Notice to NY Grape Growers: NASA AVIRIS-3 Imaging Flights over Finger Lakes & Lake Erie Vineyards | July 21 – 29
Katie Gold, PhD
Cornell Grape Pathology
Edit 7/24/25: The acquisition window has been extended through 8/15/25.
NASA’s Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS-3) will fly multiple lines over commercial vineyards in the Finger Lakes and Lake Erie regions between July 21-29, 2025. The flights are part of a Cornell–NASA project to create high-resolution maps of grapevine diseases, vine nitrogen status, water stress, and other foliar traits that can support more precise disease and nutrient management.
You can see if your vineyard will be captured here: https://popo.jpl.nasa.gov/mmgis-aviris/?mission=Acres
Below is what you need to know and how you can help us capture the cleanest data.
Key details & links
| What | When / Where | More info |
| Flight window | Mon July 21 – Tue July 29 (weather-dependent) | Aircraft tail N53W will operate from ~10:00 am to ~2:30 pm each clear-sky day. |
| Planned flight lines | Finger Lakes & Lake Erie AVIRIS-ACRES lines | Interactive map, see if your vineyard will be captured! https://popo.jpl.nasa.gov/mmgis-aviris/?mission=Acres |
| Live aircraft tracking | FlightAware | https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N53W |
| Realtime text alerts | WhatsApp broadcast (optional) | Email Kg557@cornell.edu for the link to join the whatsapp group |
What we ask from you:
- Minimize disruptive field activities from 10:30 am – 1:30 pm on flight day.
If feasible, please avoid canopy shaking, spraying, or reflective film deployment during this solar-noon window. Reduced disturbance helps us capture uniform, high-quality imagery. Flight day confirmation will be shared in the whatsapp group. We understand this may not be possible, but appreciate any efforts to accommodate. - Interested in ground-truth sampling?
Our UW-Madison partners will collect small leaf samples (≈20 g) from cooperating vineyards to calibrate the maps. If you’re willing to participate, email Drs. Jani Baruah and Manushi Trivedi (sb2639@cornell.edu and mbt43@cornell.edu) and we’ll coordinate in advance—no samples will be taken without written permission. - Questions or concerns?
Let us know. We’re happy to discuss flight paths, privacy, or how the resulting maps may benefit your vineyard management.
The imagery and trait layers will be shared with the New York grape industry as soon as they’re processed, offering fresh insights for site-specific nutrition, irrigation, and disease control. Thank you for helping us bring this cutting-edge technology to New York vineyards!