Syngenta, an agriculture technology company specializing in seeds and pesticides, has deployed the first of its new wireless sensors in the field as part of its Biodiversity Sensor Project, to capture data that enables the tracking of insects now, as well as birds and other animal life in the future. In April 2023, solar-powered sensors were being tested to detecting movement via built-in camera-based motion detection to track the presence and behavior of wild honeybees at a site in Germany.
The sensors leverage cellular connectivity via embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) technology from Internet of Things (IoT) company KORE. The collected data is managed in the cloud, using hardware, software and algorithms provided by a consortium of businesses, universities and research institutes. This preliminary installation is just the beginning, according to the company, using KOREs OmniSIM cards and local connectivity carriers. Syngenta says it hopes to provide a unified, affordable approach to what it calls a complex global IoT connectivity solution.
Kiran Joseph
The sensors leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms on the edge, as well as in the cloud, to identify and quantify most moving species. Each device’s motion-detecting, wide-angle camera surveys 180 degrees around it, while onboard software screens out data such as changing daylight, as well as background movement like wind-tossed vegetation. Currently, the motion-detection data is only captured during daylight hours. The sensors can also measure temperature, humidity and light intensity.
“We are still in the research and development phase, and the on-field deployments in 2023 will help us to accelerate the maturity of hardware, software and science,” says Kiran Joseph, Syngenta’s digital product manager. The company’s goal is to accelerate data-driven research, he says, “in promoting regenerative agricultural practices in farmlands and, at the same time, improve the productivity of farmlands.” That could be related to agriculture and the conditions around it, including the use of chemical insecticides or fertilizers, to influence biodiversity either positively or negatively.
Avoiding Species Collapse
Current data regarding species collapse has led governments to recommend agriculture chemical reductions in order to increase biodiversity, and Syngenta says it wants to capture additional data to enhance the picture. “We [as the world] do not have enough data that is spatial and temporal to prove that modern farming techniques are the cause of biodiversity decline,” Joseph says. That data, he explains, can provide a clearer picture of how or whether the existing plans are appropriate.
Until now, Joseph says, research has largely focused on specific locations, for a particular species or for a given duration, but Syngenta wants to gather with data to understand which species occur where, and when, as well as how active they are throughout the day. As part of the Biodiversity Sensor Project, he states, “Our intention is to have a sensor network across the globe that is autonomous, reliable and at low cost, [and] that calculates the biodiversity data related to any moving species above the ground.”
Diganta Adhikari
The company intends to make the data available to other entities, and to the public. The technology is starting with insects, which are valuable for their pollination capabilities. Sensors will identify each species, measuring how active they are throughout the day and what kind of behavioral changes take place over time. The existing sensors are deployed in a German rapeseed site, for the production of rapeseed oil. Later this year, the firm expects to deploy similar prototypes in France, India and the United Kingdon, as well as in California. The sensors are the result of global collaboration across industry academia and research institutes.
The technology’s development took place at research institutes, Joseph says, using hardware and software provided by the Indian Institute of Technology Ropar as lighthouse projects overseen by India’s Ministry of Education. The scientific data to identify species is provided by the Fraunhofer IME institute in Germany, he adds, and Syngenta is supplying the agricultural know-how, as well as steering the research and development. The Nature Conservancy is also working with the group, while KORE is providing the SIM cards.
Sensors in Action
There are two parts to the solution: motion detection, accomplished by the sensors, and image classification, carried out in the cloud. The sensors capture snippets of motion, using AI built into the device to identify the motion and classify the species. AI filters out non-relevant motion, such as the movements of people or non-insect animals. The sensors then send that data to be automatically analyzed. Users can view information about which species were detected, along with their behaviors and trends. In the future, contextual information could include other pollinators and species that affect agriculture.
Steve Crofts
The company opted to use KORE’s cellular-based OmniSIM card to provide coverage in a wide variety of geographies where the sensors will be deployed, according to Diganta Adhikari, Syngenta’s global head of on-farm IoT. While 5G is prevalent primarily in metropolitan areas, the areas in which most farm activity takes place require 3G or 4G connectivity. “But we are primarily relying on cellular technology,” Adhikari states, as opposed to technologies such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, which would require additional infrastructure. “We wanted to make sure we had a partner like KORE Wireless that is able to provide us a global SIM card, because this is a global effort.”
Alisa Moloney
The goal is to provide an out-of-the-box experience in which sensors could use the same SIM cards anywhere around the world. The OmniSIM device is designed to connect with local carriers that are part of KORE Wireless’s network. Once installed, they conduct signal roaming and can locate a given region’s network carrier. KORE also has access to data about each sensor’s functionality, including the network layout, outages or other issues, according to Steve Crofts, KORE Wireless’s senior director.
By accessing data about the system in real time, KORE can detect and address problems in the field as they occur. If a SIM card were removed from a sensor and used in another device, for example, the company would know immediately, explains Alisa Moloney, KORE Wireless’s marketing senior director. “We’re able to make it as easy as possible for [Syngenta] to focus on their innovations,” she states, “and all of this good work that they’re doing, to help bring this data to light.” Once the solution has been deployed around the globe, Syngenta plans to create an open application programming interface for public platforms, such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility portal.
Key Takeaways:
- Syngenta has brought the fourth iteration of its IoT biodiversity sensors into the field, using cellular connectivity in the form of KORE Wireless’s OmniSIM
- The data being collected is intended to bring insight into the activity and presence of wild honeybees in a German rapeseed oil field.