Improvement of resource-efficience in vineyards with semi-automated acquisition and assessment of environmental indicators
The project aims at increasing the resource efficiency in viticulture by a geo-data and software based acquisition of environmental impacts and their evaluation according to environmental indicators. The University of Applied Sciences Bingen is elaborating this scheme cooperating with wineries, the Service Centre Rural Areas = DLR (Rhineland-Palatinate), data security experts and machine-builders. Applicable environmental aspects as well as indicators within the total value chain of wine-making are identified, based on an already available list of viticultural criteria. The system is to enable users to establish a comprehensive energy and material flow management along with validating greenhouse gas emissions along the value chain. Additionally, the operation of a resistance management apart from the estimation of the location-based threat of erosion, are supported. Subsequently, the system modules are embedded in software architecture. Data collection of this kind allows the wineries to perform an in-house validation of the company´s environmental performance. The extent to which a differentiated acquisition of various production methods, states of processing as well as geographical circumstances are required, is being analysed together with the project partners. The assessment of the operational environmental performance is effectuated in three models: The operational evaluation model identifies the immediate environmental impacts of the company, compares the results of diverse years of operation, and depicts the chronological evolution of the environmental performance. A benchmark model allows a benchmarking with other companies and thus gives an incentive for continuous improvement. In the consultancy-specific model certain operational data, considering the separately checked terms of data-protection law, is anonymously forwarded for analysis to a central system of the DLR. Furthermore, the software provides the wine growers with the opportunity to quickly and .....
