Bold new tech future unlocked for all Tasmanian farms

Australian agtech innovator Agronomeye has entered into a groundbreaking partnership with Virtual TAS that will give every farmer in Tasmania access to a sophisticated digital twin of their property.

This agreement represents a major step change in the way farmers manage their land and marks the start of a new era of actionable insights and data integrity in agriculture.

Virtual TAS is a joint venture between 42-24 and Enzen Australia, a global knowledge enterprise specialising in energy and water, to create a digital twin of Tasmania using high resolution laser (LiDAR) scanning. The Virtual TAS platform will support and improve the state's energy infrastructure development and maintenance; natural disaster resilience and climate change adaptation; forestry practices; and more. Under a 10-year agreement, Agronomeye will have exclusive access to Virtual TAS’s LiDAR data to build digital twins of individual farms.

“This is a genuine game changing moment. We’re no longer talking about the potential for digital twins to transform the industry – it’s happened; it’s here; and Tasmania is right at the centre of it,” says Agronomeye CEO and co-founder, Stu Adam.

Tasmanian Minister for Science and Technology, Madeleine Ogilvie, says the partnership is an exciting move that reflects the state’s commitment to digital transformation.

“I’m incredibly proud of the way projects like this are helping propel Tasmania to the forefront of a rapidly evolving, technology-enabled world,” the Minister says. “This agreement cleverly leverages technology for maximum benefit, and I am excited about what it means for our agriculture sector and for our entire state.”

Virtual TAS board member and the CEO of TasNetworks, Sean McGoldrick, says the agri sector partnership will deliver greater returns on our investment for the people of Tasmania,

“It has always been our vision that Virtual TAS would unlock as much opportunity as possible for the state. The availability of quality and affordable spatial data paired with visualisation and powerful analytics opens many doors and we are delighted that our partnership with Agronomeye is bringing the opportunity to farmers in Tasmania.”

Agronomeye has been building digital twins for the agri sector for a number of years, but the sheer scale of this partnership means the tipping point for adoption has now been reached.

“The LiDAR scan which forms the basis of the digital twin can be a complex and time-consuming process. By partnering with Virtual TAS, who recognise this data is valuable for many sectors, we’re able to remove a key barrier to adoption”, Stu says.

How Agronomeye’s digital twin works

Agronomeye’s platform is called AgTwin™. It uses Virtual TAS’s engineering grade LiDAR data as the foundation for farm scale modelling, topped with a number of analytical layers such as water flow modelling and tree canopy information, as well as data from additional sources, ranging from satellites to weather stations and soil sensors. The result is a detailed and dynamic view of the farm. The LiDAR scan is refreshed annually, enabling farmers to measure the impacts of their on-farm decisions.

“AgTwin enables comprehensive modelling of agricultural management, delivering insights on infrastructure, water, biodiversity, and carbon to support land sustainability,” Stu says. “It also offers validation that can enhance supply chain sustainability or facilitate projects in natural capital and carbon markets.”

“It’s very exciting for us to be able to open up such an incredible opportunity across a whole state, and a real testament to Tasmania that it has been prepared to support such an ambitious and impactful program.”

Tasmanian farmers will be able to sign up for AgTwin from mid-2024 and can register interest at www.agronomeye.com.au/tasmania