Bacchus and VinSites project update
Wine Australia CEO Andreas Clark provides the following update on Project Bacchus and VinSites system pilot.
Vineyard data collection
In 2016, as part of Project Bacchus, Wine Australia undertook a proof of concept to test whether we could develop a cost-effective in-house vehicle to collect key vineyard data (location by region, hectares and variety) using automated software and direct grower input of data. The testing involved pilot projects in Western Australia and the Riverland.
We had great success in the use of a prototype system that could determine vineyards size, row and location from publicly available satellite imagery, and we were delighted with the ability to automatically collect vineyard location and area. We were also able to link that with land title cadastre data. This will enable future identification of vineyards to be linked to tools such as prescribed burn management registers. The Western Australia pilot data has been provided to the Department of Agriculture and Food - WA for that purpose.
Collecting the variety information directly from growers voluntarily proved difficult and we determined that it would not be a reliable way to collect comprehensive information and maintain it over time. However, the information that was provided gave us great insights into the value that this national data set could provide to the sector at all steps along the value chain.
Next steps
We are still committed to the collection of key vineyard data and we are currently examining alternative ways to collect this information such as working directly with wineries to source hectare, variety and yield data by region for a statistically significant portion of the vineyards, and adding this information to our existing data, including data from the crush and production surveys.
We are also investigating opportunities to capture the vineyard hectare data using technology similar to the pilot. We will be seeking input from other organisations and data providers to assist us in this next phase to source a scalable and commercially viable service.
Amendments to the levy collection laws last year have brought us one step closer to establishing a grower register, which may provide us with the opportunity to collect key vineyard data directly from growers. We are working with the Department to establish how grower information will be collected to give practical effect to these amendments.
Your data
I wish to thank you for your participation in the initial design and pilot and to assure you that all data you submitted will be kept confidential.
If you have any queries about Bacchus and the work we are doing, please contact the program manager Bruce Hampton at Wine Australia.