We are seeking collaboration partners for an AgData proposal addressing a widely recognised gap in agricultural Digital Twin research: the lack of reference models and well-documented case studies that demonstrate how farm management events can be realistically integrated with, flux, and other in-situ sensor data. While Digital Twins increasingly rely on high-frequency observations, their effectiveness is often constrained by fragmented, inconsistent, or poorly described management data, particularly across different farming sectors.

The project adopts a two-phase approach. Phase 1 will deliver a wide feasibility and gap analysis of current farm management data capture practices across platforms, countries, and diverse production systems, establishing actionable constraints and design requirements for future Digital Twin architectures. Phase 2 will develop a reference Digital Twin prototype demonstrator at research farm sites with high-quality management data, illustrating improved attribution and interpretability under realistic data conditions. A key innovation is an event-flagging workflow, where patterns in EO, flux, or complementary sensor data indicate likely management events and trigger targeted follow-up or validation.

The project will provide a transferable reference case that reduces duplication, improves reuse of existing monitoring infrastructure, and supports scalable, interoperable Digital Twins, with relevance for downstream applications such as MRV. The technical approach will ensure compatibility with the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem.

We welcome partners operating research or experimental farms across a range of farming sectors (e.g. livestock, arable, mixed systems, perennial crops, forestry, vineyards, orchards) where farm management data can be linked to flux, and/or other in-situ sensor observations, as well as partners contributing technical expertise in data integration and Digital Twin development.

Teagasc (the Agriculture and Food Development Authority) is Ireland’s national public body for research, innovation, advisory and training services in the agri-food and rural sectors. It undertakes high-quality, multidisciplinary research to support sustainable, competitive and resilient agriculture, food production, and rural development, collaborating extensively with universities, industry partners, and international consortia.

Teagasc’s Research & Innovation programme spans core thematic areas including Animal and Grassland Research, Crops, Environment and Land Use, Food, and Rural Economy and Development, generating scientific knowledge, tools, and technologies that underpin evidence-based decision-making on farms and inform policy.

Within its environmental research programmes, Teagasc conducts applied research on greenhouse gas emissions, soil health, nutrient efficiency, water quality, biodiversity and land use change, contributing to climate action and sustainable land management. Teagasc’s work on greenhouse gas dynamics includes long-term observational efforts such as the National Agricultural Soil Carbon Observatory (NASCO), which deploys flux towers and complementary sensors to improve understanding of carbon exchange and mitigation efficacy in Irish agricultural systems