Catalogue of Services

AI model training

Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI)

Università degli Studi di Milano (UMIL)

Location

Italy

Remote

Arable farming

Food processing

Greenhouse

Horticulture

Livestock farming

Tree Crops

Viticulture

This service concerns training AI models on behalf of the customer for a specific task and optimisation objective, e.g., improving accuracy on crop classification from image data.

The target model is the solution provided by the customer that needs to be enhanced with respect to a set of predetermined features to reach the desired performance level. However, if required, the training can also be applied to additional state-of-the-art models available in the market for benchmarking purposes.

If not defined by the customer, some features of the training process can be identified via service S00179 (desk assessment activities for digital systems and/or data): for instance, model features to improve, reference model baselines to include in the performance comparison, as well as benchmark datasets.

The data used for training the model can be either provided by the customer or annotated ad hoc as a preparatory activity to model training (via service S00290 – Data labelling); another possibility is that data are retrieved among reference benchmark datasets that are openly available. We will also agree with customers on the level of hardware acceleration required, based on the considered AI models, e.g., GPU acceleration via connection to a remote server vs on-device training.

AI model training for computer vision tasks in TEF infrastructure

GRADIANT

Location

Remote

Spain

Arable farming

Food processing

Greenhouse

Horticulture

Livestock farming

Tree Crops

Viticulture

The service allows training an AI model to be used for computer vision tasks, like object detection, segmentation, or classification tasks. The training is run on the TEF infrastructure, thus providing a powerful platform for developing cutting-edge artificial intelligence solutions in the agrifood sector. By leveraging high-performance computing resources, CPUs, and GPUs within the TEF infrastructure, this service enables innovators to train AI models using datasets based on images or videos. Users can either provide their own datasets or utilise existing data within the TEF infrastructure (see Related Services). The model training supports various architectures for the computer vision tasks, allowing the selection of the most appropriate one depending on the use case.

Applications of artificial intelligence and visual recognition for assessing the quality of agri-food industry products

Università degli Studi di Napoli (UNINA)

Location

Italy

Arable farming

Food processing

Greenhouse

Horticulture

Livestock farming

The service focuses on utilising artificial intelligence (AI) and visual recognition technology to enhance quality assurance, consistency, and efficiency in the agri-food industry. Its AI-driven quality assessment solutions ensure that products meet industry standards, regulatory requirements, and consumer expectations. By identifying deviations from quality standards, the service enables proactive quality control, reducing the risk of product recalls or rejections.

Assessment of agricultural equipment connectivity through private 5G/NB-IoT network deployment

GRADIANT

Location

At user's premises

Spain

Arable farming

Food processing

Greenhouse

Horticulture

Livestock farming

Tree Crops

Viticulture

The service provides a comprehensive assessment of the connectivity of agricultural equipment, such as sensors and actuators, through private networks. By offering in-depth visibility into the network’s operation, it enables accurate troubleshooting, ensuring optimal connectivity for these kinds of devices. The service can handle the connection of multiple devices, making it suitable for validating the development of custom connectivity modules or testing agricultural equipment with built-in commercial modules. This allows for early detection of connectivity issues, fine-tuning module and network configurations, and ensuring smooth equipment operation. By deploying private networks, it is possible to implement configurations that simulate adverse conditions in deployment, such as successive outages, excessive packet loss, remote access failures to access the hardware, and more; practices that would be unthinkable in public networks. Furthermore, although the preference is for the deployment of cellular networks like 5G, 4G, or 3G, other communication technologies could be supported, like NB-IoT.

Assessment of AI performance and software optimisation on edge computing devices

Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK)

Location

At user's premises

Italy

Remote

Arable farming

Food processing

Greenhouse

Horticulture

Livestock farming

Tree Crops

Viticulture

The tests in this service are aimed at products that run complex apps (based on a multitude of microservices, including heavy AI algorithms) in the fields, with limited to no connectivity to the cloud. In these cases, we propose a benchmarking designed to understand what the bottlenecks are in the implemented solution architecture to help TEF customers improve the efficiency and reliability of such products/solutions. The service may also encompass virtual facility elements (enriched datasets, virtual machines hosting containerised modules) blended with physical sensors and infrastructure in our test field or directly installed at the client's premises if need be for the duration of the experimentation.

Assessment of automation and robotics technologies for machinery in speciality crops

University of Cordoba (UCO)

Location

Spain

Tree Crops

Viticulture

This service provides an in-depth evaluation of automation and robotics technologies integrated into machinery for speciality crop operations, including tillage, cover crop management, pesticide application, and harvesting. Through field testing, the service assesses automated systems, robotic vehicles, and their interoperability with other machinery. It is designed to help clients validate the functionality, efficiency, and sustainability of advanced machinery technologies used in precision agriculture for speciality crops.

