AIM for Climate Grand Challenge Winner AgroSpace Cites Enterprise Neurosystem Consulting Guidance, Industry Recognition and Cloud Credits Among Benefits
“Winning the AIM for Climate Grand Challenge and the benefits that resulted turbocharged our operations. The publicity, the ongoing guidance from the Enterprise Neurosystem leadership, and the AWS cloud credits we received have been instrumental in scaling up our solutions.” says AgroSpace CTO Tomás Acuña.
It was through their ongoing research and industry network that AgroSpace’s founders learned about the AIM for Climate Grand Challenge. The competition was a perfect showcase for the company’s water resource monitoring technology, and provided the opportunity to win prizes, including consulting sessions with the Enterprise Neurosystem’s leadership, international recognition as a leading climate action innovator, and AWS cloud computing credits valued at $10,000.
The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (or AIM for Climate) is a global initiative led by the United States and United Arab Emirates governments, focusing on support for climate-smart-agriculture and food systems innovation. The Grand Challenge — conducted in partnership with the Enterprise Neurosystem — sought to explore the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning for smart agriculture.
Founded in 2018 in Chile, AgroSpace is an AgTech startup with a mission to enhance water security in semi-arid regions, democratize water use, and provide comprehensive water monitoring using satellite and sensor technology coupled with AI analytics. The company’s customers range from individual farmers to large-scale water management facilities.
Along with around 50 other applicants, AgroSpace submitted its IrriSmart platform to the Grand Challenge. It was then selected as one of five finalists invited to present in person at the AIM for Climate Summit in Washington, DC in May, 2023. Following the presentations, AgroSpace was chosen as the Grand Challenge winner.
Apart from the recognition and business networking that the AIM for Climate Summit provided, the AgroSpace team was also invited to present at the COP28 meeting in Dubai, UAE in November, 2023. There, AgroSpace showed an introductory video in the AgTech-focused USA room, which boosted the company’s profile and led to further connections being forged.
AgroSpace’s IrriSmart platform is already in production in two water basins in Chile, a country that has been impacted by a severe drought for several years. The platform currently helps more than 300 farmers mitigate the impacts of climate change by providing daily updates for tracking water availability within these basins. The company has developed a concept called “HydroSentinels”, which involves monitoring the entire water balance of the landscape to provide a complete overview of water usage, illustrating where water is being used more or less efficiently. Hence, farmers can make informed decisions on optimizing water use to enhance sustainability and resilience against climate variability.
IrriSmart gathers publicly available multispectral, thermal imaging and radar data from several satellites — including those operated by NASA and the European Space Agency — to assess vegetation health and measure soil moisture and evapotranspiration rates.
The AI models incorporated into the platform have been developed for time series analysis and pattern recognition for computer vision. The compile process begins with gathering and preparing a diverse dataset, including satellite imagery, sensor data, and historical climate records. These models are then trained using machine learning techniques to predict water availability and usage patterns before undergoing rigorous testing to ensure accuracy and onsite validation. They are continuously refined with new data to improve their predictive capabilities for water management.
AgroSpace is continuing to roll out IrriSmart in Chile, and is also working with the Enterprise Neurosystem on deployments in other countries. Stay tuned for further news about this climate change technology pioneer!
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