The main goal of the challenge is to calculate agro-climatic factors of a selected area of interest. The second task for this challenge is to analyse inner uncertainty of climatic data provided by the Copernicus ERA5 Land dataset and compare this dataset to the dataset produced by in-situ sensors in pilot localities. 

During the first period of the Challenge No.13 discussion about agro-climatic factors and their selection for forecasting regional food supplies was done. The selected agro-climatic factors are following:

• frost-free periods, growing degree units, heat stress units, number of (optimal) growing degree days from temperature.
• nitrogen application window from soil temperature.
• accumulated solar radiation from incident sunlight.
• water balance from precipitation, evapotranspiration, and runoff data.

Pilot area of interest was selected and datasets from Copernicus ERA5-Land database was downloaded. The pilot area of interest will be Pilsen region, Czech Republic. For evaluation and comparison of global data versus local in-situ sensors, two small localities were selected. Previous sensor campaigns were organized in these 2 pilot localities. First locality is in southern part of Czech-Moravian Highlands – Kojcice. Second one is in Northern Moravia – Trisce.

We have collected sensor data from locality Kojcice between spring 2016 – winter 2018 from soil sensors and meteostation. We have data from locality Trsice between spring 2015 – autumn 2018 from meteostation. Corresponding phenomena will be collected form the ERA5-Land dataset for both localities. 

First period was mainly oriented on selection of phenomena and factors, selecting area of interest and data collection from global and local perspective.

The team for the Challenge No. 13 consists from 15 members, where mainly EU states are presented, partly Africa and one member from the US.