• The VitiGEOSS project has developed a platform which offers forecasts on climate, phenology, the need for irrigation and diseases together with business and sustainability management tools for sustainable vineyard cultivation.
  • Its smart services harness artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, Earth observation services and sensors.
  • The platform has been validated with the Familia Torres, Symington and Mastroberardino wineries.
  • The project has opened a call for European wine businesses and wine growers interested in joining the platform as users for free.

The Eurecat technology centre is coordinating the European VitiGEOSS project, which has developed an innovative platform for managing wine holdings that harnesses artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, Earth observation services and sensors in the field to generate forecasts and recommendations which contribute to promoting sustainability and adaptation of vineyards to climate change.

The platform, which has been validated with the wineries Familia Torres in Catalonia, Symington in Portugal and Mastroberardino in Italy, “allows data to be collected and integrated on the climate, phenology, plant physiology and the development of diseases to generate recommendations for management,” says Xavier Domingo, the director of Eurecat’s Applied Artificial Intelligence Unit. “This provides tools for making informed decisions and optimising vineyard operations.”

“We have developed a tool to support decision-making in wine production and improve vineyard management thanks to mapping images, new production indicators, time data series and precise forecasts” adds Rosa Araujo, the coordinator of the VitiGEOSS project and Eurecat project manager.

The system is also set up to provide useful information on the actual usage of water by crops and the production of biomass from the vineyard among other plant variables. This service means “farmers can indirectly estimate water demand and monitor weekly crop yield,” notes Xavier Domingo.

The platform additionally includes predictions of the risk of infections due to downy and powdery mildew plus recommendations about the treatment to be applied tailored to the risk level. “Our latest calculations suggest that the application of this tool could reduce the number of applications of pesticides in the field and water usage by 20% on average,” points out Marta Otero, the technical coordinator of the VitiGEOSS project and a researcher in the Applied Artificial Intelligence Unit at Eurecat.

The VitiGEOSS platform also aims to cut operating costs and the environmental impact of operations in the wine sector. In this respect, a resource optimisation service has been developed to manage field tasks, such as collection, by factoring in financial costs, environmental impact and the schedule available.

Open call for European wine and wine growers

The VitiGEOSS project has opened a call for European wine businesses and wine growers interested in joining the platform for free as test users from November 2023 to February 2024. Registered users will get weather forecasts and information, phenological follow-up, disease management, crop status monitoring and other options specifically adapted to their fields and location.

The VitiGEOSS consortium is made up of nine partners from Spain, Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands, including three research and technology organisations (Eurecat Technology Center, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and LINKS Foundation, a university (the University of Naples Federico II), an SME (eLEAF), a consultancy firm (PwC) and three wineries (Familia Torres, Symington and Mastroberardino).