Planet, an integrated aerospace and data analytics company, and BASF yesterday announced a commercial deal to deliver timely satellite imagery and data to European farmers to enable more effective agronomic decision making. BASF will use Planet’s daily, global satellite imaging to develop analytics to power field zone metrics and insights for its digital farming platform, marketed under the xarvio brand.

“This partnership further solidifies the value of Planet’s daily satellite data in the agriculture industry,” said Nate Dickerman, CCO of Planet. “Planet’s high-frequency, medium resolution imagery is perfectly suited for BASF’s xarvio products across Europe. We’re really looking forward to promoting sustainable agriculture through digital farming with BASF.”

BASF’s xarvio digital portfolio improves farming techniques by providing agricultural knowledge that helps growers determine the best application of crop inputs to optimize yields. Analytics derived from Planet’s daily monitoring will enable growers to sustain expected yields while making more efficient use of crop protection products.

“xarvio’s fully automated Field Manager provides the most advanced field zone optimization in the market. The additional imaging from Planet will enable a new level of data quality and availability and will play a decisive role in delivering powerful insights to the farmer,“ said Ole Peters, Head of Technology Digital Farming at BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division.

This partnership will kick off in early 2019 and provide farmers with powerful knowledge for more precise and efficient management of their crops. Together, BASF’s xarvio digital products and Planet will contribute significantly to more sustainable agriculture across Europe.

Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.