AGRIDATA - Autonomous Ground Rover for Intelligent Data Acquisition through Advanced Satellite Technology

The AGRIDATA project (Autonomous Ground Rover for Intelligent Data Acquisition through Advanced Satellite Technology) by Latitudo 40 represents an innovative approach in agricultural monitoring, combining advanced technology, artificial intelligence, and remote sensing to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in modern agriculture. Focusing on high-value crops such as viticulture and fruit growing, which are particularly vulnerable to environmental conditions, the project integrates advanced data analysis and autonomous technology to monitor crop health, assess risks, and optimize resource allocation, emphasizing precision and accuracy.

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Targeting agricultural insurance and precision farming markets, AGRIDATA aims to create a sustainable and robust solution that improves not only profitability and productivity but also the resilience of crops to climate change. The project is supported by the Competence Industry Manufacturing 4.0 – CIM4.0 through the Readiness+ call, aiming to foster innovation and digital transformation within Italian industry, startups, and innovative SMEs.

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At the core of AGRIDATA’s value proposition is the sophisticated integration of hardware and software components, each designed to deliver actionable insights and reliable data to various stakeholders, including farmers, insurance companies, and agronomists.

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Autonomous Rover with Advanced Sensor Technology: AGRIDATA’s autonomous rover is a specialized vehicle equipped with a suite of sensors, including LiDAR, high-resolution cameras, and multispectral sensors. These sensors are essential for collecting detailed, real-time data from the fields. LiDAR technology allows the rover to map the topography of agricultural fields with high precision, capturing elevation changes and other physical features that affect water distribution and crop health. This sensor combination enables the rover to act as a “digital twin” for agricultural plots, accurately replicating crop conditions and making this data accessible to farmers and insurers.

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Satellite Integration for Comprehensive Environmental Monitoring: Satellite data integration is another pillar of AGRIDATA’s approach. Leveraging high-resolution satellite imagery, the platform gains a large-scale view of agricultural fields, capturing environmental and climatic conditions that influence crop health. Satellites provide valuable data on parameters such as soil moisture, temperature, and vegetation indices, processed by artificial intelligence algorithms to highlight critical zones within a field, such as areas showing water stress or early signs of disease. A key feature of AGRIDATA is its ability to synchronize satellite data with ground-level data collected by the rover. This hybrid approach creates a multidimensional dataset offering a comprehensive view of the agricultural environment, from broad satellite images down to individual plant-level information.

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Real-Time Data Processing and Edge Computing: AGRIDATA incorporates real-time data processing capabilities, enabling analysis both at the data collection point (edge computing) and in the cloud. This dual approach enhances system responsiveness since some data is processed directly on the rover, providing immediate insights without waiting for cloud uploads. Rapid analysis is critical for time-sensitive decisions such as adjusting irrigation in response to detected water stress or applying targeted treatments based on signs of infestation.

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5G Connectivity for Enhanced Communication: Equipped with 5G connectivity, AGRIDATA supports high-speed, low-latency communication between the rover, satellite systems, and cloud servers. This connectivity ensures that data collected by the rover is transmitted quickly and reliably, facilitating seamless interaction among all system components.

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AI-Driven Mission Planning for Targeted Data Collection: One of AGRIDATA’s unique features is the use of artificial intelligence algorithms to plan rover missions based on satellite imagery. This planning capability allows the system to identify priority areas within a field and direct the rover to these locations for detailed inspection.

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The multifunctional AGRIDATA platform serves a wide range of applications, from crop monitoring to insurance assessments. Key benefits for the agricultural industry include:

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• Insurance inspections
• Precision agriculture
• Environmental monitoring
• Decision support for agricultural policies

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