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French Wineries Using Satellite Images to Improve Grape Crop

by Terrence O'Brien on August 28, 2008 at 09:25 AM

Using Satellite Photos to Make Wine
It was only a matter of time before satellite imagery started sneaking its way into every possible aspect of life. Law enforcement officials are using satellite surveillance imagery left and right in their work, while other folks with way too much time on their hands use satellite photos from Google Earth to study the natural orientation of cows. Thankfully, a French wine consultancy group (ICV) and Infoterra are making use of satellite images for something beyond the terrifying and stupid.

The two group have combined satellite images and aerial photographs to create Oenoview, a system that allows vintners to identify characteristics of large swaths of a grape crop. This allows vineyards to estimate beforehand the quality and worth of a crop, long before it is harvested.

However, not many French vineyards are jumping to use the system. Oenoview comes with a very high price tag, though Infoterra and the ICV expect that many grape growers will come around as competition from vineyards in Italy, Spain, and the United States increases. [From: Reuters]

Tags: france, google earth, GoogleEarth, oenophile, satellite, satellite imagery, SatelliteImagery, wine

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