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Tag: precision agriculture

  • Precision Farming Projected to Grow at 13 Percent to 2018

    The growth of precision farming market is expected to be remarkable, and is estimated to reach $3.7 billion by 2018, at an estimated CAGR of 13.36% to 2018, according to a report by ReportsnReports. The global population is expected to rise up to nearly 7.5 billion by the year 2020, and the ability to manage and tackle the ever-increasing demand for food will in all likelihood continue, the report says.

    Climate Change. Global warming continues to be an influential deciding factor in determining agriculture productivity, as well as soil properties and sustainability of natural resources. The effect of climate change on agriculture is related to variability in local climates rather than global climate patterns. All these concerns marked the way for the entry of the new world of agriculture management practices, the report says. Precision farming can significantly reduce the amount of nutrient and other crop inputs used while boosting yields. Farmers, thus, obtain a return on their investment by saving on phytosanitory and fertilizer costs. The second large-scale benefit of targeting inputs in spatial, temporal and qualitative terms reduce concerns of environmental impacts, the report says.

    The major drivers for this market are augmented yield and profitability, which are the major contributing factors for farmers to go for precision farming; other drivers like energy and cost saving and government assistance have also been contributing to the market growth. Major restraints such as high initial investments, and lack of awareness and their impact analysis, are also covered under this study. North America leads the market share for precision farming as this region has the maximum adoption. The Asia-Pacific region (APAC) is the emerging market for precision framing and has been enjoying the highest growth rate among all the geographic regions. It is believed that the APAC market will grow at a CAGR of 25.16% from 2013 to 2018.

    The report covers all the technologies, components, and applications of precision farming; it provides a detailed analysis of the current market scenario and estimation for the next five years. Major applications like field mapping and yield monitoring are driving the market. Moreover, the market is driven by some of the most important technologies like GPS and variable rate technologies. This market is already progressing well in developed countries, and it is also expected to grow well in developing nations as a result of their ever-growing food demands.

    Companies like Ag Business & Crop Inc., Ag Leader Technology, Ag-Nav Inc., Agco Corporation, Agjunction Inc., Agri Con Gmbh, American Sensor Technologies Inc., Autofarm, Automata Inc., Deere & Company, Dickey-John Corporation, Echelon Ag Inc., Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., Omnistar, Planting Inc., Precisionagriculture.Com.Au, Raven Industries Inc., Soyl Precision Farming, Teejet Technologies, The Toro Company, Topcon Precision Agriculture & Trimble Navigation Limited are profiled in this research available for purchase.

    This report profiles companies which are major players, and are active in this market. The report presents the ‘competitive landscape of the players’ that covers key growth strategies followed by all the major players.

  • Rugged IP68 GPS Handhelds and Field Computers Launched

    Rugged IP68 GPS Handhelds and Field Computers Launched

    The GAGAN-enabled Sxtreo GN11.
    The GAGAN-enabled SXtreo GN11.

    Stesalit today announced the availability of the SXtreo range of rugged GPS handhelds for survey, industrial use, and field work under extreme conditions such as agriculture, forestry, roads, security and construction.

    The SXtreo series of mobile devices are rated IP-68, meaning they are waterproof, dust proof, shockproof, and are coupled with built-in mobile GIS applications. Long battery life allows GPS data collection for a full work day, without the need for recharging. The GNSS devices come with full-size USB port for connecting devices.

    Stesalit is based in India, and the SXtreo gives that country an affordable option to take geotagged photos and conduct waypoint surveys. The design and conceptualization of SXtreo is a result of the in-house R&D effort of Stesalit. The road towards the birth of SXtreo is presented in the video:

    The GAGAN-enabled SXtreo GN series of rugged GNSS field computers and PDAs comes with a full keypad and large five-inch sunlight-readable screen for field data entry in large forms. These models are designed for GPS data collection and asset management, socioeconomic surveys, mapping, agriculture, logistics, forestry, public transportation, construction and security.

    The SXtreo WP 60 and WP61 devices have all the features of a smartphone.

    The Sxtreo WP 61 rugged smartphone.
    The SXtreo WP 61 rugged smartphone.

    SXtreo handheld’s Android and embedded Linux-based open-source secured operating systems are compatible with a range of sector-specific applications designed by Stesalit.

    • SXgeo is specially designed for waypoint, routes, and track surveys. The added advantage from the similar existing applications is that one can capture geotagged photos and transfer the survey data through GPRS.
    • SXsurvey is a complete suite for comprehensive survey management. With the features of SXgeo, one can also create large forms dynamically in the devices for survey data collection.
    • SXfield is specifically built for the field workers and employees working away from office like road construction, oil, gas and other utility services, logistics and distribution chains, FMCG, consumer and white good companies with large sales networks, operations and maintenance organizations with large service networks, and security organizations including police.
    • The integrated application SXagro is a geospatial agriculture decision-support system in use by agriculture universities and state agriculture departments.

