Transforming Agricultural Monitoring: Space-based Smart Tech Revolution

Tackling Agricultural Monitoring Challenges

The new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has incorporated geotagged photo technology (GT Photo) as a key element, further emphasizing its importance in modern farm monitoring.

Modern farming requires precise monitoring, yet traditional field inspections can be slow, costly, and prone to human error. The Transformation project addresses this challenge by introducing geotagged photos, ensuring accurate and verifiable data collection for agricultural monitoring within AMS.

Supported by EU space technology like Galileo, this innovative system enhances compliance checks under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). "With Transformation, we are making farm monitoring smarter, saving time, and reducing administrative burdens," says a State Agricultural Intervention Fund (SZIF) project representative, Jakub Vlosinský, the Head of the Unit for Technical and GIS Support of On-the-spot checks.

Through a structured pilot program, conducted in the Czech Republic by the SZIF, the accredited Paying Agency in charge of management and control of the EU and national agricultural subsidies, Transformation project has proven its effectiveness in real-world scenarios, involving inspectors, farmers, and regional office departments. Over three phases, the project evaluated different use cases, ensuring the technology met the needs of all stakeholders. This pilot, conducted by SZIF, provided critical insights that were later used as a foundation for procurement documentation. EUSPA served as the project guarantor and laid the foundation for the geo-tagged photo mobile application developed under the EGNSS4CAP project. This project leveraged Galileo to enhance the solution’s precision and robustness. SZIF facilitated its practical implementation in real agricultural settings.

Delivering Speed, Accuracy, and Transparency

“The results are clear: over 16,000 geotagged photos were collected during the pilot, significantly improving verification processes. By reducing manual documentation and automating data collection, the project demonstrated up to 70% time savings for inspectors”, says Lucie Šavelková, a project coordinator at SZIF. In addition, over 5,700 monitoring tasks were successfully processed, proving the system’s reliability.

One of the major focuses of the pilot was to verify phone positioning accuracy and orientation by analysing deviations in azimuth and sensor readings. This became a crucial component of the project, ensuring the reliability of geotagged data. The testing confirmed Galileo's added value by enhancing accuracy and robustness, significantly improving positioning performance even in challenging environments.

Farmers, too, benefit from this streamlined approach. Instead of lengthy field visits, they can now submit geo-referenced images directly via a user-friendly mobile app. This not only speeds up the process but also ensures data integrity.

"This technology simplifies our work while guaranteeing transparency. It’s a game-changer for agricultural inspections," says one participating inspector. Beyond compliance, Transformation also improves land management. Farmers can use geotagged photos to document crop conditions, soil health, or damage caused by extreme weather events, making it a valuable tool beyond regulatory needs.

Furthermore, after the application was developed, its source code was shared with other EU Paying Agencies, allowing them to integrate it into their own AMS environments. This collaborative approach ensures that the benefits of Transformation can extend beyond a single country and contribute to the broader modernization of EU agricultural monitoring.

With the success of the pilot, Transformation sets the foundation for broader adoption across Europe. The system’s ability to enhance CAP compliance while reducing costs makes it an attractive solution for regulatory bodies and farmers alike. Feedback from users has been overwhelmingly positive, further reinforcing its potential for full-scale implementation.

The success of this project highlights how European GNSS, particularly Galileo, can enhance the accuracy and reliability of farm monitoring. By integrating geotagged photo technology with space-based positioning, we are enabling a smarter, more transparent, and efficient approach to agricultural compliance, says Stefan Schneider, Market Officer at EUSPA.

Seamless Integration and User-Friendly Experience

Following the pilot’s success, a competitive bidding process took place, allowing SZIF to build an application specifically tailored to its needs. The development phase was remarkably efficient—both the web portal and the mobile application were completed in just six months, a testament to the project's speed and dedication.

One of the key achievements of Transformation is its ease of use. The mobile application guides users through every step of the process, from capturing an image to submitting it for verification. The web-based interface allows inspectors to efficiently manage tasks, review submitted photos, and cross-check data on interactive maps.

During testing, farmers and inspectors used a variety of mobile devices to ensure compatibility. The system successfully operated across different hardware configurations, ensuring accessibility for a wide range of users.

Another critical feature is data security and authenticity. Geotagged photos include metadata such as timestamp, location, and device details, preventing fraud and ensuring data accuracy. This guarantees that images cannot be altered or manipulated, increasing trust in the verification process. We believe that integrating OS-NMA into mobile devices in the future could enhance the trustworthiness of location data.

What’s Next for Transformation?

Transformation is now being adapted for additional use cases, broadening its application beyond farm monitoring. The system is now being prepared for OTSC (On-the-spot checks), LPIS (Land Parcel Identification System) agenda and other agricultural policy use cases.

Future improvements may include AI-powered image analysis, real-time validation, and integration with other smart farming tools. Automating certain aspects of the review process could make the system even more efficient, reducing the workload for inspectors while maintaining accuracy.

The project also opens doors for further digitalization in agriculture. With satellite data, coming for instance from Copernicus and machine learning advancements, geotagged photo technology could be integrated with remote sensing tools, offering even deeper insights into land management and compliance monitoring.

A Lasting Impact on Agricultural Monitoring

Transformation has demonstrated that geotagged photography is a game-changer for agricultural monitoring. By providing a fast, transparent, and fraud-resistant method for inspections, the project has set a new standard for how compliance and land management can be handled.

As the system continues to evolve, it has the potential to become an essential part of modern agriculture, empowering farmers, inspectors, and policymakers alike. "This is not just about compliance—it’s about making agriculture smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable," says Lucie Šavelková, the project coordinator at SZIF.

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