the farm as it is today, regardless of the seller's description.

Applied well, territorial intelligence prepares the site visit: it shows what to ask, where to look, and what to request from the seller.