    In addition, the SXtreo range of IP68 rugged smartphones is compatible with most of the off-the-shelf mobile software applications.

  • Precision Ag Conference Planned for July

    Precision Ag Conference Planned for July

    precisionag-conference

    Attracting more than 400 precision ag experts from 40 countries, the 12th International Conference on Precision Agriculture will be held July 20-23 at the Hyatt Regency in Sacramento, California, USA.

    In the heart of high-value agriculture, the Sacramento setting is fitting to the high-tech talks on the program. The global scale of the conference is apparent from the list of presenters and exhibitors. ICPA brings together a unique mix of researchers, industry, and practitioners.

    ICPA is the premier scientific conference on precision agriculture. “We selected the top research papers from around the world for the conference. With session chairs in precision water management, precision horticulture, unmanned aerial vehicles, precision conservation, precision livestock, remote sensing, and data standards, the oral program reflects the diversity of our members’ interests,” said Dr. John Stafford, President of ISPA. In addition, the program features two poster sessions with over 70 posters on display during the conference.

    The program also features talks on practical applications of the latest technology in crop and livestock production. Through the support of our major sponsors, the conference will feature a track for practitioners in addition to the five tracks on precision ag research. “At ICPA we have continued to appeal to the practitioner in addition to the researcher and academic. It is important that the research work finds its way into practical applications in crop production,” said Quentin Rund, Conference Secretary.

    The schedule provides plenty of time for interaction among attendees. From the Sunday night welcome reception sponsored by E & J Gallo Wineries, to the dedicated time for exhibits and posters during breaks and evening receptions, the program promotes networking and opportunities for in-depth discussion among attendees, presenters, exhibitors, and sponsors.

    For international and domestic visitors to the area the conference has partnered with the University of California-Davis to organize a post-conference tour for Wednesday afternoon after the closing session. The tour will feature area stops on UAVs, high-tech tomato production, precision irrigation, and imaging systems in wine grape production. Other options for exploring the area are available, too.

    The conference is organized by the International Society of Precision Agriculture. More information is available online at www.ispag.org/icpa including program, exhibits, tours, and accommodations. Online registration is open

    The conference is sponsored by E & J Gallo Wineries, Monsanto, DupontPioneer, and Springer.

  • Hexagon Acquires iLab for Smart Agriculture

    Hexagon AB, a global provider of design, measurement and visualization technologies, has acquired iLab Sistemas, a provider of planning and optimization solutions for the agro business sector, with special focus in the sugar and ethanol industries. iLab will, together with Arvus and Leica Agriculture, form the backbone of Hexagon’s Smart Agriculture Solution.

    Headquartered in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, iLab takes advantage of extensive know-how and various techniques to deploy highly parameterized solutions that address complex problems related to agricultural processes and production. They include linear programming, operations research, genetic algorithms, constraint-based programming, neural networks, statistics and advanced mathematics. ILab’s offerings include software optimization tools for every stage of crop growth — from planting, harvesting and logistics planning to area and asset management, scenario comparisons, and cost and budget forecasting — permitting value-added decision analysis and process automation.

    “Together with its established software suite of end-to-end planning optimization solutions for sugarcane mills, iLab’s strong market footprint in the sugarcane industry will support the further development of the Smart Agriculture solution from Hexagon Solutions,” said Hexagon President and CEO Ola Rollén. “Additionally, iLab’s offerings complement the product portfolios of Hexagon brands Leica Geosystems, Sisgraph and Devex in areas such as fleet management, precision agriculture, automation platforms and control room technologies.”

    ILab will be fully consolidated as of today. The acquisition has no significant impact on Hexagon’s earnings, Hexagon AB said.

  • Raven Industries Acquires SBG Innovatie BV and Navtronics BVBA

    Raven Industries, Inc. announces that its Applied Technology Division (ATD) has acquired SBG Innovatie BV and its affiliate, Navtronics BVBA. Headquartered in Middenmeer, Netherlands, SBG manufactures advanced GPS steering systems for a variety of agricultural applications. The acquisition broadens Raven’s guided steering system product line by adding high-accuracy implement steering applications. Additionally, SBG’s headquarters will become the new home office for Raven in Europe, expanding the company’s global presence and reach into key European markets. The purchase is not expected to have a material impact on Raven’s fiscal 2015 results.

