EO4SeedMon project was funded by ESA under the Value Added Element programme. It aimed at leveraging new space technologies to address the specific requirements of the seed production sector.
A key element to producing world-class seeds is tailored agricultural practices with continuous monitoring of the plants during the growing season.
Satellite data can provide information about soil conditions and plant stress. This information is then exploited to optimise field management and, ultimately, plant growth.
Specific satellite-derived information products and operational services were thus developed and demonstrated in this project.
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Overview
1. In a nutshell…
GIM
ESA’s aim
2. Target demand area
Specific characteristics of selected sector
Precision Farming
3. Innovative character
4. Project achievements
Facts and figures
Developed products and services
5. Follow-up activities
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In a nutshell…
GIM: Solid partners, flexible solutions!
Independent SME created in 1994 with a staff
of 45 people and supporting its public and private
clients in becoming “GEO-efficient”
Experts in EO, GIS, Geo-ICT and location intelligence
+ training centre and data & SW distribution
ESA’s aim: support the EU value-adding industry
Explore new developments made possible by the
availability of new EO sensors in order to grow the
demand for EO-based services from private sector
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Target demand area
Field crops seed
production industry
New market segment
not yet using EO
to support its operations
Specific characteristics:
Industrial agriculture with high expertise and unique production
organisation constant investments in new technologies
Stable and recurrent needs sustainability
Labour intensive high added value crops affordability
Concentrations of production fields in specific regions around
the world access to EO data
Row crops with specific layout challenging requirements
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Precision farming
"Ecologically intensive agriculture"
New technologies to put the farmers on the road to success!
But on a sustainable way!
Satellite technologies:
Satellite Navigation
Earth Observation
Process optimisation
to come to a better yield
Save time, money
and the environment!
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Precision farming
In practice…
Collect additional information using space assets, to
consider within parcel heterogeneity and for
Direct use on the machine: position/guidance or zoning/VRA
Decision support:
better production planning,
targeted field scouting,
mitigation actions,
field interventions,
adjust doses, timing,
soil sampling, etc
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Innovative character
New space technologies
What do they offer?
Rapid revisit: specific orbit, constellation, agility and live weather
High spatial resolution: 8/2 m, 5 m, 2/0.5 m
Increased spectral resolution: Red-edge, 8 bands
Operational services
NRT data access and processing
Adapted image processing methodologies and automation
Enhanced dedicated services: go beyond the map!
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Achievements
Facts and figures
Partnership with a world leader: SESVanderHave
100+ parcels (3-5 ha) monitored
2 growing seasons (2010 and 2011)
thanks to contract extension
27 very high resolution images collected
Weekly frequency during the peak of the season
Data access 3-4 h after acquisition
NRT processing and information available the next morning for
the field technicians to take actions and optimise their activities
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Achievements
Developed products and services
Based on an in-depth requirements analysis
Based on advanced processing chains: pre-processing
steps, spectral mixture analysis, automation, specific
infrastructure and interfaces, etc
Calibrated/validated: numerous
field campaigns and in situ
measurements
Demonstrated added value and
benefits: early warning, complete
overview and targeted field scouting, etc
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Achievements
Operational services thanks to ESA support!
Based on winter images:
Soil nature and heterogeneity to optimise the production
plan with the contracted farmers
Based on summer images:
Crop monitoring and specific recommendations +
indications on detected issues
including exact location, extent,
severity
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Follow-up activities
2012 season
Complete service provision fully paid by SESVanderHave
2013-2014: further R&D and re-analysis
Developement of a set of specific indicators (geostatistics)
Regression analysis: EO-derived metrics vs yield and seed
quality to prove predictive value
Linked activities
Other operational services development for tropical plantations
sustainable management, irrigation management in orchards,
etc capitalising on experience gained during EO4SeedMon
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Questions?
Contact details
vincent.tigny@gim.be
+32 16 40 30 39