Swiss satellite IoT network operator Astrocast is participating in the European Union (EU) funded XGain initiative for an aquaculture project in Dalatia, Croatia, to monitor water quality in remote oyster farms.

The XGain project has been set up by the EU to foster the sustainable, balanced and inclusive development of rural, coastal and urban areas with technology. It achieves this for suitable organisations and projects by providing relevant stakeholders with access to an inventory of smart XG, last-kilometre connectivity and edge computing, as well as appropriate assessment methods.

The XGain project involves a consortium of 17 partners. These include Benco Baltic, which is responsible for driving the aquaculture project in which Astrocast is participating. Further, the XGain programme provides those involved with a knowledge facilitation tool on which to draw. This tool enables XGain to facilitate business model development for participating organisations, and supports with the decision-making during the selection of an ecosystem of appropriate technologies to suit the various projects and initiatives, for example, selecting suitable connectivity and edge processing for projects.

In Croatia, Astrocast will provide its expertise in satellite IoT, along with access to its communication modules, to support this project. It will allow key water parameters to be monitored at an oyster farm near Sibenik, and show how data can be retrieved from devices and sensors in such remote locations.

The project also demonstrates how an extended network infrastructure, supplemented by LoRaWan and satellite communications, can be used to transmit data from offshore sensors to a central monitoring system.

The XGain initiative and associated projects typically aim to address the connectivity inequalities of rural areas. This sees them empower rural communities through providing increased access to adequate enabling technologies.

This aquaculture use case in Croatia demonstrates the need and use of satellite IoT technology to benefit organisations, highlighting the potential that technology also offers to improve the economic and environmental performance within the agricultural and forestry sectors.

“Astrocast is excited to participate in the XGain project and support this aquaculture development in Croatia,” said Fabien Jordan, CEO of Astrocast. “The project focuses on providing farmers with technology tools to scale up their activities, of which connectivity is more important than ever, as it can provide them with the insights that they need about their projects, to operate them more effectively. So, we are proud to contribute with our expertise and technology to this important initiative, especially as it aligns with our business values too.”

Martynas Velicka from Benco Baltic added: “Benco Baltic is pleased to work with Astrocast in the aquaculture use case in Croatia. We believe the use of sat-IoT technology will bring valuable insights into the water parameters of the oyster farm and help improve its performance.”

The XGain project began in September 2022 and will last for three years.