Growing grapes for wine depends on a deep knowledge of what the French call the terroir: how the region’s soil, climate and terrain affect the taste of the grapes grown there. Traditional knowledge was gained by endless walking of the rows of vines. But now “precision viticulture” combines satellite and information technology for the global wine business.
Eyes in the Sky
Two space-based technologies underlie precision viticulture: satellite imaging and GPS. Winemakers photograph vineyards taken by satellites and enter them into GIS software to generate detailed vineyard maps. Images can divide the entire vineyard into 2-meter square blocks, recording elevation, slope, soil condition and water retention ability for each block.
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Beyond visible light, infrared detection from space can produce a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), which accurately measures the amount of leaf area in each 2-meter block. By taking repeated scans through the growing season, winegrowers get a block-by-block analysis of vine vigor — they can focus attention on blocks where there is too much or too little, resulting in lower labor cost, higher productivity and more consistent quality grapes.
Pinned to the Ground
GPS coordinates pin satellite images to specific locations on Earth, block by 2-meter block. For larger vineyards, GPS and GIS systems are also used to steer mechanized pruning, watering and harvesting machines.
The world now faces a major undersupply of wine production. In the past ten years, satellite and information technology have allowed growers to reduce costs and make their operations more competitive. The future looks bright for those growing and making wine.
With a little help from our friends at Via Satellite and fellow global non-profits ESOA, GVF, WTA, SIA and CASBA, SSPI has launched a campaign to tell the human side of the satellite story. #bettersatelliteworld
