Project
Title
Soil Quality Analysis Tool: Implementing Smart Farming Applications using EO Data, Soil Sensors & Robotics
Acronym
SQAT
Start
01.02.2024
End
31.07.2026
Coordinating Institute
ASSOCIATION OF BALKAN ECO-INNOVATION
Contact
Partner
Hahn-Schickard-Gesellschaft für angewandte Forschung e.V.
Officine Innovazione Srl Societa Benefit
AGRILAB LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
TERRA CONTROLLING TMD D.O.O
VAN DEN BORNE PROJECTEN BV
EXOBOTIC TECHNOLOGIES
EASTERN SWITZERLAND UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
ADF Farm Solutions
Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
AEROVISION BV
ASSOCIATION OF BALKAN ECO-INNOVATION
Project team ATB
Allocated to research program
Internet
Summary
Farms are at the forefront of the data economy, propelled by digitalisation, robotics, and smart algorithms. However, these advancements exacerbate societal pressures on soil health, demanding cleaner water, healthier soils, increased carbon storage and biodiversity. Current solutions are costly and unsuitable for farmers. With this in mind, the EU-funded SQAT project will develop a smart soil mapping service. Combining multi-level, multi-technology approaches, SQAT offers high-resolution soil property maps and tailored solutions for farmers. Using autonomous robot-mounted sensors and innovative in situ analysis tools, the SQAT system enhances productivity while reducing costs. Co-developing with SMEs, SQAT aims to commercialise its solutions, empowering farmers with variable-rate applications for liming, fertilisation, seeding, tillage, and carbon farming.
The SQAT project aims to significantly improve and automate the collection of high-resolution soil information by combining Earth Observation (EO) data, proximal soil sensing, autonomous robotics, and field-based laboratory analysis. The project integrates multiple soil sensing and sampling technologies to support the generation of detailed soil property maps and site-specific management recommendations for precision agriculture.
Funding
Europäische Union (EU)
Funding agency
European Research Executive Agency
Grant agreement number
101129644
Funding framework
Horizon Europe, Call HORIZON-EUSPA-2022-SPACE, Topic HORIZON-EUSPA-2022-SPACE-02-54