Access data on 1.9 million UK fields

Explore the interface for Agrimetrics Field Explorer – a window into our data infastructure – for free

Users can now explore Agrimetrics Field Explorer for free. The interface provides field level metrics – including field boundaries, previous cropping, weather, environmental factors and soil composition – for 1.9 million fields in the UK.

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Field Explorer is a window into Agrimetrics data infrastructure, which brings together a combination of open source and licensed data from DEFRA, Natural England, USDA, Met Office, Soil Grids, RPA, and others.

Though much of this information was already publicly available, Agrimetrics has added value in two key ways:

1

The data is linked

Answering real-world questions requires accessing all the relevant variables. Moreover, it requires that these variables are interoperable, i.e. that the data-sets can be analysed alongside one another. For example, cultivation, soil type, crop type, topography, recent and forecasted weather, and proximity to watercourses all impact pesticide run-off. In order to advise farmers on the efficacy of spraying within the context of water stewardship, all these variables need to be considered in tandem.

Unfortunately, standards and levels of interoperability vary significantly between data sets. Even if organisations have the expertise to unify all of the relevant information, the costs can be prohibitive. This has prevented the innovations and advancements which have revolutionised productivity in sectors such as manufacturing– hailed as Industry 4.0.

Agrimetrics solve this issue by using the latest semantic web technologies – powered by AI and machine learning – to link data sources in a way not previously seen in the agri-food sector. This is true even of radically different sources of information, for example radar imagery, weather forecasts, and field boundaries.

This breaks down barriers of entry for the 55% of agri-businesses who lack the data science capabilities or resources to do this for themselves; this includes many start-ups and SME’s who are important sources of innovation and original thinking. For organisations with the required resources, it lays the foundations for analysis and development – enabling them to bring products to market quicker.

2

The field is the focal point

The field is the starting point for informing productivity, sustainability and supply-chain decisions, yet relatively few data-sets present their information in this way.

Regional- and grid-level filters may be adequate for some researchers and policy makers, but it prohibits the field-level analysis which is vital for improving on-farm productivity and sustainability.

Fortunately, this problem can be side-stepped by overlaying field boundary data – in essence providing a new filter for those data-sets (though the process is more technically demanding than this sounds). Unfortunately, even for those with the required technical skills this is rarely possible, as the official UK field boundaries are not publicly available.

To get around this, Agrimetrics has applied the latest machine learning techniques to satellite imagery – creating a map of UK field boundaries accurate to 1.25 metres. Subsequently, these boundaries have been linked to other data-sets in the Agrimetrics infrastructure; meaning that information held in large-scale, national and international data-sets can be easily converted into in-field, in-season insights.

Case study

Linked data makes Water Stewardship easier for BASF

Surface run-off is a major problem. It reduces the efficacy of herbicides – increasing costs for farmers and impacting yields – and can pollute waterways. However, calculating the probability of surface run-off – which dictates when farmers should spray – is not always simple: recent and forecasted weather, crop type, cultivation, soil composition and topography are all relevant.

Agrimetrics has partnered with BASF to link these data-sources and apply a decision tree which takes account of all these variables. This information is fed into a simple mobile app, which tells farmers whether it’s safe to spray on any of the following 7 days.

As a result, both the efficacy of herbicides and the effectiveness of water stewardship strategies will increase; all whilst making the process simpler to understand. This would not have been possible without linked data.

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Unlocking value through API’s

The Field Explorer interface will enable users to explore the data on Agrimetrics platform for free; however, the real benefit will come from accessing this data via API. This will enable organisations to feed this data into internal systems and products.

For example, Field Boundary data could be used to streamline the on boarding process for crop management software; or weather data, soil composition and topography could be combined with sensor data to help manufacturers build a more complete understanding of what’s influencing in-field productivity.

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