VOOZH about

URL: https://etdata.org

⇱ Open-Source Transparent Water Management Data | OpenET


Skip to content

Filling the Biggest Data Gap
in Water Management

OpenET empowers water management from local to global scales by delivering transparent, scientifically rigorous satellite-based evapotranspiration (ET) data through accessible tools.

Open, Trusted Data Transforms Decision-Making

See how OpenET data is driving innovationβ€”from optimizing on-farm water use to advancing sustainable water management to informing policy at the basin scale.

Advancing Groundwater Sustainability with California DWR & OpenET

California

Sustainable Water Management for the Ogallala Aquifer

Twin Platte Natural Resources District, West Central Nebraska

Using Satellite Data to Measure Consumptive Water Use for Irrigation & Water Conservation Programs

Upper Colorado River Basin

OpenET & Water Planning, Data Collection, & Data Dissemination

Texas

Support for Precision Irrigation Tools & Optimized Farm Management

California Central Coast

Testing Innovative Management Practices for Water Conservation on Pasturelands

Kremmling, Colorado

Restoring Groundwater Balance & Supply Through Community Planning

Harney County, Oregon

Overcoming Measurement Challenges & Streamlining Water Compliance

Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California

Built for Impact,
Powered by Transparency

Our methods are transparent, verifiable, and rigorously validated. At its core, OpenET is about solutionsβ€”giving farmers, water managers, and communities the tools they need to make decisions.

Our data are openly available and made actionable through easy-to-use tools.

Our partnerships build trust and solutions that scale through genuine collaboration.

β€œOpenET provides real-time insights into crop water use that farmers have never had before. When combined with soil-moisture probes, it helps producers grow more with less water β€” a game-changer for the next generation of agriculture.”
Dwane Roth
Fourth-generation Kansas Farmer (semiretired)
β€œOpenET’s ability to provide large-scale, spatially rich ET data helps us better understand crop water use patterns across diverse cropping systems. By combining OpenET with local soil, crop, and weather data, we’re working to build tools that support near real-time, practical decision-making in the field.

OpenET has the potential to play a key role in improving on-farm water management across the West.”
Maria Zamora Re
Extension Irrigation Specialist @ Oregon State University

Actionable Data

By making high-resolution evapotranspiration (ET) data widely accessible and easy to use, OpenET empowers growers, water managers, policymakers, and researchers to make smarter, more sustainable decisions. The β€œopen” in OpenET means that the data are publicly available for anyone to use, while still being developed and maintained through a rigorous, science-based process to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Proven, science-backed methods for ET data

OpenET uses proven, science-backed methods to produce daily, monthly, and annual satellite-based ET data at the field scale (30m x 30m).

Precipitation and vegetation condition

OpenET also provides access to gridded precipitation information and satellite data on vegetation conditionsβ€”offering a comprehensive view of key factors that influence water use.

A Collaborative Solution to a Critical Need

OpenET puts the best available science into the hands of those who need it most.
Developed by leading experts in partnership with farmers, water managers, and policymakers, OpenET delivers transparent, field-scale ET data to support real-world water challenges.

Develop smarter
irrigation strategies

Support flexible water conservation
and trading programs

Create balanced
water budgets

Increase groundwater
sustainability efforts

OpenET Consortium Partners

How OpenET Works

OpenET calculates evapotranspiration (ET) using publicly available data and trusted scientific models. Here’s how it all comes together:

  • 1We use satellite observations of Land Surface Temperature (LST) and vegetation conditions. We use gridded weather data products, not data from individual weather stations (with the exception of the creation of bias-correction surfaces for reference ET).
  • 2This data is fed into calculate ET models to compute field-scale water use.
  • 3Daily, monthly, & annual ET data are provided via easy-to-use & reliable tools.

Stay Informed

Sign up for our quarterly newsletter to stay up to date on new data releases, advances, and OpenET community engagement.

Filling the Biggest Data Gap
in Water Management

As we expand globally, our mission remains the same: deliver open, reliable, and actionable water dataβ€”developed with users, for users.

Compare OpenET Tools

Data Explorer

A user-friendly, visual tool for quickly exploring ET data. You can select areas of interest, view historical patterns, and download results.

API

Provides automated access to ET data for large-scale or repeated use. Ideal for integrating ET into irrigation scheduling tools, hydrologic models, water accounting systems, or other applications.

FARMS Tool

Designed for growers, this tool compares ET with water use at the field level. Reports from FARMS can help users to optimize irrigation efficiency, and support farm-level decision-making.