The constellation aims to expand the current capabilities globally, covering a wider and deeper range of analytics.
“We have successfully launched the first of 10 satellites that will constitute what we’re calling our EarthDaily constellation. We will cover the entire Earth’s land mass at a five-metre ground sampling distance with 22 different spectral bands, which will all be AI ready,” said Dave Gebhardt, general manager of EarthDaily.
Speaking to AgTechNavigator at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in London, Gebhardt said the prevalence of rice in Asia presents the company’s top growth opportunity once the satellites are in place.
“We’re looking to expand our analytics business truly globally. Asia Pacific is ranked that right up there as the number one opportunity to grow the business once we have this data.”
Rice is a staple crop across Asia, that is cultivated mostly by smallholder farmers in countries such as Bangladesh, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Rice yields in Asia are increasingly affected by climate change, ageing farmers, and unrelenting demand for rice.
Addressing smallholders
To date, the company has primarily focused on major row crops, such as corn, soybeans, and wheat; however, monitoring rice has long been a challenge.
Rice is typically grown in humid, cloud-heavy conditions, making it difficult to capture from satellites. It is also often cultivated by smallholders, whose smaller fields pose additional challenges for imaging.
The company’s new constellation overcomes the challenges of monitoring rice. Its daily revisit and high-resolution address challenges in humid environments and smallholder farms.
“Smallholder farms are much smaller in size, and while we currently have a minimum size we can work with, this type of data should allow us to address smallholders globally,” said Gebhardt.
With thermal and shortwave infrared bands, it would be able to investigate factors such as water management and scarcity.
“In my 35 years in business, I’ve seen much focus on carbon and carbon sequestration, which I support, but having grown up on a farm, I know that the key to grain production is water. Understanding precipitation, water stress, and availability is critical, especially with climate change,” said Gebhardt.
The improved data and analytics capabilities could transform how smallholder farms are supported, providing insights into crop health, water use, and soil conditions.
This approach aims to make agricultural technology more practical and valuable for farmers, helping them to optimise production and adapt to climate-related challenges.
“One of the challenges in ag tech has always been providing enough value for the end user to pay for it – adoption is notoriously difficult. By improving the sensitivity, quality, timeliness, and volume of data, and combining it with better analytics tools, we can deliver meaningful insights to farmers, those who serve them, and ultimately consumers, helping ensure food on their tables,” said Gebhardt.
The first of 10 satellites launched this summer, and the remaining will be launched by next year.