About Dr. Guan & HabiTerre’s Technology
Dr. Guan developed the technology to observe and measure land and water resources for every farm on the planet, which powers HabiTerre. Data streams from satellites, airplanes, automobiles, and ground sensor networks are integrated to create a comprehensive view of farmland. Those data streams are processed with the company’s fusion algorithms, which eliminate gaps in the data and remove the effects of clouds, and have been verified with actual “ground truth” information, creating a quantitative analysis of individual fields at a 30-meter (100-foot) resolution and at a daily frequency, recording the past 20+ years. Scientific models and proprietary algorithms are then applied to evaluate crop growth conditions, water use, biochemical status, and management practices.
Starting with a well-established scientific model for simulating entire agriculture ecosystems, HabiTerre added proprietary improvements that incorporate hundreds of variables above and below ground, then it constrained the model with actual observations, creating a reliable, realistic, and holistic view of each farm. This effort has created the most advanced model for crop growth, carbon cycles, and nutrient dynamics.
Using AI and advanced mathematical tools to combine the data and model, HabiTerre has created the first real forecasting capabilities for agroecosystems. HabiTerre can directly see how different components of carbon, water, and nutrients change during the growth season and how they are impacted by farming practices. Additionally, the company can create simulations that make it possible to predict the outcomes of various changes, from switching crop varieties and management practices to assessing the impacts of climate change. With the aid of supercomputers and cloud computing, they can process millions of farm-level simulations simultaneously, achieving field-level accuracy over large geographic areas.
The HabiTerre team is extremely proud of Dr. Guan and his recognition as Innovator of the Year. Congratulations!
For more information on the IIN innovation awards and other honorees, visit the University of Illinois news.