Computational Intelligence and Geo-Informatics in Viticulture

Geo-informatics is a field of science that combines geodetic and spatial information processing methods with computing hardware and software technologies. Research being conducted by the authors extends this blend of science and technology by utilising contemporary computational techniques for data analysis and some sensor and telemetry technologies integrated with spatial information processing methods. The geospatial technologies of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) have had a transformational effect on both the science and industry of this field, as has the advent of wireless telemetry devices. The introduction of what has become known as ‘computational intelligence’ has added a new dimension to the approaches taken for analysing geo-coded data and furthermore, to the kind of predictions that can be made from it. One domain of application for geoinformatics is in viticulture and enology in which the demand for scientific analysis of the industry due to globalisation has led to widespread research. Thus, the influence of the technologies used in this field have been significant, the changes can be seen across the whole wine industry from grape growing to wine production. The early entry of computing into viticulture and indeed to geo-referenced data analysis began with rule based expert systems (ES), but increasingly, there is a demand for greater precision in the information outcomes from geo-spatial data analysis, especially in agriculture, horticulture and viticulture. The authors are integrating previous scientific methods with state-of-the-art computational technologies to record, transfer and analyse data using artificial neural networks and fuzzy logic. This paper reviews developments in geodetic and computer science over the past two decades and briefly describes the work currently being undertaken by the authors in this field.