A.Prof. Sigfredo Fuentes has been invited to two major grapevine conferences in 2021 and 2022:
From: MNSI website.
Wine is one of Australia’s chief exports. Australia is the world’s fifth largest exporter of wine and the seventh largest producer of wine in the world. The wine industry is a significant contributor to the Australian economy. Growing conditions are, however, predicted to change with higher average temperatures, water scarcity and more pressure on land use from a growing population. The result is that wine makers will need to manage resources much more efficiently without comprising wine quality.
In the vineyard of the future, growers will use data from in-ground sensor and drones flying overhead taking multi-spectral images to better manage their crops and the environment within their vineyards. The ground sensor data and aerial imagery can be combined into metrics that growers can easily use to make decisions about growing conditions and when and where to irrigate and apply fertiliser. This is a form of precision agriculture that can target anything from larger blocks within a vineyard to small collections of plants that may need special attention.
This project takes a significant step towards this vision by developing the algorithms and software to acquire, combine, analyse and disseminate data from in-ground sensors and the multi-spectral images taken from drones. In-ground sensors provide a wealth of data about the condition of the soil such as the soil temperature, soil moisture content, salinity, pH levels and some other factors, while drones map valuable metrics for growth, early symptoms of undesirable plant health conditions, and indicators for fruit quality.
The project is developing key elements of sensor network and camera calibration, research and methods for combining the data from the different types of sensors and developing data analysis methods that will provide actionable metrics for growers. Development will focus on designing a standardised optical sensor calibration procedure, automated optical image geo-referencing and ortho-mosaic generation, dissemination and visualisation to end users.
Aerial and ground data will be collected from the Curly Flat vineyard in Lancefield (Victoria), Wynns Coonawara Estate vineyard (Treasury Wine Estates) in South Australia and Murray Valley Winegrowers vineyard in Victoria. The output will be able to produce metrics as well as clear visualisations of the winery overlaid with meaningful data.
Drone images by Teagan Glenane.
The seminar was organised by the Melbourne Networked Society Institute (MNSI)
The Digital Viticulture seminar was a success with around 45 attendants from the academia, research and industry. In that occasion it was presented project advances so far and potential applications in the viticultural industry using sensor network and unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
However, all the technology and algorithms developed are not only applicable to viticulture, but also to a variety of other Horticultural and Agricultural crops and beyond. Some of the techniques related to visible and infrared thermography developed has been applied to assess biometrics in humans for sensory analysis of food and brewages and in animals to assess stress levels in productive processes, such as in the dairy industry.
According to Dr Sigfredo Fuentes, new and emerging technologies are easy to implement in precision agriculture, obtaining meaningful and repeatable interpretations of the data is where the applied science plays a big role. He mentioned the case of the newly developed smartphone and tablet PC App: VitiCanopy that can be downloaded from iTunes. “The VitiCanopy App was developed three years ago from technology that has been studied since 2007, its release to the public was last October 2015 after several trials to validate it in Chile, Spain and Australia. The beauty of the App is that it has been applied successfully in Apple orchards, Eucalyptus forests, Cherry trees, Cocoa orchards and Olive trees.
It was also shown in the seminar a prototype UAS made with 3D printed parts using a 3D metal powder printer (Titanium). The objective of this technology according to Dr Richard Collmann is to decrease the weight of UAS to increase payload for remote sensors and obtain more information per flights. Dr Collmann also discussed prototypes to change batteries automatically to increase flight time of UAS.
The seminar will be available as a podcast soon and posted in this webpage.
VoF
Working at various locations in South Australia and Victoria, with both wine grape and truffle crops; the project is developing key elements of sensor network and camera calibration, research and methods for combining the data from the different types of sensors, and developing data analysis methods that will provide actionable metrics for growers.
The network of sensors and drones used in The Digital Vineyard gather data that can keep Australian wine growers more connected to the soil-plant-atmosphere status of their crops than ever before. This is the way forward for precision agriculture.
This research seminar is a chance to learn more about this amazing project, meet the team, and ask some questions. It will include a presentation of the Digital Vineyard project, a Q&A session, followed by some friendly drinks, food, and networking – because we cannot talk about good wine without tasting some, of course.
This is a free event, but we ask attendees to please register so we can cater to numbers. Feel free to share this invite with your networks and colleagues.
Date: Thursday 28 April 2016
Time: 3:00pm to 5:00pm
Venue: Richard Newton Rooms, Lvl 5, Electrical and Electronic Engineering Building (193), University of Melbourne. Map: http://maps.unimelb.edu.au/parkville/building/193
Workshop in Chile, organised by The University of Melbourne, The University of Talca (Chile) and INIA (Chile).
In this opportunity it will be presented latest advances in robotics and UAV with a case study for The Vineyard of the Future (Melbourne – Australia)
Full Program: Workshop-full
WORKSHOP: New and Emerging Technologies for your Vineyard
Convenors: Dr Sigfredo Fuentes and Dr Roberta De Bei
Many people think that the ‘I, Robot’ vision from Isaac Asimov is not too far away from reality.
We have seen everyday more and more media coverage of the use of drones and robotic
technology for research in viticulture and agriculture in general. Automated systems can carry
instrumentation that enables the acquisition and analysis of data using contact, short and
long range remote sensing techniques. This workshop will explore the state of the art of
instrumentation and research to implement these systems in viticulture and winemaking.
Some of the technologies and instrumentation that will be covered range in applications from
the field to the cellar. The structure of this workshop will be in the soil – plant – atmosphere
context.
COST: AUD$ 150
WEB LINK: http://awitc.com.au
The first workshop from the VOF – International was a success. Among the attendants were managers of important vineyard companies from Chile, professionals, academics and students. The workshop was held at the Faculty of Agronomy Sciences belonging to the University of Talca in Chile and organised by CITRA (Integrated Centre fro Transference on Irrigation and Agroclimatology).
In that opportunity, a fly demonstration was performed with the newly acquired Octocopter from the VOF – Chile.
http://www.utalca.cl/link.cgi//SalaPrensa/Investigacion/5910
WORKSHOP: New and Emerging Technologies for your Vineyard
Convenors: Dr Sigfredo Fuentes and Dr Roberta De Bei
Many people think that the ‘I, Robot’ vision from Isaac Asimov is not too far away from reality.
We have seen everyday more and more media coverage of the use of drones and robotic
technology for research in viticulture and agriculture in general. Automated systems can carry
instrumentation that enables the acquisition and analysis of data using contact, short and
long range remote sensing techniques. This workshop will explore the state of the art of
instrumentation and research to implement these systems in viticulture and winemaking.
Some of the technologies and instrumentation that will be covered range in applications from
the field to the cellar. The structure of this workshop will be in the soil – plant – atmosphere
context.
COST: AUD$ 150
WEB LINK: http://awitc.com.au
Dr Sigfredo Fuentes presented a seminar to pre-graduate, post-graduate students and growers entitled: “The Vineyard of The Future: A Fully Instrumented Vineyard for Climate Change Research” (13th July 2012)
In the picture from left to right: Dr Carlos Poblete, Dr Sigfredo Fuentes; Prof. Samuel Ortega and Dr Javier Tardaguila.
Dr Sigfredo Fuentes presented a seminar to pre-graduate, post-graduate students and growers entitled: “The Vineyard of The Future: A Fully Instrumented Vineyard for Climate Change Research”
(27th June 2012)
In the picture from left to right: Dr Carlos Poblete; Dr Cesar Acevedo; Dr Sigfredo Fuentes; Prof. Samuel Ortega and Dr Hector Valdez.
Full link to the article here.
The Vineyard of The Future 