Market Context — Why This Technology, Why Now

The global agricultural sector faces immense pressure to enhance sustainability and efficiency amid climate change, water scarcity, and rising operational costs. Regulatory bodies and consumers increasingly demand environmentally responsible practices. This technology directly supports these trends by enabling precision agriculture, reducing resource waste, and improving crop resilience, positioning it as a key enabler for future food security and sustainable farming practices worldwide.

Key Competitive Advantages
01

Enables Precision Water and Fertilizer Management: Could reduce excessive water and fertilizer input by up to ~20% by accurately mapping soil moisture.

02

Maximizes Data Acquisition Efficiency: Eliminates redundant data collection, reducing analysis load by ~30% and significantly enhancing data utilization.

03

Supports Sustainable Agricultural Management: Contributes to improved ESG ratings and sustained profitability by optimizing resource use and stabilizing yields and quality.

Market Opportunity
Precision & Smart Agriculture
$6.5B–$7.0B globally (AI est.)
The shift towards efficient agriculture leveraging AI, IoT, and drones is accelerating. Demand for data-driven cultivation management is surging, with water resource optimization being a critical challenge.
Large-scale agricultural enterprises Smart farming solution providers Agricultural equipment manufacturers
Water Resource Management Solutions
$200M–$250M domestically (AI est.)
Global warming is exacerbating droughts and water shortages, making efficient use of agricultural water a worldwide concern. This technology directly optimizes water utilization.
Water utility companies Agricultural irrigation system developers Environmental consulting firms
Satellite & Drone Image Analysis
$3B–$3.5B globally (AI est.)
The proliferation of high-resolution image acquisition technologies is expanding image analysis services in agriculture. This technology enhances the quality and efficiency of such analysis.
Aerospace and defense contractors Geospatial data analytics companies Drone manufacturers for agriculture
IP Defensibility — Why Competitors Can't Replicate This
What This Patent Covers

This patent protects an information processing apparatus, method, and program for estimating the optimal time to capture thermal infrared images to determine soil moisture distribution. Its claims have been robustly defended through multiple office actions, indicating a strong and well-defined scope.

Competitive White Space

Adjacent white space exists in integrating this technology with advanced AI for predictive crop health analytics or developing specialized hardware for multi-spectral imaging beyond thermal infrared, allowing licensees to build complementary IP without conflict.

Economic Impact
~$100K/year estimated resource cost savings and revenue increase per facility (est.).
estimated ROI · USD · AI analysis
ROI Calculation Logic

For a 100-hectare farm, this technology could reduce water and fertilizer input costs by an average of ~15% annually. Assuming an annual input cost of ~$650/hectare (AI est.), this translates to a cost reduction of ~$9,750/year (AI est.). Furthermore, a ~5% improvement in crop yield and quality could increase annual revenue by ~$90,000 (AI est.), resulting in a total economic impact of ~$100,000/year (AI est.).

Speed to Market
6× faster than in-house development
This technology's algorithm for estimating optimal thermal infrared imaging times is established and its concept is already proven. Licensees can bypass initial R&D, focusing instead on integrating the algorithm into existing image collection systems or agricultural management software and conducting field validation. This significantly shortens development time, accelerating market entry and revenue generation by approximately 2.5 years.
Competitive Positioning

X: Resource Utilization Efficiency
Y: Precision Soil Management Accuracy

Business Models & Applications
☁️ SaaS Farm Management Platform
Offer thermal infrared image data and optimal imaging time estimation services via a cloud-based platform to farmers. A subscription model could ensure continuous revenue.
🚜 Integration into Smart Agriculture Equipment
License this technology's algorithm to manufacturers of automated irrigation systems and agricultural drones, contributing to the development of high-value-added products.
📈 Agricultural Consulting Services
Provide consulting services based on precise soil moisture management data, leveraging this technology to propose optimal crop cultivation plans and water/fertilizer input strategies.
Adjacent Application Opportunities
🌍 Environmental Monitoring
Early Forest Fire Risk Detection
This technology could widely monitor forest dryness using thermal infrared images, identifying significantly dry areas to enable early detection of forest fire risks and optimize prevention and initial response efforts, potentially reducing response times by ~25%.
🏗️ Infrastructure Maintenance
Ground Subsidence & Structural Degradation Monitoring
By continuously monitoring soil moisture changes around infrastructure like roads, embankments, and bridges, this technology could detect moisture anomalies linked to ground subsidence or structural degradation, supporting proactive maintenance and optimized repair planning, potentially extending infrastructure lifespan by ~10%.
🏙️ Urban Greening & Park Management
Smart Irrigation Management System
Applicable to optimizing soil moisture management in urban parks, golf courses, and large green spaces. This system could precisely identify where and how much water is needed, conserving water resources by up to ~30% while promoting healthy plant growth.
Integration Roadmap — Estimated 12-Month Deployment
Phase 1: Validation & Setup
Duration: 3 months
Verify connectivity with existing thermal infrared imaging infrastructure (drones, satellites, ground sensors) and establish the execution environment for this technology's algorithm.
Phase 2: System Implementation & Field Testing
Duration: 6 months
Integrate the technology's algorithm into existing agricultural management systems and conduct field tests in target agricultural areas. Progress with accuracy verification and optimization.
Phase 3: Operation & Impact Measurement
Duration: 3 months
Initiate full-scale system operation, continuously collecting and analyzing data on water/fertilizer input, yield, and quality. Quantitatively evaluate cost-effectiveness and optimize operations.
Technical Feasibility
This technology estimates optimal imaging times by integrating data from existing thermal infrared image collection devices (drones, satellites, ground sensors) with publicly available GIS and weather data, all processed via software. Minimal new specialized hardware is required, as implementation is feasible with general-purpose information processing units. The claims clearly define data acquisition and estimation units, suggesting relatively easy algorithm integration into existing agricultural information systems.
Success Scenario
Upon adoption, this technology could enable companies to reduce water and fertilizer inputs by ~15% while potentially increasing crop yields by ~5%. This is estimated to achieve sustainable agricultural management and improve profitability by approximately ~$100K annually. Furthermore, standardizing water management, which traditionally relied on skilled expertise, could enhance agricultural production stability and labor efficiency.
Patent Record
APPLICATION NO.
特願2020-147104
REGISTRATION NO.
7555103
FILING DATE
2020/09/01
GRANT DATE
2024/09/12
EXPIRATION DATE
2040/09/01
PATENT HOLDER
国立研究開発法人農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構
Examination History
2023年03月07日
出願審査請求書
2024年02月13日
拒絶理由通知書
2024年03月27日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2024年03月27日
意見書
2024年06月18日
拒絶理由通知書
2024年08月02日
意見書
2024年08月02日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2024年08月20日
特許査定