Bitwise Agronomy's CEO and co-founder, Fiona Turner, leveraged her tech expertise and farming background to develop an AI solution that could revolutionize global food security. After purchasing Jinglers Creek Vineyard in Tasmania, Australia, Turner realized the need for a data-driven approach to farming. This led to the creation of Bitwise Agronomy.
Turner and co-founder Aran Elkington spent over a year experimenting with various technologies, including sensors, robotics, tech cameras, and drones. Their goal was to use AI to solve real-world farming challenges. Their system, Bitwise Agronomy GreenView, was finally launched on LinkedIn in 2019. By June 2022, the system was implemented in 72 sites worldwide.
Bitwise Agronomy's mission is to transform farming using cutting-edge technology. Their GreenView system uses AI crop analysis technology to provide accurate, consistent, and superhuman speed data. Farmers attach GoPro cameras to their machinery to capture video footage while performing tasks. GreenView then processes this footage into interactive dashboards and maps to guide crop management decisions.
Bitwise Agronomy primarily serves berry, table grape, and wine grape growers. They have recently expanded their services to include other fruits like baby cucumbers and have plans to include cherries and cherry tomatoes. GreenView's blueberry neural network has been trained on over a million images and has counted over five million blueberries worldwide.
The neural nets process vast amounts of visual data, learning to recognize patterns and make accurate predictions. This technology helps farmers make informed decisions, maximizing productivity, minimizing waste, and ensuring the highest quality harvest.
Despite the traditional reliance on experience, intuition, and manual labor in farming, Bitwise Agronomy believes in the convergence of technology, data, and expertise for the future of the industry. As Richard Winspear, Managing Director of Berried in Tasmania, puts it, "Bitwise Agronomy has allowed us to take a great leap forward in the accuracy and reliability of our forecasting. We can collect more data in less time and eliminate some human error."
Source: supermarketnews.co.nz