A New Look For Key NZ Agritech Event

After 10 years a popular agritech event in New Zealand, MobileTECH Ag, has been rebranded to DigitalAg. The 2022 event will be taking place in Rotorua in March 2022.

“We are excited about the name change, as digital agriculture is a better fit for the future of the event and where technology is evolving,” said Innovatek’s programme manager, Ken Wilson.

“When we started the programme a decade ago, mobile technologies like ‘smartphones’, tablets, GIS and drones were gaining momentum with early adopters within the sector. Fast-forward to 2021, all phones are ‘smart’. No longer is mobile tech a leading feature for innovation. It’s now just a given.”

While there are still issues around rural connectivity and farmer adoption, the focus on technology is clearly around digital platforms. The ability to make practical decisions from real-time data is what is driving productivity for the agricultural and horticultural industries.

Continued advances in AI, machine learning, data-capture and big data are enabling new innovations to be developed and adopted every year. Machine vision, where video cameras give computer’s the ability to see, is being used to identify weeds, pick fruit, drive robotic vehicles and monitor individual animals. Systems analysing satellite and aerial images can detect soil deficiencies, weather predictions and carbon mapping. We also have wearable sensors that are tracking animal health, optimising equipment productivity and improving farm safety.

Whether the data comes from video, imagery, sensors, or a combination of each, it is the algorithms within AI and machine learning that are driving better fact-based decisions.

“DigitalAg 2022 will showcase new agritech developments and provide a platform for the sector to come together, discuss the issues and encourage collaboration,” said Mr Wilson.

“We have worked closely with the agritech industry to create an innovative two-day programme and are excited to meet up next year.”

Details on the DigitalAg 2022 programme are now available. The event runs on 30-31 March 2022 in Rotorua, New Zealand. Further details can be found on the event website, www.DigitalAg.events.

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