January 21, 2019
The CSIRO has unveiled a new software tool which it says will help farmers and agribusinesses better calculate risks.
The new Rural Intelligence Platform has been developed in conjunction with tech start-up, Digital Agriculture Services (DAS).
CSIRO says the new software can comprehensively assess and monitor rural land anywhere in Australia.
“The platform brings together in one place and refines a range of technologies developed by CSIRO in order to provide a picture of what has happened on a property over the years as well as the current situation,” CSIRO Agriculture and Food Deputy Director, Dr Michael Robertson said.
It uses satellite imagery to track paddocks and their performance over time.
Information from Australia’s digital soil map is also incorporated and climate information interpreted to show drought, frost, heat stress for livestock and other risks.
“The Rural Intelligence Platform will help the agribusiness community calculate the risks associated with certain investments or management decisions,” Dr Robertson said.
DAS estimates that annually around $125 billion in agricultural economic decisions in Australia are based on unreliable or incomplete data.
“The platform provides accurate information that can help to identify vulnerability or the most promising options for investment that will build resilience,” Dr Robertson said.
“This is a whole new model for rural analytics which will make it easier to quantify risk and prepare for challenges like climate volatility and change.”
DAS CEO Anthony Willmott said digital agriculture was more than just on-farm technology.
“It’s also about improving off-farm decision making and this platform lays the foundation for Australia to become a leader in new generation agricultural analytics,” he said.
“This is about supporting the ecosystem that supports the farmer – ensuring that farmers, business, policy makers and anyone invested along the agricultural ecosystem has the right rural data to make more informed decisions.”
