WINETECH Technical Yearbook 2020

TerraClim is an extension of this study integrating data resources into a central database with a user-friendly interface that allows users to obtain pertinent information about climate, terrain and soils to aid long- and short-term agricultural decision making. This study has integrated and extended through TerraClim with software development for collation of meteorological and logger data; wireless logger deve­ lopment and deployment. The study highlighted the value of data integration for machine learning applications, like to predict soil temperature from ambient temperature. TerraClim has improved on the software, hardware and data display options in the field for climate, remote sensing and plant responses, collating information in an efficient way to better understand the impact of climate change. TerraClim combines terrain data (supplied by GeoSmart) with weather station data (ob- tained from several data providers) to model climatic conditions at any location with- in a specified region (e.g. Western Cape). TerraClim’s climate surfaces are unique in that they are at very high spatial (up to 2 m) and temporal (hourly) resolutions. This is achieved by combining weather station data and Geosmart’s ( www.geosmart.space) 2 m resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) – along with advanced geostatis- tical and machine learning techniques and high-performance computing provided by

FIGURE 1. The TerraClim platform presents high resolution maps of climatic and geographic datasets as a series of dynamic map layers. The maps can be visualised and overlaid in any given area, much like in a geographic information system.

the agricultural sector in general to better understand the complexity of the Western Cape’s climate and terrain at a higher spatial (geographical) resolution for improved adaptation to climate change. The research and development within TerraClim has identified priority locations in the Western Cape for the establishment of additional weather stations in the future (figure 3). To ensure a more homogenous spatial network of weather stations, overcoming the problem of sparsely

the Centre for Geographical Analysis (CGA) at Stellenbosch University – to model cli- matic conditions within production units (e.g. orchard or vineyard blocks) (figure 2). The TerraClim project has a strong research and development component that involves frequently updating and extending the cli- mate and terrain databases, automated data collection, interpolation protocol develop- ment, as well as the extension of existing logger and weather station networks. This tool allows the wine industry and

and irregular distribution of stations. The expanded weather station network would allow for improved climate change analysis over the extent of the Western Cape at a higher spatial resolution. The establishment of additional weather stations will have a positive impact on climate surface accuracies in the future. Secondly, TerraClim has recently installed a high-density network of newly developed wireless temperature and relative humi­ dity loggers to better understand the

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