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GMV optimizes agriculture from space

21/10/2014



Technology and agriculture come together in a precision system based on satellite imaging and data mining, boosting farming yield and reducing its environmental impact

GMV has developed wineo (Weather INformation and Earth Observation), an earth-observation system based on satellite images that are then processed to generate a precision-agriculture intelligent aid system.

Precision agriculture consists of a production system that has become a brand new way of managing information on crops and harvesting. Its growth has been driven by such technological breakthroughs as GPS, geographical information systems and remote sensing technology. Until now such concepts had been applied in other industrial fields and are now being brought in as part of advanced farming systems.

As well as satellite images wineo also uses meteorological data that improves decision-making processes in such important farming factors as the need of irrigation, the timing of the harvesting arrangements, reducing water consumption and the use of pesticides and fertilizers. All this helps to minimize the carbon footprint and the impact of pesticides on farming produce. The system is estimated to cut direct production costs by between 4 and 6%, meaning a substantial improvement in net farming products.

GMV’s experience and expertise in fields as different as space and the development of IT systems have enabled it to develop wineo, a tool that is driven by a powerful Data Mining engine, culling a vast amount of data from various information sources such as meteorology, sensors fitted in cropfields and other farming systems, GPS trackers and satellite imaging, among others. This represents a great stride towards the “Internet of Things”. All this data is processed in a web portal where farmers, communities, cooperatives, producers and other institutions all have access to comprehensive information that allows them to analyze and optimize their production processes.

wineo is a clear example of a product blending a GIS solution like GeoServer+OpenLayers with a BI solution like Jaspersoft that speeds up decision-making processes in a field like precision agriculture. As such it was featured in JasperWorld 2014, held on 25 September, a conference in which Jaspersoft and its main partners presented the latest technological breakthroughs and market trend of Business Intelligence.