Tech helping farmers map and respond to slip damage

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Ravensdown has launched a software tool called HawkEye Response to help farmers map and deal with slips on “effective” farming areas of their properties impacted by cyclones Hale and Gabrielle.

The tool can also identify erosion-prone areas on-farm to prepare for future weather events.

It combines pre- and post-Cyclone Gabrielle satellite data with fixed-wing aerial imagery and brings it into Ravensdown’s existing HawkEye software.

“Once in HawkEye, the images of slips and washouts are cross-referenced against existing fence line data to give farmers an up-to-date spatial view of weather damage on their property,” Ravensdown chief executive Garry Diack said.

“The tool will help farmers identify immediate hazards and other areas of concern so they can direct resources to those areas.

“Many farmers in Hawke’s Bay and the East Coast still can’t easily access parts of their farm, so it can be incredibly difficult for them to get a representative view of what needs to be fixed first,” he said.

“HawkEye Response enables farmers to get that full picture of their farm and prioritise remedial work according to the severity of damage and necessity for farm operations.”

Mr Diack said farmers can identify each paddock’s effective area and test new methods of farm and stock management virtually before committing to any changes.

“The software’s analysis and editing abilities can also help with the set-up of exclusion zones so that slips can be retargeted for re-seeding, and erosion-prone areas cordoned off from future re-seeding or stock grazing.”

The software has been designed to be an enduring part of the farmer toolkit and will be enhanced and improved as it develops,  he said.

“The aerial imagery gives farmers better ability to spot potential hazards for future weather events, such as badly placed culverts or infrastructure close to waterways.

“As the latest aerial mapping and satellite imagery comes through, HawkEye Response will be updated so farmers always have a close to real-time picture of their land from above and can respond to any issues,” Mr Diack said.

“Data from the software can also provide information to help cyclone-hit farmers with insurance claims.”

The benefits of HawkEye Response, among other things, include giving a view of pre- and post-Cyclone Gabrielle imagery, overlaying a farm’s fence lines, identifying new slips and calculating each slip’s area.

“We are offering the tool to cyclone-impacted customers free of charge.

“However, all farmers, including non-Ravensdown customers who are not already mapped in HawkEye, can access this tool by getting in touch with their local Ravensdown representative.”