Growing is a top sport. Raising the bar, a little higher every time. That is only possible with the right information about growing conditions, performance, yield, and much more. Today’s information, but also information gathered in the past. In other words, data. More and more possibilities are available to collect data, such as cameras, sensors, PLC’s, and processing computers. And nowhere are these data so useful as in a vertical farm.
A vertical farm as a big data source
Since a vertical farm is a fully closed growing environment without any external influences, optimal control is essential. Moreover, it is relatively easy to acquire large quantities of accurate and reliable data in a vertical farm. Especially when comparing it to a more traditional greenhouse. And he who sows data can reap insight and therefore higher returns.
Process, compare, and analyse data
For data management, Bosman Van Zaal offers the POLARIKS platform. This allows a production company to process, compare, and analyse data easily, clearly, and quickly for optimal cultivation. The platform makes the cultivation process manageable and the products traceable with the help of batch-driven data registrations. But other parts of operations can also be measured. Examples include labour, maintenance, energy costs and processing.
Four modules in one platform
The POLARIKS platform therefore consists of several modules: Data and Analysis, Digital Twinning, Predictive Maintenance and Performance Management, and Hyperspectral Image Recognition. The platform unlocks, organises, compares, and displays the data in these modules, and presents this in a dynamic, customisable, and user-friendly user interface. Furthermore, POLARIKS is easy to scale up or down.
Starting with using data from a vertical farm
Everything starts with your vision of your company's future. Which market do you want to focus on? And what does that mean for cultivation, personnel, expenses, layout, or internal processes? Then it is a matter of data acquisition and the right data management platform. So that data also starts working for your company by creating insight.
Read more about vertical farming and data
We at Bosman Van Zaal provide insight, create movement, and facilitate growth. We believe this is only possible if you share knowledge. That is why we have written a series of white papers on various aspects of vertical farming, including data. You can read the white paper here.