January 2025 – a collaboration between VITech and Nave Analytics led to a global victory at the prestigious NASA Space Apps Challenge. The innovative project, "2Plant or not 2Plant," claimed top honours in the "Galactic Impact" category, solidifying their place as leaders in farming tech innovation. The project's transformative application integrates satellite imagery and hydrological data to guide farmers in making better planting decisions, reducing risks, and optimizing yields.
For 12 consecutive years, NASA has organized the Space Apps Challenge, during which Ukrainian teams have secured victories on three occasions. The Ukrainian squad was among the top 10 global winners in the most recent competition, selected from over 9,900 project submissions. This achievement highlights the significant contributions of Ukrainians to software benefiting the planet.
What is the NASA Space Apps Challenge?
The NASA Space Apps Challenge is a global hackathon organized by NASA, which has been running since 2012. Thousands of developers, designers, scientists, and enthusiasts come together to develop innovative solutions for space and Earth-related challenges.
Participants use NASA's open data to create prototypes, applications, or conceptual developments that can aid space exploration or improve life on our planet.
According to the competition rules, participants have only 48 hours to create innovative solutions in response to NASA's challenges. Anyone with ideas and inspiration can participate online or in person at local venues worldwide.
"AgTech is a sector where technology can make a significant difference in addressing critical global challenges," said Yaroslav Prokipchyn, a VITech team member. "We are proud to contribute to this transformative field and showcase our skills on a global stage. Valeriy Kovalskiy, Head of R&D at Nave Analytics asked VITech to participate in creating a project for NASA's hackathon. His professional activities are directly connected to our project's theme, and our winning project is derived from that product. I am a software developer, Oleksandra Makhova is a designer, and Oksana Mardak is a QA engineer."
The application is designed for agricultural companies and farmers. It helps them answer whether it is currently the optimal time to plant certain crops. It assesses whether the soil has enough moisture for this purpose and provides a forecast. Soil moisture levels are critical as they determine many factors, such as whether the land can be worked with heavy machinery and whether the crops will germinate well, among other things.
The prototype application "2Plant or Not 2Plant" is presented as a map. Farmers or agronomists can locate their field on it and view charts and parameters related to their land. The software gathers real-time data from various sources, ranging from satellite data to weather forecasts. It analyzes soil moisture levels, predicts weather patterns, and provides farmers with actionable insights. Based on the collected data, a final recommendation is compiled.
Jessica, the CEO of Nave Analytics, was inspired by the flooding problems faced by farmers in her hometown of Minnesota.
Combining VITech's deep expertise in custom software development and Nave Analytics' agricultural analytics capabilities, the team worked closely to ensure the software was technologically advanced, user-friendly and efficient.
Despite the challenges of collaborating across continents, with team members working remotely from the United States and Ukraine, the project came together seamlessly.
The success of "2Plant or Not 2Plant" also reflects VITech's commitment to advancing agricultural analytics through software innovation. Our experience developing customized software was instrumental in enhancing the AgTech app functionality.
This decision-support tool for planting expanded its applicability beyond its initial scope and addresses the needs of irrigated and non-irrigated farming regions. The software has a significant market impact and will be available to farmers worldwide with a targeted release.
At VITech, we see our role in innovating agricultural technology and enabling meaningful change in industries that impact lives globally.
To learn more about how VITech transforms agricultural analytics through innovative software, visit VITech Success Stories.
By leveraging advanced technologies like satellite imagery, IoT devices, and predictive analytics, VITech aims to continue developing tools that empower farmers and enhance global food security, driving innovation in agriculture and adressing the growing demand for AgTech software.
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