ESA title

EDGE

  • ACTIVITYKick-start Activity
  • STATUSCompleted
  • THEMATIC AREAFood & Agriculture

Objectives of the service

EDGE will deliver a single easy to use interface towards supplying actionable advice for irrigation and pesticide, herbicide and fertilizer application optimisation, aiming at significantly reducing the decision making efforts (reduction up to 30%), resources usage and associated costs (reduction of up to 20%), and ultimately of improving the general productivity associated with the assets usage (reduction of up to 20%).

Users and their needs

The following user and customer needs which the EDGE’s system will satisfy were identified during our contacts with farmers in Portugal and Spain: 

  • the need to optimise irrigation procedures with the goal of generating less water consumption improved productivity;
  • the need to optimise fertilization procedures with the goal of reducing the fertilizer application amounts while improving productivity;
  • the need to optimise pesticide application procedures with the goal of reducing the pestice application amounts while improving productivity;
  • the need to have an integrated actionable decision support / advice capable of greatly reducing the effort of analysing / interpreting environmental sensor data and plan actions based on it.
  • the need to obtain integrated intelligence data from different sources including satellite, machine equipment, meteorological, ground sensors, among others in an easy to interpret and actionable way.

Service/ system concept

The EDGE’s system supply the user with precise actionable advice towards irrigation, pest control and fertilization procedures.

This advice is delivered to the user via a user’s dashboard, available via the EDGE’s mobile App and EDGE’s Internet portal.

The EDGE’s AI algorithm makes use of a combination of supervisioned machine learning and deep learning technologies. The EDGE’s algorithm is able to analyse and deliver forecasts starting from one single type(e.g. water amount) of data to hundreds data types(e.g.: combined forecast based in water amount, weather variables, crop type, soil nutrients, energy requirements). The EDGE’s AI algorithm adapts the farming procedures based in the conventional methods combined with, the farming analytics sensors and the production progress data gathered from the farming field itself and from other farming fields, members of the EDGE’s community.

The algorithm identifies, successful and negative, production patterns and the results will be classified by our experts; the gathered knowledge will enable the self-adaption of the EDGE’s AI Engine, delivering data driven decision support, enabling the adaptation of the production methodology and technological means and resources usage; it exploits and learns from the correlation of different farming analytics towards supplying a permanently improved production.

Space Added Value

EDGE's innovation is based on the integration of several environmental data sources, into a single Artificial Intelligence decision support environment capable of delivering actionable advice towards the users.The test phase of the Proof of Concept has been carried out in cooperation with two companies, based in Portugal and Spain, involved in the almond and pistachio's production. This consisted in several workshops with their management teams, financial staff and production managers. The AI Kick-start program has allowed to conduct a technical feasibility analysis as well as a business plan.

Developments and integrations to the EDGE platform are ongoing for the pilot. The goal is to involve potential customers in the pilot trial.

Current Status

The test phase of the Proof of Concept has been carried out in cooperation with two companies, based in Portugal and Spain, involved in the almond and pistachio's production. This consisted in several workshops with their management teams, financial staff and production managers. The AI Kick-start program has allowed to conduct a technical feasibility analysis as well as a business plan.

Developments and integrations to the EDGE platform are ongoing for the pilot. The goal is to involve potential customers in the pilot trial.

EDGE will enable the optimisation of environmental resources

Prime Contractor(s)

Status Date

Updated: 27 January 2021