A memorandum of understanding has been signed for a project co-financed by Innovate UK to use satellite remote sensing for improved, sustainable coffee production.
The MoU for the SatCafé project was signed by the International Coffee Organization, Remote Sensing Applications Consultants Ltd (RSAC), GEOLAT SAS and the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia (Fedecafé).
SatCafé will develop the use of satellite data to monitor changes of land use in coffee-growing areas.
This will involve the use of different types of satellite data, including free imagery from the Sentinel missions and very high resolution images.
In addition, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) data will be collected for comparison and to validate satellite-derived measurements.
In a statement, the ICO said, “Recent developments in the availability of satellite data linked to cloud processing platforms are transforming working practices and facilitate the development of automatic mapping of large areas.”
SatCafé will develop the use of satellite data to monitor changes of land use in coffee-growing areas, to enable these changes to be analysed in relation to their geographic location (elevation, latitude and longitude).
This will involve the use of different types of satellite data, including free imagery from the Sentinel missions and very high resolution images.
The aim is for results to be integrated into Colombia’s National Coffee Information System (SICA), thus contributing to decision-making processes.
The project will also help to optimise the detection of land use changes in coffee areas, a task currently performed by the extension service of Fedecafé through farm visits.
