How APAL digitally transformed orchard management
Jul 2024, Australia
Even without specialised geospatial technology knowledge or skills, Australia’s apple and pear growers are gaining new perspectives on their orchards through aerial data and location intelligence.
Jul 2024, Australia
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“With Nearmap detail we can see what is there and what was there – tree spacing in some instances, where tractors are, and depending on the time of year we can tell the variety by the colour of apples in the bins – the detail is just unbelievable.”
Lauren MannIndustry Data Manager, Apple and Pear Australia Ltd (APAL))
The challenge
In early 2022, Apple & Pear Australia Ltd (APAL) identified a need to build a more comprehensive understanding of the orchards that make up Australia’s domestic apple and pear industry. Many orchards across the country lacked up-to-date reliable data to inform business decision-making in their orchard businesses. In some family-owned properties decades of historic knowledge existed in hand-drawn maps or in people’s minds, passed down through the generations.
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APAL set out to identify and correlate data on Australian apple and pear orchards covering thousands of hectares. Traditionally, many properties lacked reliable data with decades worth of historic knowledge inside people’s heads, passed down through generations. The goal was to create a Geographic Information System (GIS) within three years that would provide growers current, accurate insights to make actionable decisions.
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The solution
APAL collected data from multiple sources, including consumer, export, harvest, and wholesale data, and growers themselves. Nearmap high-resolution vertical (top-down) aerial imagery provides APAL with a level of visual clarity and detail that currently produces realistic data models for around 85% of Australia’s apple and pear orchards.
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The impact
- Enhanced insights
Growers benefit from a clear, measurable view of their properties, providing more detailed information than traditional mapping methods. - Increased understanding
Centralising generational knowledge enables easier ongoing reference and knowledge-sharing. - Data integration
The APAL Orchard Census GIS integrates 12,000 polygons via API from the Nearmap web app, MapBrowser. - Accurate forecasting
Data-driven visibility increases understanding of property and market conditions to deliver targeted planting, harvest and maintenance plans.
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For more about how Apple and Pear Australia Ltd (APAL) is mapping Australia’s apple and pear orchards, read our blog.
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