Satellite-based monitoring solution for the potato industry

The satellite-based monitoring solution operated by GEO4A B.V. and powered by GeoVille GmbH is commercially called HARVIC. This abbreviation stands for “Harvest in control”. HARVIC offers comprehensive in-season crop growth monitoring and evaluation at the field level, tailored specifically for potato crops in central Europe, with the potential for global expansion. This service provides a detailed, continuous assessment of potato growth dynamics throughout the growing season, using high-resolution satellite (Sentinel-1 & Sentinel-2) and meteorological data as input to the crop growth module.

The main benefit of the HARVIC service is an EO data-supported transition of stakeholders in the potato industry towards digitalisation. Critical decisions can be made based on objective and timely data. HARVIC therefore identifies and evaluates critical growth stages, including emergence, vegetative growth, maturity, and senescence, ensuring that users receive timely updates and insights into potatoes' unique development cycle. The service also provides yield forecasting and quality information for each growing stage to improve logistics and reduce costs, as well as unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions.

The HARVIC service has been selected as a high-priority agricultural service for onboarding and implementation within the European Commission’s Destination Earth (DestinE) initiative. The basic service is published, and registered users of the DestinE community are eligible to take advantage of this unique solution for the potato industry. Furthermore, the consortium of GeoVille GmbH and GEO4A B.V. is about to include monitoring services to track and trace regenerative agricultural practices, such as cover cropping and tillage. In addition, the latest climate data (ECMWF) will be used to enhance HARVIC, potentially delineating future growing regions for potato cultivation in the coming decades.