Objectives of the service
Our proposal (PASST) is addressing to solve the problem of pollinators protection, especially honey bees, by providing a mobile application that allows for precise apiculture supported by space technologies. The emphasis is on the use of practices that take the regional conditions into account and require locally adapted systems, organic and biological methods to protect pollinators and to facilitate agriculture that respects nature. Pollinators, as honey bees, play an important role in agriculture. They are also an organic and best practice when it comes to transfer an apiary from one location to another. Our project is aimed at people who own and manage apiaries, as well as farmers who are aware of the role of bee pollinators in conducting ecological and sustainable agriculture. Direct communication and cooperation with farmers increase awareness of the correct use of plant protection products. Free access to the function responsible for independent and field measurement made directly on site with the use of smartphone, which is necessary for direct payments, is also a factor encouraging to use the application.
Users and their needs
The whole apiculture sector, mainly people managing the hives (especially those that are migratory) and the companies owning big professional apiaries form the target group of the proposed mobile application. Agricultural producers closely cooperating with beekeepers form another beneficiary group. Direct communication and close cooperation with farmers using PASST increase awareness of the correct use of plant protection products. In addition, agricultural producers are able to check the area of the declared crop for direct payments. Moreover, national, provincial and local structures of apiculture associations can also form a group of application users/ beneficiaries.
The statistical data can be collected by PASST application. They can support Poviat Veterinary Inspectorates, National Center for Agricultural Support in monitoring hazards and bees’ diseases. During the construction of the PASST application, direct contacts can be established with the beekeeping environment through an expert / beekeeper closely cooperating with the authors and originators of the created application.
The proposed PASST solution can enable all people dealing with bee families to precisely manage apiaries, make proper and conscious choice of benefits (mainly for migrating families). A close cooperation with agricultural producers and common, conscious support of apiaries and other pollinators protection from poisoning by applying Good Plant Protection Practice is also an extremely important element.
Poland and potentially other European countries.
Service/ system concept
Beekeepers, thanks to the application, can be able to implement precise apiary management based on the latest satellite technologies and geolocation. Also, it can enable them to use current satellite imagery (Sentinels 1 and 2) to perform crop analysis in the area based on the chosen location and the distance defined in the form. Considering data from external databases, user can quickly find a contact with the owners or authority who has information about them. Then, it is possible to precisely design the apiary location by taking into account additional external environmental factors (e.g. location of dangerous objects, protected areas, etc.). Thanks to the built-in navigation option for the facility, the user can quickly find himself in the selected area and use the AR (Augmented Reality) module to check the quality of the place on site based on the bee range calculated in the application. An additional communication module embedded in the application allows, after monitoring the hives, to control the situation in the area by using a specially designed communication module located in the apiary.
Space Added Value
The access to the space assets is crucial to proper PASST application functioning. The identification of crops based on satellite positioning systems as a location source enabling the navigation to the object allows for fast and efficient search of facilities in field. Constant access and no fees mean that satellite resources are becoming a factor allowing the construction of mobile solutions and systems with unprecedented possibilities. Satellite products offered as part of the Copernicus project are constantly updated. The update frequency allows not only to search for benefits, but also to determine at what stage of vegetation the plants are. Thanks to the full coverage, they can be used throughout Europe by creating mobile solutions that can be offered to a wide range of potential users regardless of where they live.
Current Status
During the implementation of the PASST project, it turned out that the proposed product is desirable on the market. Beekeepers are interested in the possibilities of using latest satellite technologies in modern beekeeping. Although the market for potential customers is limited, proper promotion of the application can bring the right number of clients. In order to reach a large number of potential customers, it is necessary to cooperate with a company recognized in the industry in the country and in the world.
The Kick-Start project has been completed. The PASST team is working on the continuation of the project together with a partner.
Prime Contractor(s)
