Thai Union embraces satellite technology

In collaboration with Sea Warden, a satellite data analytics company and Wholechain, a supply chain traceability company, Thai Union has begun to utilise satellite imaging for shrimp farming producers.

The goal of the project is to generate Key Data Elements (KDEs) – which are elements with impact on an organisation's operations and decisions – for automated shrimp farms. They are equipped with traceability technology and combined with the KDEs collected through satellite imaging, are capable of supporting sustainable farming practices by providing insight into shrimp health and wellbeing.

Satellite imaging is an "emerging technology within aquaculture," the Thai Union said in a press release. It has countless benefits for a number of industries include agriculture, forestry and wild capture, but has only begun to emerge as a technology within the aquaculture sector. KDEs have been discussed in more recent years by those advocating for greater sustainability and traceability within food production, so that customers are better equipped with knowledge about the source of their food in purchase decisions.

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Image credit: Sea Warden. The full GIF can be accessed HERE.

Thai Union said that they believed insights provided from satellite imaging was a "promising way" in reducing risk and reaching sustainability targets.

''Accessing reliable information for shrimp farms across wide geographies can be both challenging and expensive," said Adam Brennan, Group Director of Thai Union. "We see exciting potential in the use of satellite imaging to improve our transparency, assess risk and monitor the performance of our shrimp farms. We will continue to explore ways to use satellite technology as it continues to evolve."

In the pilot portion of the project, Sea Warden applied machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to generate KDEs, based on a 24-month period of activity at multiple shrimp farms within Thai Union's network. Wholechain then transferred the KDEs through Thai Union's supply chain with the insights provided from Sea Warden.

"Satellite-derived KDE's are a simple and independent way for retailers, certifiers, and processors to provide greater farm-level transparency. Satellite data maximizes investments into traceability systems like Wholechain's blockchain technology to more effectively reduce risk and increase confidence across the supply chain," explained Zack Dinh, Sea Warden co-founder.

Thai Union is a leading seafood producer and producer of shelf-stable tuna products, as well as a founding company of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF), which commits itself to the long-term sustainable use of tuna fisheries.

For more information on Thai Union visit their website, HERE.

For more information on Sea Warden visit their website, HERE.

For more information on Wholechain visit their website, HERE.