Crop lifecycle monitoring and automation platform (CropMAP)

In intensive crop production, continuous and repetitive monitoring of systems, greenhouses and crops is required. This is currently done by people however 1) The standard is generally inadequate so issues are missed and the crop suffers (reducing productivity) and 2) There is a substantial cost in management level labour time to do this job (increasing costs). A machine can do this work better and for less cost.

There are many emerging approaches to automation and digitalisation of crop cultivation (e.g., monitoring, planting, harvesting) within greenhouses. However, these are currently fragmented, typically bespoke solutions to specific use cases and unaffordable. Most mobile/robotic solutions are only at TRL5 and have practical implementation challenges such as dealing with heating pipes, vibration, accurate positioning, and modularity.

The CropMAP project will deliver an extendable, mobile platform with an open interface for the monitoring and automation of greenhouse-based horticulture, initially targeting crop monitoring of leafy-greens, a capability considered to be a critical steppingstone to more complex capabilities such as harvesting. The focus is maximum value through a configurable platform, rather than investigation of the ultimate technologies.

CropMAP brings a balanced consortium (combining key players in the leafy-green supply chain with key technology providers), together with a wider user group to realise a platform to 1) Systematically address the need, 2) Establish the fundamentals of an open modular approach, 3) Achieve the necessary cost-effectiveness through the commonality and scalability of the generic solution, applicable across a broad base of greenhouse applications.

CropMAP will deliver significant long-term, practical, improvements in productivity, resilience and sustainability. 1) Better productivity through establishing an affordable through-life-cycle mobile platform, maximising commonality, and creating an associated...