# Jailoo Atlas

> A page about Kyrgyzstan's summer pastures (jailoo) read from satellite pictures, published by KG Labs
> Public Foundation (Bishkek) at https://kglabs.org/kyrgyzjailoo/. It shows when the grass greens on
> the Son-Kul, Suusamyr and Arpa jailoos, how each summer compares with the usual season in 2001–2025,
> and which questions a pasture map can answer for herders and pasture committees. The page is
> published in English, Russian and Kyrgyz; add `?lang=ru` or `?lang=ky`.

Publisher: KG Labs Public Foundation, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan — https://kglabs.org/
Contact: azizkin@kglabs.org · +996 990 777 700 (WhatsApp)
Published: November 2026
Status: the numbers on the page are measured; the services it describes are proposals for a pilot in the 2027 grazing season
Companion article: https://kglabs.org/kyrgyz-jailoo-seven-pastures-from-space/ (Seven Jailoos, Twenty-Five Summers; seven jailoos, one in each region)
Companion article in Russian: https://kglabs.org/sem-dzhajloo-dvadtsat-pyat-let/

## Key facts from the page

- Record: NASA MODIS greenness (NDVI) at 250 m, one score every 16 days, 2001–2025
- Places: Son-Kul (south shore), Suusamyr and Arpa jailoos, in Naryn and Chuy regions
- Map: the usual greenness of each month from April to October, 2016–2025
- Usual season: the grass wakes in May and is greenest at the turn of June and July
- Arpa sits high and dry, so its grass never gets as green as on Son-Kul or Suusamyr
- Son-Kul: the grass now greens about two weeks earlier than in 2001–2010, about 9 days earlier per decade (Kendall test, p < 0.001)
- Suusamyr and Arpa: no clear shift in the start of the season (p > 0.2)
- July–August greenness: no trend at any of the three jailoos over 25 summers (p > 0.1)
- Air temperature: since 1951 the warm grass season on Son-Kul has grown by about a week

Green-up is the day a pasture passes half-way from its winter greenness to that year's peak.

## Seven jailoos, one in each region (from the companion article)

| Jailoo (region) | Height | Good grazing for horses, typical year | Greenest weeks |
|---|---:|---|---|
| Son-Kul (Naryn) | 3,060 m | 24 May – 4 Sep (about 104 days) | 18 Jun – 29 Jul |
| Alay (Osh) | 2,850 m | 21 May – 1 Sep (about 104 days) | 12 Jun – 18 Jul |
| Besh-Tash (Talas) | 2,680 m | 11 May – 28 Aug (about 109 days) | 9 Jun – 14 Jul |
| Mashalan (Batken) | 2,590 m | 2 May – 21 Aug (about 112 days) | 25 May – 8 Jul |
| Karkyra (Issyk-Kul) | 2,310 m | 8 May – 1 Sep (about 116 days) | 26 May – 11 Jul |
| Chychkan (Jalal-Abad) | 2,170 m | 4 May – 28 Aug (about 116 days) | 24 May – 6 Jul |
| Suusamyr (Chuy) | 2,060 m | 11 May – 31 Aug (about 112 days) | 6 Jun – 23 Jul |

Typical year from MODIS greenness, 2001–2025. Good grazing runs from green-up to the start of
yellowing. Source: KG Labs pasture analysis, October 2026, as published in the companion article.

## Questions and answers (English)

### What is the Jailoo Atlas?
A page by KG Labs Public Foundation that reads Kyrgyzstan's summer pastures from satellite pictures.
A map plays the usual greenness of the pastures month by month from April to October. Charts show the
usual season on the Son-Kul, Suusamyr and Arpa jailoos and the day the grass turned green on Son-Kul
in each spring from 2001 to 2025.

### When does the grass green up on Kyrgyzstan's summer pastures?
On Son-Kul, Suusamyr and Arpa the grass wakes in May and is greenest at the turn of June and July,
taking the median of 2001–2025. Lower jailoos start earlier. In the companion article, covering seven
jailoos, the typical start of good grazing runs from 2 May on Mashalan in Batken to 24 May on Son-Kul
in Naryn.

### Is the grazing season on Son-Kul starting earlier?
Yes. The grass on Son-Kul's south shore now greens about two weeks earlier than it did in 2001–2010,
a shift of about 9 days per decade over 25 springs (Kendall test, p < 0.001). The summer grass is no
greener than before. Suusamyr and Arpa show no clear shift. Air temperature records agree: since 1951
the warm grass season on Son-Kul has grown by about a week.

### What does an earlier spring mean for herders?
An earlier start with the same summer means the young spring grass arrives sooner. A herd that goes up
on the old date may meet older grass. Whether that matters for weight gain needs field data from
pasture committees and herders.

### What can satellite data tell a herder or a pasture committee?
The page lists six questions. When should we go up (the date the grass greens on a jailoo each year
since 2000). Is this a good summer (this summer's greenness against the usual range of 2001–2025).
Where is the grass thinning (greenness fading in rings around camps, wells and winter barns, seen at
10 m by Sentinel-2). Is the rest working (before-and-after maps for pastures rested, rotated, fenced
or reseeded). Will snow or frost come back (snow-free days, frosty summer nights and the warm grass
season since 1951). Where is the water (rivers and streams traced from the terrain, and routes between
winter, spring and summer pastures).

### What can a satellite not tell?
Greenness is not kilograms of forage. Clipping plots in the field are needed to turn greenness into
forage per hectare. At 250 m one pixel mixes grass, rock and paths; Sentinel-2 at 10 m sharpens the
picture from 2017 on. Clouds and snow hide some dates, and those dates are left out. Grazing pressure
needs herd numbers and routes, which only pasture committees and herders know.

