PerceptiveSentinel · Project

Satellite Data Platform That Turns Raw Imagery Into Crop Forecasts Using AI

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Imagine a weather app that doesn't just tell you the temperature — it watches your fields from space and tells you exactly how your crops are growing and how much you'll harvest. That's what this project built: a platform that takes satellite images, combines them with soil and weather data, and uses machine learning to generate farming insights automatically. Instead of companies building their own expensive satellite processing systems, they plug into this platform and get ready-made crop monitoring and yield forecasting services.

By the numbers

1,983,187

EUR EU contribution

consortium partners

countries represented

total project deliverables

demonstration deliverables

SME partners in consortium

50%

industry participation ratio

The business problem

What needed solving

Companies that need satellite-based crop monitoring or land analysis face a massive barrier: building your own processing pipeline for Earth Observation data requires specialized expertise, expensive infrastructure, and months of development. Most agricultural businesses, insurance providers, and government agencies cannot justify this investment just to get basic crop growth tracking or yield forecasts from satellite imagery.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered a big data platform with streaming machine learning that processes satellite imagery into ready-to-use agricultural services: Crop CYCLE (growth stage tracking), Crop YIELD (harvest forecasting at both field and regional scale), and biophysical index modelling. These services were demonstrated through integration into Danish precision farming systems, with 22 deliverables completed in total.

Audience

Who needs this

Agricultural technology companies building crop monitoring featuresCrop insurance companies needing objective satellite-based field assessmentsGovernment agencies monitoring agricultural subsidies and land useFarm advisory cooperatives wanting data-driven field insightsEO service providers looking to enter agriculture without building infrastructure

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Precision Agriculture

any

Target: Agricultural technology companies and farm advisory services

If you are an AgTech company struggling to build crop monitoring features from scratch — this project developed a platform with ready-made Crop CYCLE and Crop YIELD services that track growth stages and forecast harvests using satellite data and machine learning. The platform was demonstrated through integration into Danish precision farming systems via SEGES. You could integrate these services into your existing farming tools without investing in your own satellite data infrastructure.

Agricultural Insurance

enterprise

Target: Crop insurance and reinsurance companies

If you are an insurance company that needs objective, large-scale crop performance data to assess risk and validate claims — this project built automated satellite-based crop monitoring covering growth cycles, moisture content, and yield forecasting. The platform processes multi-temporal satellite data to track crop development from planting to harvest. This could replace expensive manual field inspections with continuous, satellite-based assessments across entire regions.

Government Agricultural Policy

enterprise

Target: Government agricultural agencies and land management authorities

If you are a government agency that needs to monitor agricultural land use, verify subsidy claims, or forecast regional food production — this project developed services for both field-level and country-scale crop yield forecasting. The platform supports historical analysis, real-time monitoring, and forecasting using freely available Sentinel satellite data. It was designed with low-cost service delivery to enable adoption across large territories.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does it cost to use this platform?

The project was designed around a commercialization model based on free and open access to basic services with low-cost paid tiers. The platform follows a cooperative value creation model where costs are shared across the value chain. Specific pricing details are not published in the project documentation — contact the coordinator for current terms.

Can this handle monitoring at national or continental scale?

Yes. The Crop YIELD service was specifically designed for two scales: micro-scale using individual field data and precision farming inputs (parcel polygon, crop type, soil structure), and country/regional scale for broader forecasting. The platform was built to handle multi-temporal, multi-spectral satellite data across large areas.

What is the IP situation and how is the technology licensed?

The project followed an open-value-chain approach with the stated goal of becoming the first value-and-benefit-sharing Earth Observation platform. The coordinator Sinergise, an SME specializing in geographic information systems, holds the primary IP. Based on available project data, the commercialization model emphasizes open participation and cooperative value creation.

How difficult is it to integrate these services into existing farming software?

The platform was designed for straightforward integration. One of the 5 demonstration deliverables was dedicated to integrating PerceptiveSentinel services into the Danish precision farming system through SEGES, with training, advisory services, and hot-fixes provided during the process. The platform exposes integration services that external applications can consume directly.

What data do I need to provide to use crop yield forecasting?

For field-level forecasting, you provide parcel boundaries, crop type, growth interventions, pesticide usage, and soil structure data. For regional-scale forecasting, the platform uses freely available Sentinel satellite imagery combined with its own machine learning models. The platform can combine public, private, and proprietary data sources on a single system.

Is this still operational after the project ended?

The project ran from January 2018 to June 2020 with EUR 1,983,187 in EU funding and is now closed. The coordinator Sinergise continues to operate in the geographic information systems market. The current operational status of specific PerceptiveSentinel services should be confirmed directly with the coordinator.

What makes this different from other satellite monitoring tools?

The platform combines big data processing with streaming machine learning to deliver ready-made Earth Observation services rather than raw data. It was designed to significantly shorten development cycles for new EO service providers, letting them enter the market without building their own storage and processing infrastructure.

Consortium

Who built it

This 6-partner consortium across 4 countries (Austria, Denmark, France, Slovenia) was built for commercial delivery, with 50% industry participation and 3 SMEs. The coordinator, Sinergise from Slovenia, is an SME specializing in geographic information systems — a company that builds and sells software, not just researches it. The Danish agricultural research department SEGES provided real-world precision farming systems for testing and integration. With 2 research organizations supporting 3 industry players and no universities involved, the consortium balance strongly favors practical delivery over academic exploration, which is a positive signal for technology readiness and commercial viability.

SINERGISE LABORATORIJ ZA GEOGRAFSKEINFORMACIJSKE SISTEME DOOCoordinator · SI
KMETIJSKI INSTITUT SLOVENIJE - AGRICULTURAL INSTITUTE OF SLOVENIAparticipant · SI
INSTITUT JOZEF STEFANparticipant · SI
GEOVILLE INFORMATIONSSYSTEME UND DATENVERARBEITUNG GMBHparticipant · AT
MAGELLIUM SASparticipant · FR
LANDBRUG & FODEVARER F.M.B.A.participant · DK

How to reach the team

Sinergise (Slovenia) — SME specializing in geographic information systems, project coordinator

Order a report on this consortium See SINERGISE LABORATORIJ ZA GEOGRAFSKEINFORMACIJSKE SISTEME DOO profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how satellite-based crop monitoring and yield forecasting could work for your business? SciTransfer can connect you with the PerceptiveSentinel team and help assess the fit for your specific needs.

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