Constantly looking for innovative solutions that can characterize the agriculture of the future and that can be indicated to customers as safe and profitable investments, Idromeccanica Lucchini has started a collaboration with Evja: a young and dynamic reality that aims to support farmers in monitoring and protecting their crops.
What is Evja?
Evja is a state-of-the-art company based in Naples and the Netherlands. It is a group of young professionals who dedicate their knowledge in the field of technology to the development of sustainable and innovative agriculture, able to exploit the novelties of artificial intelligence and put them at the service of farmers to support them and facilitate them in their task. Evja has developed a decision support system called OPI that integrates modern Internet of Things (iot) technologies into a single Cloud platformof Big Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence and has implemented continuous research processes in collaboration with universities and institutes such as: the University of Naples Federico II, the University of Pisa, the University of Almeria, the CNR and the CREA.
The Collaborations with Idromeccanica Lucchini
The meeting between Idromeccanica Lucchini and Evja is aimed at developing greenhouses 4.0 equipped with innovative technologies, which combine the innovations brought by Idromeccanica Lucchini in terms of hardware with those software brought by Evja. The OPI system, in fact, is aimed at monitoring the data collected during cultivation in greenhouses to generate, thanks to a real artificial intelligence, predictive models capable of providing safe and proven practices to improve production, product quality and work processes. Thanks to OPI it will be possible to cultivate efficiently, economically and sustainably, also managing to anticipate and prevent mutations due to climate change.
Sensors and artificial intelligence
At the base of the integrated system of Idromeccanica Lucchini and Evja there is a careful monitoring of crops provided by a dense network of sensors. The study involved different types of crops and different environments with different climatic peculiarities to provide a wide and comprehensive analysis of data. While other companies are approaching this type of analysis for the first time, the OPI system is already extremely evolved and makes use of a complex and effective artificial intelligence. With data analysis and model development, you can establish best practices for any crop, in any environment, on any medium, and in any climate. The result obtained is not only aimed at increasing production, but also at saving energy, water, soil and less use of agropharmaceuticals. This specificity makes the system also suitable for organic farming. The proposed technology is not rigid and schematic, but is able to adapt to different needs and provide clear answers depending on the specific needs of the customer, both in terms of the type of greenhouses and tools needed for cultivation, and to identify the predictable ecomodels already implemented and calibrated for the various markets. The system also allows the possibility of measuring and quantifying the results obtained.
A vast and international market
The experience acquired by Idromeccanica Lucchini and Evja in different international contexts allows the system to operate at any latitude, in any environment and to be optimized to the needs of any customer, whether it is the small farmer or the large production company. The projects developed so far have started from the Mediterranean basin and have expanded overseas. In particular, the countries affected by the OPI system are Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Mexico, South Africa and Bangladesh, while a new project is under way in Qatar.
An innovative pilot greenhouse
Idromeccanica Lucchini and Evja have created an innovative pilot greenhouse: a real prototype that allows potential customers to see in a tangible way the potential of the product and the artificial intelligence at work. This test bed is able to demonstrate the effectiveness of the OPI system and to present to farmers both the functionality of the sensors for data acquisition and the models applicable to different types of crops. In addition to the realization of the greenhouses equipped with all the systems calibrated to the specific needs of the customer, Idromeccanica Lucchini and Evja provide close advice for technology transfer, staff training and system implementation. A series of monthly meetings with customers will serve as additional feedback for any adjustments and to verify the maximum functionality of the greenhouse that, equipped with these technologies, is part of the investments for "Industry 4.0" and therefore enjoys the same tax benefits.
The collaboration between Idromeccanica Lucchini and Evja is in continuous development to maintain active innovation processes, with continuous and new proposals without ever sitting on laurels.