### What data is the Jailoo Atlas built on?
NASA MODIS MOD13Q1 NDVI at 250 m (2001–2025), ESA WorldCover 2021 for grassland pixels, the Copernicus
GLO-30 elevation model and the ERA5-Land climate grid. KG Labs computed the results in Google Earth
Engine.

### How can pasture committees, herder groups, farms and programmes work with KG Labs?
KG Labs is looking for pasture committees, herder groups, farms and programmes to test these maps
through the 2027 grazing season, in Kyrgyz and Russian. The proposal has three parts: in spring, the
green-up date and a move-up calendar for the group's pastures; every 16 days, a short greenness note
comparing the summer with the usual; in autumn, a map of thinning and recovery for the pasture plan.
Contact azizkin@kglabs.org or +996 990 777 700 on WhatsApp.

### What other work on pastures and farming has KG Labs done?
In 2022 KG Labs mapped farm technology in Kyrgyzstan with the Leader NGO. In late 2024 it worked
region by region with farmers, farming companies and village communities for FAO's Digital Villages
project. In autumn 2026 it read seven well-known jailoos, one in each region, through 25 years of
satellite pictures and published them as an article and as short films in Kyrgyz for herders.

### What else has KG Labs mapped from space in Kyrgyzstan?
The Kyrgyzstan Water Atlas (seasons, rivers and rain from the first weather station in 1879 to climate
models for 2040), the Kyrgyz Forest Atlas (when each of nine forests changes colour, from Sentinel-2
since 2018), all 11,481 glacier outlines in the country and how fast they are thinning, and 2,592
glacial lakes followed through Landsat pictures back to the 1990s.

## Вопросы и ответы (русский)

### Что такое Атлас джайлоо?
Страница Общественного фонда Кейджи Лабс о летних пастбищах Кыргызстана по снимкам из космоса. С 2000
года спутники снимают каждое летнее пастбище страны раз в несколько дней. Страница показывает, когда
просыпается трава, какое это лето рядом с обычным и где трава редеет. Русская версия:
https://kglabs.org/kyrgyzjailoo/?lang=ru

### Когда зеленеет трава на джайлоо?
На Сон-Куле, Суусамыре и Арпе трава просыпается в мае и зеленее всего на рубеже июня и июля (медиана
2001–2025 годов). Арпа лежит высоко, и там сухо, поэтому трава на ней не бывает такой зелёной, как на
Сон-Куле или Суусамыре.

### Правда ли, что трава на Сон-Куле зеленеет раньше?
Да. Трава на южном берегу Сон-Куля теперь зеленеет примерно на две недели раньше, чем в 2001–2010
годах, то есть примерно на 9 дней раньше за десятилетие (тест Кендалла, p < 0,001). Летом она зеленее
не стала. На Суусамыре и Арпе явного сдвига пока нет. С 1951 года тёплый сезон травы на Сон-Куле вырос
примерно на неделю.

### Что данные из космоса могут рассказать чабану и пастбищному комитету?
Дату, когда зеленеет трава на джайлоо, за каждый год с 2000-го. Зелень этого лета рядом с обычным
размахом, так что плохой год виден до подъёма стада и до покупки сена. Места, где зелень кольцами
бледнеет вокруг стоянок, колодцев и зимних кошар. Карты «до и после» для пастбищ, которым дали отдых.

### Чего спутник не скажет?
Зелень ещё не килограммы. Перевести её в корм с гектара помогают укосные площадки в поле. Чтобы
оценить нагрузку на пастбище, нужны поголовье и маршруты, а их знают только пастбищные комитеты и
чабаны.

### Как работать с Кейджи Лабс?
Мы ищем пастбищные комитеты, объединения чабанов, хозяйства и программы, чтобы проверить эти карты в
течение сезона 2027 года, на кыргызском и русском языках. Связь: azizkin@kglabs.org, +996 990 777 700
(WhatsApp). Статья о семи джайлоо: https://kglabs.org/sem-dzhajloo-dvadtsat-pyat-let/

## Кыргызча кыскача

2000-жылдан бери спутниктер Кыргызстандын ар бир жайкы жайытын бир нече күн сайын сүрөткө тартып
келет. Кейджи Лабс ал сүрөттөрдү малчыга керектүү маалыматка айлантат. Чөп майда көгөрүп, июнь менен
июлдун чегинде эң жашыл болот. Соң-Көлдө чөп азыр эки жума эрте көгөрөт, жайкы чөп мурдагыдан жашыл
болгон жок. Спутник чөптүн жашылдыгын көрөт, салмагын эмес. Кыргызча версия:
https://kglabs.org/kyrgyzjailoo/?lang=ky

## Sources

- NASA MODIS MOD13Q1 NDVI, 250 m, 16-day composites, 2001–2025
- ESA WorldCover 2021 (grassland pixels)
- Copernicus GLO-30 elevation
- ERA5-Land climate grid (Copernicus Climate Change Service)
- Computed in Google Earth Engine by KG Labs

## Related KG Labs pages

- Kyrgyzstan Water Atlas: https://kglabs.org/kyrgyzwateratlas/
- Kyrgyz Forest Atlas: https://kglabs.org/kyrgyzforestatlas/
- Kyrgyzstan's glaciers, year by year to 2100: https://kglabs.org/kyrgyzglacierextinction/
- Kyrgyz Earthquake Atlas: https://kglabs.org/kyrgyzearthquakes/

## Citation

KG Labs Public Foundation (2026). Jailoo Atlas: Kyrgyzstan's summer pastures from space.
https://kglabs.org/kyrgyzjailoo/