Research Platforms

AI-powered digital twin

The Geospatial Agroecosystem Inference Generator (GAIG) is NDAC’s flagship AI driven spatial model. GAIG is designed for mapping and analyzing agricultural ecosystems. It provides detailed insights across Western Canada, measuring the environmental benefits these landscapes deliver at a 10-metre resolution.

Think of GAIG as a digital twin of Western Canada's agroecosystem. Using AI and data from satellites, weather stations, soils and landscapes, it helps turn complex information into actionable insights that farmers and organizations can use to make more informed decisions.

Initial applications include:

• Quantification and understanding within-field differences in crop yield
• Marginal land optimization and climate-resilient land-use planning
• Nitrous oxide risk quantification at sub-field level
• Indigenous-led stewardship, mapping and governance

Accelerating plant breeding, crop research and agricultural management

The UAV Crop Phenomics Platform delivers high throughput, multi-spectral drone imaging that supports plant breeding, crop physiology and agronomic research. This advanced drone imaging helps researchers study crops, support plant breeding and improve farming practices.

Equipped with a fleet of multispectral and thermal drones, a dedicated phenotyping van and an experienced field team, the platform delivers high-quality data at scale. This data helps researchers make better decisions in plant breeding, crop research and agricultural management. The platform also benefits from strong cross-college expertise in computer science and engineering.

Optimizing agriculture production for sustainability

The College of Agriculture and Bioresources has digitized field research facilities including the Rayner Dairy Research and Teaching Facility, the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence, the Kernen Crop Research Farm and the Herman Austensen Research Farm. By collaborating with these facilities, NDAC creates data pipelines that enable AI-powered analytics and support sustainable agricultural research.

The Digital Agronomy portion of the Smart Farm platform helps farmers make better field-level decisions by combining farm data, research trials and analytics to improve practices under real-world conditions. NDAC’s on-farm experimentation program helps farmers and researchers evaluate management practices under real-world conditions, generating data-driven insights to improve productivity, profitability and sustainability.