New analytics platform to help agricultural decision-making

A partnership between rural technology start-up Digital Agriculture Services (DAS) and Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has seen the launch of a new platform and service for rural monitoring.

Combining artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud-based geospatial technology, this software is the first of its kind to deliver reliable, independent and robust farm data and analytics. It uses machine learning algorithms to extrapolate value from data in a way that was not previously possible.

The Rural Intelligence Platform draws information from trusted data sources on productivity, water access, yield, land use, crop type, rainfall, drought impact and more, to comprehensively assess and monitor rural land anywhere in Australia.

DAS estimates that around $125 billion annually in agricultural economic decisions in Australia are based on unreliable or incomplete data. CSIRO Agriculture and Food Deputy Director, Dr Michael Robertson, says that the new platform will support better economic decisions.

"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," he 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."

The platform also incorporates an AI-initiated Automated Valuation Model capable of valuing rural properties instantly with up to 90 per cent accuracy.

DAS is currently working with a number of leading companies to pilot the Rural Intelligence Platform, particularly in the property, financial services and insurance sectors.

"Digital agriculture is far 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," DAS CEO Anthony Willmott 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."