Description
OneSoil Scouting is a mobile application developed by OneSoil to help farmers remotely monitor crops, increase yields, and reduce seed and fertilizer costs. The app functionality facilitates the automatic identification of field boundaries using AI and satellite imagery, the tracking of field vegetation using the NDVI index and identifying problem areas, the detection of productivity zones over several years, provides weather forecast to identify the optimum time for spraying, and facilitates the creation and download of prescription maps for phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen applications. For advanced and more experienced users, the app offers data visualization from agricultural equipment and variable-rate application of seeds and fertilizers in their web app. The OneSoil web app is interoperable with various brands of agricultural equipment.
Technology
OneSoil Scouting is a mobile app for smartphones and tablets, and is available in several languages, including Dutch, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Hungarian, Polish, Portuguese, Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian. The technology behind the app analyses satellite imagery and makes use of machine learning algorithms to make predictions and advise farmers on agricultural tasks.
Target
The mobile app is available to both smallholder farmers and larger farm enterprises in the specified languages. The app has been downloaded from the Google Play Store 500 000 times as of January 2022. According to a representative of the organization, the app has around 307 000 active users per month and the number of active fields reaches 52 million . The technical skills of the user determine which functions are accessible to them.
Business model
The app can be freely downloaded to personal devices via Apple Store or the Google Play Store. OneSoil earns revenue from its analyses of satellite data and the provision of statistical agricultural data to its business partners.
Impact
A representative of the organization states that OneSoil users receive an average of 136 000 push notifications containing new NDVI images per month. By 2020, OneSoil had defined field boundaries in 57 countries. The app can support farmers in time management and planning, and helps them see how their crops are growing and how the fields are performing, thus identifying which areas require interventions. The app can aid in crop disease outbreaks by highlighting changes in the vegetation index, allowing farmers address the issue in a timely manner. The weekly scouting facilitated by the app can bring savings to farmers in both time and money, allowing them to monitor their fields remotely and thus avoid unnecessary field visits. The app also contributes to sustainability by supporting the more efficient use of land, water, fuel, fertilizer and pesticides.
Four Betters
Better production
Better environment
