Discover MOT! Optimising vineyard management with satellite technology

Earth Observation is becoming an essential tool for the winegrowing sector, providing valuable information to support more efficient and sustainable decision-making.

The MOT project (‘Earth Observation Module for PixelSuite’), developed by the Catalan company SPASCAT, has created an innovative methodology using satellite data to optimise the management of vineyards and fruit orchards.

The project has focused on plots at the Raimat estate, owned by the company Codorníu, in order to validate MOT’s functionalities on the ground and enhance the sustainability and quality of the crops.

The application combines satellite data, aerial orthophotos, and ground measurements to provide a global and detailed view of the condition of the plots. Through vegetation index maps and the automatic definition of inspection points, MOT supports the work of viticulture technicians and helps optimise the use of resources such as water, fertilisers, and plant protection products.

The project has also involved the company Agropíxel, which collaborated with the application developed by SPASCAT to enhance its agronomic analysis and consulting activities.

The project was part of the first ‘Earth Observation Use Case Ideas Competition for the Private Sector’, coordinated by the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC — Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya) in collaboration with the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC). This initiative is framed within Catalonia’s NewSpace Strategy, promoted by the Government of Catalonia and implemented in collaboration with the IEEC, ICGC, and the i2CAT Foundation.

One of the project’s highlights has been the integration of data from Menut, Catalonia’s second nanosatellite, launched into orbit in January 2023.

The data from Menut has been integrated with that of Sentinel-2, an Earth observation satellite from the European Union’s Copernicus programme, which enables the calculation of various vegetation indices. The combination of the two satellites has increased the amount of available information thanks to a higher data frequency. Moreover, the use of Menut, which offers better resolution in the red edge band (NDRE index) — highly valuable in agriculture as it provides information on plant chlorophyll content — has made it possible to apply Earth observation technology to small plots of land.

Thanks to projects like MOT and the synergies they generate, the innovation developed through NewSpace technologies becomes accessible to the ecosystem and has a direct impact on the viticulture and fruit-growing sectors in Catalonia.