Innovate UK has awarded a £220k grant for pioneering technology.
- Yorkshire’s AgriSound to advance acoustic biodiversity monitoring.
- Investment aims to enhance sustainable land management practices.
- New system promises real-time, automated biodiversity data collection.
- Partnership with Baker Consultants and Crop Innovations enhances capabilities.
Innovate UK has made a strategic investment by awarding Yorkshire-based AgriSound a grant of £220,000. This funding is designated for the development of an unprecedented acoustic monitoring technology intended for landscape-scale biodiversity management. With this support, AgriSound is set to introduce a fully automated system that is predicted to transform industry standards in biodiversity monitoring.
This groundbreaking technology promises maintenance-free operation while providing stakeholders, such as landowners and industries, with comprehensive and timely data. AgriSound’s CEO, Casey Woodward, emphasized that the innovation offers significant improvements for compliance with governmental policies and land management strategies aimed at sustainability.
AgriSound’s system leverages audio analysis algorithms paired with cloud-based AI to build upon its existing technology. This enhances the range of biodiversity insights currently available through Polly, their existing insect monitoring system. The new development is a result of strategic collaborations with Baker Consultants and the charity Crop Innovations.
Dr. Carlos Abrahams from Baker Consultants highlighted the enhanced capacity of the new system to deliver real-time biodiversity data across a network of sensors. This advancement, as he noted, augments traditional manual surveys, providing more detailed and cost-effective ecological data, and keeping pace with technological innovation.
The system’s potential is already recognized by prominent organizations, including leading retailers and beverage companies, who currently utilize AgriSound’s earlier technologies for biodiversity purposes. This momentum underscores an industry-wide shift towards data-driven environmental stewardship.
AgriSound’s innovative approach marks a significant step forward in sustainable land management.