    “SBG specializes in very precise, real time kinematic, or RTK, GPS steering systems with a focus on high-value crops. Their highly accurate implement steering technology broadens Raven’s existing product line and integrates well into the Raven product portfolio.” said Matt Burkhart, ATD’s Division Vice President and General Manager. “We are proud to welcome the SBG organization into the Raven family. Our innovative cultures align very well, and SBG’s leading technology and strong team members will be a great compliment to further Raven’s position as a leader in the precision ag market.”

    “Our priorities within ATD are to drive growth through international market expansion, new products and broadening OEM relationships,” said Daniel A. Rykhus, Raven’s president and chief executive officer. “We believe SBG can help further these strategies and position us for success in new markets.”

    “We’re excited to join Raven so that, together, we can expand Raven’s footprint in key geographies and augment their expertise and product line,” said Rik van Bruggen, managing director of SBG.  “In turn, Raven’s scale and resources will allow SBG to realize our dream of growing the business and helping customers increase yields and efficiencies. Raven is a good partner for us because they are committed to increasing their presence in Europe and providing additional opportunities for our team.”

    Effective immediately, SBG’s products will be offered as a part of Raven’s lineup of precision ag products. Sales team members from both companies will be offering the combined product lines.

  • Trimble Irrigate-IQ Solution Now Available in North America

    Trimble is making available the Trimble Irrigate-IQ precision irrigation solution in North America. Along with the North American launch, Trimble also introduced the Connected Farm Irrigate app, which provides farmers with real-time status and control of their pivot irrigation systems using a smartphone or tablet.

    The Irrigate-IQ GPS-controlled solution, which is installed on the pivot, enables farmers to remotely control their irrigators via the Internet, including performing variable rate irrigation, and receive reports about where water or fertilizer has been applied. With the solution, farmers can apply the optimal amount of water, fertigation or effluent where needed, which can improve crop quality and yield, while minimizing nutrient and chemical runoff. The solution enables farmers to conserve water use and improve efficiency, reduce energy costs for fuel and electricity, minimize input costs, comply with environmental regulations, and safely dispose of effluent. In addition, Trimble’s brand-agnostic strategy allows farmers to use the solution with most irrigator makes and models. Irrigate-IQ is also available in New Zealand.

    In addition, Trimble introduced the Connected Farm Irrigate app for use on an iPhone, iPad, Android smartphone or tablet. The app allows farmers to see the status of their pivots, including whether they are operating or not operating, in which direction they are traveling, the heading, pump pressure, pivot voltage and type of material being dispersed (water, fertigation, or effluent). It also gives farmers the ability to remotely start or stop their pivots, choose the direction (forward or reverse), turn the pump on or off or switch the type of material being dispersed. This new functionality comes in addition to farmers’ ability to remotely control their irrigators by accessing the Irrigate-IQ software on a desktop or laptop computer, rugged mobile computer or tablet.

    “Now that Trimble has expanded availability of its Irrigate-IQ solution, and launched the Connected Farm Irrigate app, farmers across North America and New Zealand will be able to monitor and control their irrigators from virtually any location,” said David Fitzpatrick, business area director of Trimble’s Agriculture Division. “Irrigate-IQ allows farmers to be more strategic with their irrigation planning, while the app creates time savings and increased efficiencies by allowing farmers to respond to weather changes or faulty equipment on the fly without being on site.”

    The Irrigate-IQ solution and Connected Farm Irrigate app are both part of Trimble’s Connected Farm solution, which includes a robust suite of recently announced features including soil analysis, rainfall totals, weather forecasts, commodity tracking, and now irrigation monitoring and control.

  • Hemisphere GNSS Vector Products Now Have GLONASS Functionality

    Hemisphere GNSS has announced that all professional-level Vector products — including the V103, V113, VS131, and VS330 — now include the ability to utilize the GLONASS system along with GPS in the navigation solution. The tracking of the additional GLONASS signals provides a more robust solution, especially in challenging environments, the company said.

    Vector Technology processes L1 GPS and GLONASS signals to deliver precise heading, greater positioning reliability, and improved performance in challenging environments. Hemisphere GNSS’ patented Vector technology computes the heading and pitch or roll angle while stationary or in motion allowing for heading accuracy of up to 0.01 degrees depending upon the product selected. A variety of differential correction methods also make it possible for Vector products to provide sub-meter to centimeter level RTK position accuracy.

    Professional marine industry organizations can maximize performance by integrating Hemisphere GNSS Professional Vector technology into their systems for hydrographic and bathymetric surveys, autopilots, dredging, and buoys. For land applications, Vector Technology is designed for the alignment of cameras, antennas, and projectiles, and for machine control applications in agriculture, construction, and mining.