Assessment of the feasibility of integrating payloads or equipment into UAVs

GRADIANT

Location

Remote

Spain

Arable farming

Horticulture

Livestock farming

Tree Crops

Viticulture

This service will evaluate the feasibility of securely integrating third-party equipment or payloads related to the agrifood sector into unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The goal is to assess whether such integrations can be done safely and efficiently, ensuring that the added equipment does not interfere with the performance and operation of the UAV. This service will place special focus on key integration concepts such as minimum functional requirements, communication interfaces, power supply for equipment, physical integration of devices, and software compatibility. The outcome will include an evaluation of the feasibility of the integration, along with possible recommendations for the suitable configuration to ensure the proper functioning of the system.

Assessment of the feasibility of integrating payloads or equipment into UGVs

GRADIANT

Location

Remote

Spain

Arable farming

Greenhouse

Horticulture

Livestock farming

Tree Crops

Viticulture

This service will evaluate the feasibility of securely integrating third-party equipment or payloads related to the agrifood sector into unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). The goal is to assess whether such integrations can be done safely and efficiently, ensuring that the added equipment does not interfere with the performance and operation of the UGV. This service will place special focus on key integration concepts such as minimum functional requirements, communication interfaces, power supply for equipment, physical integration of devices, and software compatibility. The outcome will include an evaluation of the feasibility of the integration, along with possible recommendations for the suitable configuration to ensure the proper functioning of the system.

Benchmarking & Testing Suite for Edge Hardware Systems

Lukasiewicz Poznanski Instytut Technologiczny (L-PIT)

Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center (PSNC)

Location

Poland

Arable farming

Food processing

Greenhouse

Horticulture

Livestock farming

Tree Crops

Viticulture

The Benchmarking & Testing Suite for Edge Hardware Systems delivers a set of tests designed to evaluate the performance, reliability, and functionality of edge hardware and its components under various operational conditions. 

The tests can be compared to specific industry standards or the performance of other solutions available on the market. Examples of tests offered as part of the service: 

- Environmental tests: Assessing devices' resistance to extreme conditions, such as temperature, humidity, and vibrations. 

- Signal tests: Evaluating devices using GNSS signal generators, testing their resilience to interference or false signals. 

- Network tests: Evaluate device performance within a prototype 5G network infrastructure.

 - Functional tests: Assessing the capability of devices, such as remote PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) cameras, to perform operational tasks in field conditions. 

- Integration tests: Examining the cooperation of edge devices with sensors, AI systems, and their responses to data input failures. - Accuracy tests: Measuring the precision of sensors and control systems. Test results can be compared to specified standards or the performance of competitive solutions, enabling customers to better understand their devices' capabilities.

Blockchain in agriculture traceability systems

Università degli Studi di Napoli (UNINA)

Location

Italy

Arable farming

Food processing

Greenhouse

Horticulture

Livestock farming

The service focuses on testing and developing blockchain technologies to enhance traceability in the agri-food sector. By integrating blockchain with IoT devices, the service ensures a transparent and immutable record of transactions across the entire supply chain. This enables agri-food companies to improve transparency, accountability, and trust while ensuring the integrity and safety of food products. Additionally, it drives efficiency and sustainability throughout the supply chain.

Cold chain monitoring

Università degli Studi di Napoli (UNINA)

Location

Italy

Arable farming

Food processing

Greenhouse

Horticulture

The service focuses on developing and testing devices that ensure proper temperature conditions during the conservation and transportation of agri-food products. These devices capture and store temperature data throughout the process, offering reliable validation of temperature control. Additionally, the service provides advanced data analysis and reporting to help farmers and agri-food operators assess compliance, identify areas for improvement, and meet regulatory requirements.

Collection of datasets of images and sensor data using UAV

GRADIANT

Location

At user's premises

Spain

Arable farming

Horticulture

Livestock farming

Tree Crops

Viticulture

The service offers automated drone deployments to efficiently gather images and sensor data, creating comprehensive multi-spectral datasets. The drones operate based on agreed requirements, such as the study area, data type, and measurement granularity, ensuring all necessary information is captured with precision. This makes data collection easy and reduces human interference, hence reducing the risk of error and making the obtained information more valid. After flying, the data is processed and tied up to enable further analyses. The service can deliver fast, comprehensive, and well-treated datasets according to each customer's needs using methods that can be further used in artificial intelligence models. With such information, customers will be better informed during the optimisation of their operations by using advanced technologies.