Regional differences: relative average differences in the cumulative vegetation indices in May 2005 and in the historical average by agricultural region

The raster data set of regional differences of the year 2005 of the month of May in the study of Follow-up of the Annual Evolution of Crops and Harvests contains the map of relative average differences of the vegetation indices accumulated in 2005 and those of the historical average, by agrarian region. To obtain these results, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment (MAPAMA) has a system for monitoring the evolution of dry and grassland crops, based mainly on the information provided by vegetation indexes (NDVI) generated with daily satellite images NOAA-AVHRR. This system, which has been in operation since 1993, pays particular attention to the detection and location of drought situations throughout successive agricultural seasons, in order to provide for the measures that need to be taken to mitigate their effects. The system is in operation between the months of January and June, a period in which the studied crops are developed. The study is carried out in the autonomous communities of Navarra, Aragon, Catalonia, Castile and Leon, La Rioja, Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha, Valencian Community, Andalusia, Murcia Region, Extremadura and Balearic Islands, as they comprise almost all dry crops and grasslands.