Register for free to
view the full innovation profile.
Bio D.Scan is an AI system that combines multi-sensor technology to monitor biodiversity in real-time, boosting yields, protecting pollinators, and reducing pesticide use.
About
BioD.Scan is an AI-powered biodiversity monitoring platform addressing one of agriculture’s most urgent challenges:
- Pollinators decline
- Ecosystem degradation.
With over 40% of global pollinator species at risk and 75% of food crops reliant on animal pollination, safeguarding biodiversity is essential to future food security. BioD.Scan delivers a transformative solution through real-time, automated monitoring using multi-sensor fusion, including high-resolution optical and environmental sensors to track pollinator activity, detect floral density, and map ecological interactions within agricultural systems.
With computer vision technology, BioDscan uses advanced image recognition and pattern detection to identify and track pollinators (e.g., honeybees, bumblebees, ladybirds, native bees, hoverflies), pests, and beneficial insects with remarkable accuracy. It fuses multi-sensor technologies, including high-resolution optical sensors, environmental sensors, and AI/ML algorithms, to detect species movement across time and space.
The system comprises:
- An IP68-rated, weather-resistant IoT unit deployable in open agricultural fields.
- Edge computing modules for on-site data processing, reducing latency and ensuring immediate analysis.
- A centralized, cloud-enabled dashboard providing real-time visualizations, alerts, and analytics for decision support.
- An integrated solar-powered energy mechanism, enabling uninterrupted and sustainable operation in remote or off-grid locations.
- A flower identification backend, powered by AI and computer vision, that maps floral density and distribution. This function helps detect ecological anomalies such as areas with abundant flowering plants but no corresponding pollinator presence flagging potential risks to ecosystem health and productivity.
BioDscan aligns with rapidly evolving environmental mandates. In the UK, the Environment Act 2021 requires all developments to demonstrate a 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), creating a growing demand for empirical, field-based biodiversity verification. Similarly, the EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy mandates protection of at least 30% of land and marine areas, intensifying the need for scalable ecological data systems.
BioD.Scan directly supports compliance with these policies and enables access to emerging biodiversity credit markets by providing verifiable, time-stamped species and floral activity data.
Current TRL: 7 – Field-tested prototype with real-world deployment and data validation.
Target TRL by 2026: 8–9 Market-ready hardware/software suite with scalable commercial deployment.
Commercialization Route: Mixed model of direct sales, subscription services, and strategic licensing.
Key Benefits
1. Commercial Fruit Growers
Economic: Improve pollination efficiency and yield prediction, leading to up to 20–30% increase in crop output and reduced input costs via targeted pesticide application.
Environmental: Reduce chemical dependency by identifying peak beneficial insect activity windows, supporting ecological balance.
Social: Enhance farm reputation and market access by aligning with biodiversity certification schemes and retailer sustainability requirements.
2. Organic and Regenerative Farms
Economic: Access biodiversity credits and qualify for green subsidies through verifiable species and floral data.
Environmental: Support regenerative practices by monitoring pollinator health and floral diversity across seasons.
Social: Empower smaller farms with low-cost, scalable technology to meet ESG reporting standards and build trust with ethical consumers.
3. Food Retailers and Processors
Economic: Ensure transparency across supply chains, meeting retailer sustainability targets and reducing reputational risks.
Environmental: Source from farms meeting pollinator-friendly and biodiversity-positive criteria, supporting broader net-zero goals.
Social: Build consumer trust and brand equity through responsibly sourced produce aligned with biodiversity benchmarks.
4. Public Agencies & Regulators
Economic: Reduce cost and labor of biodiversity verification by replacing manual surveys with automated field data.
Environmental: Support enforcement of biodiversity-related mandates (e.g., UK’s 10% BNG requirement, EU 2030 Strategy) through timestamped, field-level data.
Social: Promote rural engagement and stakeholder accountability in environmental restoration initiatives.
5. Agrochemical Companies
Economic: Innovate eco-sensitive crop protection strategies using real-time species detection data to inform R&D.
Environmental: Design more targeted and sustainable chemical application models that minimize collateral damage to beneficial insects.
Social: Respond proactively to global pressure on reducing environmental impact and demonstrate leadership in sustainable innovation.
6. ESG Investors and Biodiversity Credit Platforms
Economic: Monetize environmental benefits through biodiversity crediting mechanisms supported by verifiable data.
Environmental: Invest in projects with measurable ecological outcomes, enhancing accountability and portfolio resilience.
Social: Drive systemic change by enabling financing of nature-based solutions that deliver measurable social and environmental co-benefits.
Applications
Primary Market Segments include:
- UK Fruit Growers – Targeting pollinator-dependent crops such as apples, pears, strawberries, cherries, and raspberries. Pollinators contribute £1 billion/year to UK agriculture, underlining the critical value at stake. 75% of global food crops rely on animal pollination.
- EU and Global Agricultural Enterprises – Addressing biodiversity-dependent crop production worth €14 billion/year in the EU and $235–$577 billion/year globally.
- Government Bodies and Environmental Regulators – Supporting compliance with mandates like the UK’s Environment Act 2021, which requires a 10% biodiversity net gain.
- Agrochemical Companies – Offering alternative data streams to reduce pesticide reliance and design ecosystem-friendly interventions.
- Organic and Regenerative Farms – Enabling monitoring required for biodiversity credits, ESG reporting, and market access.
Target customers include:
- Commercial fruit growers (apple, cherry, pear, strawberry, raspberry, etc.)
- Organic farms and regenerative agriculture networks
- Food retailers, e.g., Tesco, Lidl, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, and processors requiring biodiversity reporting
- Public agencies (e.g., DEFRA, Natural England, EU CAP programs, RSPB)
- Agrochemical firms (e.g., Bayer, FMC) for biodiversity-sensitive product development
- ESG-focused investors and carbon/biodiversity credit platforms