aiScope - AI data platform for smart crop protection

This project brings innovative and disruptive technologies together from IBM, Rothamsted Research, The University of Sheffield, 2Excel, STFC-Hartree Centre and Syngenta to transform the crop management market with blackgrass as its first use case. Blackgrass is a weed costing farmers more than £0.58bn/year, however data, management strategies and expertise are fragmented in the agronomy sector, slowing down UK production and competitiveness. This project aims to end this fragmentation through the provisioning of an artificial-intelligence (AI) and Big Data platform approach, where all data and expertise is collated, allowing researchers to create new evidence-based models and offer easy exploitation routes. Our newly-generated blackgrass forecasting models will be served from this platform through targeted apps or integration into existing offerings from agri-service providers. The platform will be built in an open, innovative way to enable collaboration, innovation and ease route to market for generated insights. Such disruptive, data-driven approaches will empower the UK agriculture sector to become world-leaders in the area of smart agriculture.