Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GALNIMBUS (Disruptive cloud-based irrigation controller to optimize water use efficiency in agriculture)
Reporting period: 2014-10-01 to 2015-01-31
Our Company - Galcon clearly represents innovation in ICT solutions for agriculture. Based in Israel, we are specialized in manufacturing computerized irrigation controllers to improve irrigation efficiency all around the World. With our new and most ambitious project –GALNIMBUS- we want to bring irrigation to another dimension by making full use of artificial intelligence. Galnimbus is an automatic irrigation system for open field and greenhouses crops which employs the information provided by onsite field sensors, online weather services and crop databases to establish an irrigation plan, using cloud computing and a machine learning algorithm. It also represents real-time geographic information, using maps and satellite or aerial images. Galnimbus can be remotely controlled via a smartphone, PC or tablet
During the Galnimbus phase I (October 2014 – January 2015) we have invested four months in verifying the technological, practical and economic viability of Galnimbus. As main achievements we can highlight the following:
• We have reached agreements with our customers to install the first controllers to test performance under real conditions and to evaluate the adaptation of farmers to the new system in10 collaborating farms in five European countries.
• Our R&D team has already designed a first draft of the system and has shortlisted the most adequate components and services suppliers required to develop the controller.
• We understand the different protection strategies for the Intellectual Property Rights applicable to each of the components of our innovation (hardware, software, and algorithm) and we have defined an IPR protection strategy.
• The marketing strategy has been redefined thanks to a market study analysis where we have also focused on EU-28 plus new potential markets.
• We have evaluated the impact that this major project will imply for our company in terms of costs and revenue streams and we have elaborated a business plan to represent it.
• We have reached agreements with our customers to install the first controllers to test performance under real conditions and to evaluate the adaptation of farmers to the new system in10 collaborating farms in five European countries.
• Our R&D team has already designed a first draft of the system and has shortlisted the most adequate components and services suppliers required to develop the controller.
• We understand the different protection strategies for the Intellectual Property Rights applicable to each of the components of our innovation (hardware, software, and algorithm) and we have defined an IPR protection strategy.
• The marketing strategy has been redefined thanks to a market study analysis where we have also focused on EU-28 plus new potential markets.
• We have evaluated the impact that this major project will imply for our company in terms of costs and revenue streams and we have elaborated a business plan to represent it.
After this period we conclude that we are technically capable of developing Galnimbus in an eventual Ph-2 (max 2 years), there is a market opportunity in Europe for our product and we can confirm that the development of Galnimbus will positively impact our company.