  • Topcon Ag Introduces X14 for Entry-Level Guidance

    Topcon Ag Introduces X14 for Entry-Level Guidance

    Topcon's X14 touchscreen display for precision agriculture.
    Topcon’s X14 touchscreen display for precision agriculture.

    Topcon Precision Agriculture is introducing a new 3D color touchscreen display, the X14. The precision farming in-cab display offers entry-level guidance with the look and feel of TPA’s larger, easy-to-use X30 touchscreen console, the company said.

    The 10.9-cm (4.3-inch) full-color 3D touchscreen offers moving map visualization and an on-screen, software-based virtual lightbar. For low-cost guidance, the X14 can be paired with Topcon’s SGR-1 GNSS receiver featuring TruPass technology.

    For high-accuracy autosteering, the X14 can be paired with Topcon’s new AGI-4 GNSS receiver/steering controller, which provides autosteering performance and modular upgradeability to add high-accuracy inertial sensors or RTK correction communication.

    “The X14 offers a simple, icon-based, user-definable interface with a full range of guidance patterns including boundary and U-turn recognition,” said Kevin Cobb, TPA director of product management. “The bright, sunlight readable display offers easy setup on leading market vehicles, and is an outstanding addition to our growing line of innovative, easy-to-use, full-featured color touchscreen consoles.”

  • Trimble’s Connected Farm Adds Precipitation Monitoring

    Trimble has announced a new feature for its RainWave precipitation monitoring solution for agriculture. As part of the Connected Farm solution, the new feature adds actual rainfall activity in 10-minute increments plus accumulated rainfall over a 24-hour period. With this comprehensive rainfall information, farmers can have a better understanding of the rainfall intensity, which can be used to make more informed decisions for irrigation and other farming operations.

    For example, if RainWave information shows that a large amount of rain fell in a short period of time, much of that rainfall may have run off the field and be unavailable to the crop. In contrast, if the information shows a slow steady rain, farmers may assume that the rainfall has a better chance of being absorbed in the soil and can be available to the crop.

    “With RainWave’s added functionality, Trimble is placing another valuable piece of information in farmers’ hands,” said David Fitzpatrick, business area director for Trimble’s Agriculture Division. “By providing a better understanding of how rainfall may have impacted soil moisture levels, farmers can optimize their irrigation planning, fleet management and timing of materials application for nutrient and pest management.”

    The RainWave solution enables farmers across the U.S. to set up virtual rain gauges by entering GPS coordinates for identified locations in order to receive a rainfall report for those locations. Since on-site rain gauges are not needed, farmers no longer need to monitor dispersed gauges or manually track precipitation. Farmers are able to obtain the RainWave information through their Connected Farm dashboard, a Web portal that provides one centralized location for farmers to view key information impacting their operations.

  • Hemisphere GNSS Launches New Branding, Website

    Hemisphere GNSS Launches New Branding, Website

    The new Hemisphere GNSS logo.
    The new Hemisphere GNSS logo uses only the word Hemisphere.

    Today, Hemisphere GNSS introduced its new “Hemisphere” corporate branding and logo to reflect its global GNSS focus. The company is also announcing a new website that has been built from the ground up based on customer and partner input.

    In February 2013, Hemisphere GPS was renamed and incorporated as Hemisphere GNSS Inc. The company owns both names, but in order to reflect the company’s support of all Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and update the company image, Hemisphere GNSS Inc. will be adopting the use of the new “Hemisphere” logo.

    “We are pleased to have completed our transition from a GPS agriculture-focused organization to a truly global GNSS Technology and Applications company. Today we are reaffirming our commitment to offering the best value in GNSS OEM boards, antennas, marine positioning, survey, mapping, and machine control products,” said Phil Gabriel, president at Hemisphere GNSS. “We are now introducing our new stylized globe logo and our updated branding to simply read ‘Hemisphere,’ as well as our new website and URL; www.HemisphereGNSS.com.”

    The new website is easier to navigate and will assist customers in finding the information they need in a shorter amount of time, the company said. Employee email addresses are also being updated to first name initial, last name @HemisphereGNSS.com, though old email addresses will continue to work for the foreseeable future.

    HemisphereGNSS-W

  • Precision Farming Growth to Be Remarkable, Report Says

    Research and Markets has issued a new precision farming technology report. According to the report, the growth of the market is expected to be remarkable, and is estimated to reach $3.72 million by 2018, at an estimated CAGR of 13.36% from 2013 to 2018. The major players in this industry are Deere & Co. (U.S.), Trimble Navigation (U.S.), Topcon positioning systems (U.S.), Raven Industries (U.S.), Precision Planting (U.S.), and AGCO (U.S.).

