19 May, Thimphu: The NASA SERVIR Program and the Department of Agriculture (DoA), Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock officially launched the geospatial application Agricultural Classification and Estimation Services (ACES) on 18 May 2023.

The application was co-developed by NASA SERVIR program and DoA and focusses on mapping small holder rice farms in Bhutan. The ACES web application and subsequent ACES modeling software package will enable the Department to use earth observation information in agriculture planning and decision-making processes.

The launching event was graced by Dasho Secretary of the Ministry and attended by delegates from NASA SERVIR, State Department, US embassy in New Delhi, heads of the Department and officials from the DoA. This collaboration is a significant milestone for both organizations and marks the beginning of a new era of partnership in the field of remote sensing, earth observation, machine learning and digitizing agriculture.

This partnership will allow us to leverage on cutting-edge technologies to address the limitation of (data collection, monitoring, and decision-making) and unlock new opportunities for the agricultural sector in Bhutan.