The GAINS project is part of the topics promoted by the NODES Ecosystem and focuses primarily on sustainability and digital transformation.

The objective of the GAINS project is to acquire the knowledge needed to develop a smart agriculture service that applies predictive models (AI and ML) to support wheat cultivation. These models will be designed to create a harmonized connection between satellite data, mechanistic DSS models (Decision Support Systems), on-field sensors, and other auxiliary data (e.g., from UAVs), in order to build a decision support platform that assists users during cultivation and integrates with various existing technologies.

The main focus of the GAINS project is on creating a workflow to improve the interpretation of satellite images and data extraction, studying strategies to compare satellite image data with locally acquired metadata, and reducing user input into the system.

The expected outcomes include increased fertilization efficiency based on accurate yield predictions (in terms of protein content of the crop); improved prediction accuracy of water, nutritional, and physiological stress; crop growth simulation and qualitative-quantitative forecasting of biomass production; and the automatic identification of key phenological stages in terms of start, end, and duration of the crop cycle (through vegetation indices such as NDVI).

The project is carried out by Abika and Primo Principio, which have gained extensive experience in industrial research, development, and innovation at both national and European levels over the years.

GAINS aims to achieve advanced agro-industrial digitalization through the research of methodologies and processes for automated extraction and processing of information from environmental and agronomic contexts. This approach seeks to enable early diagnosis and intelligent correction of production practices, enhancing system efficiency and sustainability.

In alignment with the PNR (National Recovery Plan), GAINS aims to implement artificial intelligence algorithms, tools that represent significant potential for development in industry, agro-industry, and the entire production system. In the case of GAINS, AI is applied both to industry and production processes (resulting in a paradigmatic leap in productivity) and to the ability of the production system to operate harmoniously with environmental systems through increasingly deep and precise capacities to preserve system sustainability.

Abika’s role in the GAINS activities will mainly consist of research, development, and implementation of machine learning algorithms for the automatic recognition of various agronomic parameters related to wheat cultivation, as well as their integration into a prototypical DSS platform.