Agricultural pilot leverages AI and space data to achieve 90% success

MUSCAT: A pilot project combining the use of space data and artificial intelligence to enhance the efficiency of the agricultural sector, has achieved a success rate of 90 per cent, according to an official of the Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology.

Speaking to the Observer last week, Dr Salim al Shuaili, Director, Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technologies Projects Unit, explained that the project is one of many initiatives that the Ministry is working on that utilises space data and AI. It entails the collection of agricultural statistics using satellite imagery and then analysing them using artificial intelligence.

“Agricultural statistics usually require hiring people to manually count trees, which is time-consuming and costly. The pilot project used satellite images analyzed by AI to count palm trees, lemon trees, and mango trees in specific areas. Drones were also used to take images for comparison.” The project performed commendably as well, he said. “The project achieved a success rate exceeding 90%, which is considered highly successful for a pilot.” According to the official, the Ministry is currently experimenting with various other pilot projects with the goal of enhancing the efficiency of various sectors, such as urban planning.

“Satellite images can also be used for urban planning, providing accurate data to aid decision-making regarding the placement of parks and mosques.” He added that the Ministry also hopes to launch these pilots into fully developed projects, “Although these projects were pilots, they were successful, and we hope to turn them into comprehensive, real-world projects.” The National Programme for Digital Economy, which aims to boost the sector’s contribution to the local GDP from 2 per cent to 10 per cent by 2040, currently includes two separate national strategies to enhance both the Space Industry and Artificial Intelligence in Oman.

Earlier this year, officials shared that the Ministry is in the process of designing an Omani artificial intelligence model, which will be trained using different aspects of Omani culture.