Smart Irrigation Modelling

The European SIM project (Smart Irrigation Modelling, www.sim.polimi.it) has as main objective the parsimonious use of agricultural water through an operational web tool to reduce the use of water, fertilizer and energy keeping a constant crop yield. The instrument provides in real-time the present and forecasted irrigation water requirements at high spatial and temporal resolutions with forecast horizons from few up to thirty days, according to different agronomic practices supporting different level of water users from irrigation consortia to single farmers. It combines the state of the art of satellite monitoring, meteorological forecast and hydrological modelling allowing a smart irrigation that identifies the right amount of water at right time needed for optimal crop production. The instrument then allows to quantify the impacts on water saving and on economic and environmental benefits with specific indicators which are computed for the different levels of end-users. The project Partners are: Delft University, University of Valencia, University of Balearic Islands, University of Tuscia CREA, Centro Epson Meteo.srl, MMI srl, Radi Chinese Accademy of Sciences. The project methodology is now tested in different experimental sites, which are located in Italy, the Netherlands, China and Spain. They are also characterized by different climatic conditions, water availability, crop types and irrigation schemes.

Link: http://www.sim.polimi.it/