VistaMilk

The VistaMilk SFI Research Centre represents a unique collaboration between Agri-Food and information communications technology (ICT) research institutes and leading Irish/multinational food and ICT companies. Funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM).

The centre under the directorship of Donagh Berry, is hosted by Teagasc, in partnership with the Tyndall National Institute, Ireland’s national microelectronics institute, the Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG) at Waterford Institute of Technology, the Insight Centre for Data Analytics and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF).

The centre will:

Facilitate the development and deployment of new knowledge, new technologies and new decision support tools to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire dairy production chain. Sustainability, food security, prosperity and societal enrichment are core strategic goals for the centre, in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The research programme:

Will develop new, and advance existing electronic monitoring and actuation technologies to transform an already world-class dairy sector into a global leader in sustainable Agri-Tech. It will specifically address pasture-based dairy production, improved processability and the generation of novel, higher-value-added products. In addition to the creation of new sensing and actuation paradigms, particular focus will be given to developing state-of-the-art analytical techniques applied to large scale, sensor data-sets delivered by advanced network and communication technologies.

Research performed by:

• Teagasc
• Dublin City University
• University of Galway
• Telecommunications Software and Systems Group (TSSG)/Waterford Institute of Technology
• Tyndall National Institute
• University College Dublin
• ICBF

Research areas:

• Agri-Food
• Human health, Animal welfare & Environmental sustainability
• High granularity, real-time sensing technologies in the Agri-Food domain
• Integrated communication technologies
• Advanced multi-level analytics
• Value-creating decision support tools