Tenchijin showcases today at CES 2023 its new A.I-powered software a land assessment engine that uses satellite big data, along with all other information relevant to specific geolocation, to identify optimal land use and management, as well as the optimal location for intended business activity.
In one instance, Tenchijin identified the ideal land and cultivation method to grow rice of higher quality, successfully helping a company develop a new brand of rice, “Sora to Mizu” (Space and Water),” which will be exhibited at CES.
COMPASS helps growers visualise the best locations world-wide to continuously produce rice. For instance, demand accounts for 80 Billion USD in the US. Rice supply is tremendously jeopardised by soil degradation, heat waves, extreme drought, and flood events. Yields could decrease by 40% because of severe hot weather. More than half of the world population rely upon rice as their primary source of food. As consumers, we are all concerned and worried about food shortage and prices skyrocketing.
Rice production is limited to certain areas because few meet the needed conditions: high average daytime temperature, cooler nights, plenty of water and a smooth land surface. Because of climate change, it becomes increasingly difficult and complicated for growers to source suitable lands to grow rice. It is likely the current lands may become less suitable to grow rice and that conversely, lands that were not used to grow rice, become highly suitable. Thus, production can be sustained by matching US soils structure, weather patterns with rice growth conditions. In the US, around 5 million acres in Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas are under rice production and employ about 130,000 people. Rice export accounts for a US GDP of 20 Billion USD.
“With COMPASS, we are helping rice growers world-wide find the most suitable lands for their rice varieties, reduce their sourcing costs and ensure food supply now and in the decade to come. Tenchijin Compass’ uses machine learning to dig deep into space big data to unearth previously hidden values of land here on Earth. Instead of simply assessing the condition of a specific site in question, it pores over all the available data to identify the best sites for different purposes, taking into account everything from environmental to socioeconomic factors to the characteristics of purposed land use. We are excited to introduce our innovative technology at CES 2023.”, said Tenchijin CEO Yasuhito Sakuraba.
Tenchijin develops its A.I-powered intuitive interface that utilises Big Data (temperature, rain, soil composition) from satellites and finds the best lands that meet the growing conditions for several rice varieties. COMPASS’ innovativeness stems from its ability to fuse several source heterogeneous data, from its original unique machine learning algorithms, as well as top-notched embedded agronomic models. COMPASS filters lands world-wide, ranks and recommends the most suitable lands to grow rice in a couple of hours. COMPASS graphical user interface visualises the performances, risks and potentials of lands and integrates user data.
Tenchijin successfully applied its technology for Japan’s largest rice distributor Shinmei Holdings and unravelled the most suitable locations in Japan to grow their new varieties. As of today, the harvest was highly promising. The rice was packaged and sold in rice shops in Japan. The rice quality met the expectations as it offered better taste and nutrient amounts.
The product is used by rice distributors to ensure the quality and quantity of rice production, and also for farmers to increase profit with higher quality rice. In addition, it is used in developing countries to find potential places to cultivate crops and also find suitable crops in the countries.
Editors’ notes
Tenchijin website
Tenchijin Linkedin
Press kit found here
About Tenchijin Compass:
- GIS (global information system) platform that layers satellite and other types of data to assess land, to identify land potential and risks, and to propose the optimal site for purposed land use
- Provides analysis on any land/regions around the globe
- Identifying the most useful and suitable datasets for individual purposes,
- Select the data from a pool of data collected through our extensive network of global space agencies and private companies
- Fuses environmental with other types of data collected using Tenchijin’s expertise in remote-sensing
- Has provided agricultural solutions in 10 different countries
About Tenchijin:
Tenchijin was founded in 2019 as a “JAXA startup,” the company draws upon team members’ expertise in satellite imagery analysis, big data analysis, artificial intelligence and machine learning, agronomy, and infrastructure, to “optimise human civilization using information from space.” The company’s name is a combination of the words, “space,” “earth” and “people,” which are “ten,” “chi” and “jin” in Japanese, respectively.
About ‘Japan (J-Startup) Pavilion @Eureka Park’:
Presented by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), the “Japan (J-Startup) Pavilion @Eureka Park” brings together the country’s innovative startups with proprietary leading-edge technologies. At CES 2023, the pavilion will feature 36 companies in industries ranging from AI to robotics, space to mobility, among others.
About CES:
CES® is one of the world’s largest technology trade shows held annually in Las Vegas. Bringing together 2,279 exhibitors and 84,500 attendees between Las Vegas and online venues at CES 2022, the event is billed as the “the proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators.”
