CultiWise ScoutAI is future of crop monitoring system

CultiWise ScoutAI, an advanced autonomous crop monitoring system, has been shortlisted for the prestigious DLG Agrifuture Concept Winner Award

Developed by Czech agritech startup Skymaps, the system combines artificial intelligence with data from satellites, drones, sprayers, and field sensors to help farmers detect crop issues earlier and apply treatments more precisely.

Traditionally, crop scouting has been a manual and time-consuming task, with farmers walking fields to identify problems like pests, disease, or nutrient deficiencies. ScoutAI transforms this process by automating surveillance and decision-making. The system fuses data from multiple sources—satellite imagery, drone flights, smart sprayer cameras, and in-field sensors—into one integrated platform. This allows for faster, more accurate detection of crop stress and reduces dependency on isolated tools and manual monitoring.

ScoutAI is capable of identifying issues before they become widespread, enabling timely interventions. The precision and early detection mean inputs like fertilisers, pesticides, and water can be used more efficiently. Farmers using the system have reported savings of up to 50% on fertiliser and water, and over 60% on pesticide usage. In addition to cutting costs and environmental impact, ScoutAI also saves time and labour, offering farmers a constant digital overview of their fields.

A major strength of ScoutAI is its interoperability. Many existing agricultural tools—such as drones, sprayer logs, and weather apps—operate independently, often without the ability to integrate. In contrast, ScoutAI brings these tools together into a single intelligent system. It acts like a smart security network for crops, continuously monitoring fields and spotting anomalies, such as unexpected bare patches or weed outbreaks.

Once a potential issue is detected using daily satellite imagery, ScoutAI automatically deploys farm drones housed in smart docking stations around the field. These drones fly to the affected area, capturing close-up, high-resolution images. Onboard AI processes this data in real time. Simultaneously, cameras installed on the sprayer booms offer live insights as they move through the field, while in-ground sensors monitor microclimate conditions and pest activity.

All the collected data is analysed on the cloud-based CultiWise platform, which then provides farmers with clear, actionable recommendations. This includes prescription maps for precise, variable-rate treatments such as spot spraying. The entire process, from detection to diagnosis, takes just minutes and is displayed through a user-friendly dashboard.

By integrating and automating previously disconnected tools, ScoutAI is redefining how farmers monitor and manage their crops—making agriculture smarter, more sustainable, and more efficient.