    The major drivers for this market are augmented yield and profitability, energy and cost saving, and government assistance. Major restraints such as high initial investments and lack of awareness and their impact analysis are also covered under this study. North America currently leads the market share for precision farming as this region has the maximum adoption. Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the emerging market for precision framing and has been enjoying the highest growth rate among all the geographic regions. It is believed that the APAC market will grow at a CAGR of 25.16% from 2013 to 2018.

    The full title is “Precision Farming Market by Technology (GPS/GNSS, GIS, Remote Sensing & VRT), Components (Automation & Control, Sensors, FMS), Applications (Yield Monitoring, VRA, Mapping, Soil Monitoring, Scouting) – Global Forecast & Analysis (2013 – 2018).”

    The report covers all the technologies, components, and applications of precision farming; it provides a detailed analysis of the current market scenario and estimation for the next five years. Major applications like field mapping and yield monitoring are driving the market. Moreover, the market is driven by important technologies like GPS and variable rate technologies. This market is already progressing well in developed countries and it is also expected to grow well in the developing nations as a result of their ever growing food demands.

    This study describes the value chain for precision framing market by considering all the major stakeholders in the market, and their role analysis. The report also performs a detailed scrutiny of the Porter’s five force analysis for the market. All the five major factors in these markets have been quantified using the internal key parameters governing each of them.

    Key Topics Covered:

    1 Introduction

    2 Executive Summary

    3 Cover Story

    4 Market Overview

    5 Global Precision Farming Market By Technology

    6 Global Precision Farming Market By Hardware & Software Components

    7 Precision Farming Market by Application

    8 Global Precision Farming Market By Geography

    9 Competitive Landscape

    10 Company Profile – Overview, Products And Services, Financials, Strategy & Development

    Companies Mentioned

    • Ag Business & Crop Inc.
    • Ag Leader Technology
    • Ag-Nav Inc.
    • Agco Corporation
    • Agjunction Inc.
    • Agri Con Gmbh
    • American Sensor Technologies Inc.
    • Autofarm
    • Automata Inc.
    • Deere & Company
    • Dickey-John Corporation
    • Echelon Ag Inc.
    • Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd.
    • Omnistar
    • Precision Planting Inc.
    • Precisionagriculture. Com.Au
    • Raven Industries Inc.
    • Soyl Precision Farming
    • Teejet Technologies
    • The Toro Company
    • Topcon Precision Agriculture
    • Trimble Navigation Limited

    For more information, visit the Research and Markets website.

  • PCTEL Launches Antennas for GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo Apps

    PCTEL's new timing antenna, the GNSS1-TMG-26N.
    PCTEL’s new timing antenna, the GNSS1-TMG-26N.

    PCTEL, Inc. announced the launch of its next generation multi-band GNSS antennas for global timing and precision tracking applications at the ION GNSS Conference being held this week in Nashville, Tennessee.

    The new antennas, which are designed for use with GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo systems, are being showcased along with other PCTEL antennas at the PCTEL booth in the Exhibit Hall, Booth 318/320. All models of the new antennas are available for sale.

    Equipment providers for carrier network timing, precision agriculture, and global asset tracking applications need a single antenna solution for global deployment. PCTEL’s new GNSS1-TMG-26N and GPS-LB12GL-MAG antennas address global compatibility issues for two of the industry’s most crucial applications.

    For critical timing applications for macro and small cell deployments, PCTEL has developed the GNSS1-TMG-26N antenna. The GNSS1-TMG-26N is a fixed mount network timing antenna covering GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, and Galileo system frequencies in one single unit, making it a true global solution.

    PCTEL's GPS-LB12GL-MAG antenna is designed for precision agriculture.
    PCTEL’s GPS-LB12GL-MAG antenna is designed for precision agriculture.

    For global precision navigation applications, PCTEL has developed the GPS-LB12GL-MAG to cover GPS L1, GPS L2, GLONASS, and L-BAND constellations. The GPS-LB12GL-MAG’s multi-band coverage addresses the precision market in the USA as well as differential correction signals needed across Europe and Asia.

    “PCTEL will meet the GNSS market requirements for our global customers while maintaining PCTEL’s high standards for quality and performance,” said Jeff Miller, president of PCTEL Connected Solutions. “We understand that our products need global compatibility to support our customers around the world. We are proud to showcase our design excellence in this highly technical area,” added Miller.