Objective
The agricultural surfaces employed for turf grass sod production are increasing yearly thanks to expanding demand and thanks to the relative profitability of this type of crop. Sod (natural turf) production agriculture in the EU can be estimated in excess of 80.000 ha and 20.000 workers for a revenue of approximately 2.4 Bn €. As such, turf grass sod production is gradually shifting from the status of niche production to agricultural crop proper. In order to maintain the current profitability in an increasingly competitive market, sod growers need to increase or maintain certain quality parameters (uniformity of colour, texture, density, etc.), while addressing spiralling costs for fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation water. Naturally, an optimization in the use of these inputs would not only keep production costs down, but it would also greatly diminish the environmental impact and footprint of sod production.
Satellite spectral imagery, thanks to the frequent high correlation between spectral reflectance parameters and several crop parameters, would go a long way in identifying excesses or deficiencies in irrigation and fertilization. Satellite imagery analysis for crop production currently exists, but it is aimed and calibrated for traditional crops (wheat, maize, etc.) and not for turf grass sod production, which needs the development of dedicated new tools to be used in such production fields. Adding on-site valuable sensing, increased yield on natural turf grass production may be achieved.
The project solved this situation by developing a web based expert system, multi spectral satellite imaging analysis and on-site sensing and portable devices software to aid decision making in sod farms, in order to decrease chemical and agronomical inputs, while maintaining or increasing turf grass quality. The system will provide expert agronomical recommendations based on its historic and current data and current multi spectral image processing and on-site sensing
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology materials engineering colors
- engineering and technology civil engineering water engineering irrigation
- engineering and technology mechanical engineering vehicle engineering aerospace engineering satellite technology
- natural sciences computer and information sciences artificial intelligence expert systems
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-SME-2013
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
ZBG 3061 ZEBBUG
Malta
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.