Oenotrace

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General Details

  • Project Contract No.: 10/2024
  • Program: Program 5.8 – European and International Cooperation
  • Subprogram: 5.8.1. Horizon Europe ERANET
  • Project Title (Ro): De la podgorie la îmbuteliere – monitorizarea practicilor sustenabile în viticultură în condiții de transparență totală
  • Project Title (En): From vineyard to bottle – trace sustainable practices in wine-growing under full transparency
  • Acronym: OENOTRACE
  • Contracting Authority: Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding – UEFISCDI
  • Beneficiary: Beia Consult International
  • Project Director: Cristina Mihaela Dobre
  • Implementation Duration: 34 months

Budget

CategoryValue (RON)Value (EUR)
Total Project Value1,255,500 lei 11251,100 euro 12
State Budget990,000 lei 13198,000 euro 14
Co-financing265,500 lei 1553,100 euro 16

Consortium Composition

  • Germany: Hochschule Geisenheim University, Department of Agricultural Engineering
  • Ireland: University College Dublin, School of Biosystems and Food Engineering
  • Italy: National Research Council (CNR), Institute of BioEconomy – Biology, Agriculture and Food Sciences Department
  • Denmark: Aarhus University, Department of Agroecology
  • Romania: BEIA Consult International, R&D Department
  • Additional Partners: German Winegrowers’ Association (DWV); EXA Computing GmbH, Germany

Objectives

The overall objective of the Oenotrace project is to provide a holistic approach for full transparency of sustainable practices in viticulture.

This objective will be achieved through the following technical objectives:

(1) Value chain mapping with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders to specify the requirements for transparency of sustainable cultivation;

(2) Creation of an IoT network for the automatic acquisition of relevant data needed in the seasonal phases of vine cultivation as well as in the subsequent processing and distribution stages;

(3) Development of agronomic algorithms involving phenotyping and modelling data of vine-specific parameters to obtain decision support for irrigation scheduling and dosing;

(4) Develop environmental models to quantify the sustainability and future climate compatibility impacts of specific cultivation practices and derive tangible sustainability indicators to be provided in a digital product passport;

(5) Creating a data platform bringing together all data streams, integrating relevant models and data analysis engines, ensuring controlled access and information to different stakeholders along the value chain and ensuring seamless interoperability between the different subsystems

Implementation: 34 months

Expected Results

  • Enhanced and valid algorithms for precise dosing and variable rate spraying, as well as precise irrigation in vineyards
  • Environmental models and sensor frameworks for precise determination of crop related CO2 and water balances, as well as the assessment of growing practices regarding expected climatic scenarios
  • Enhanced algorithms for automated derivation of environmentally relevant information from continuous machine data streams
  • Tangible, high-quality sustainability indicators providing an objective impression of the environmental performance of growing practices even to laypersons
  • IoT infrastructure embedded along the entire wine value chain for automated data acquisition
  • A central, web-based software architecture with a multi-tenancy architecture for automated data management and processing, as well as regulated information access for different stakeholders

Oenotrace will provide solutions to the ICT-AGRI-FOOD call for proposals as it includes a data-driven system enabling and promoting transparency on sustainable wine growing practices for different target groups like consumers and public authorities. From the primary production to the distribution of wine, multiple phases of the entire value chain will be involved. An analysis of information and communication gaps with DWV and thus, proximity to growers, is conducted already during the proposal phase and this will be extended by a thorough mapping of the value chain involving multiple actors right from the beginning of the project in co-creating the entire solution and identifying their willingness and potential to boost ecosystem services.

The specific focus on indicators related to the sustainability of the in-field wine management practices automatically grants insight into other factors like the origin, production methods and properties of primary products, as well as into sustainability aspects of products and processes, like e.g. energy consumption and environmental impact

Website official

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PHASE I – IoT Network and Development of the Data Visualization Platform, Coordination, and Dissemination ă [01.03.2024 – 31.12.2024]

Activity 1.1 – Defining the Components and the IoT Network

This activity focuses on identifying and specifying the essential components that will make up the IoT network for viticulture. It analyzes the types of sensors needed (e.g., for monitoring humidity, temperature, soil quality), the communication infrastructure (e.g., data networks, communication protocols), and how these components integrate to enable efficient data collection. The objective is to ensure a solid foundation for the continuous monitoring of viticultural processes.

Activity 1.2 – Defining the Requirements for Developing the Platform and Its Functionality

In this activity, technical and functional requirements for the development of the data platform have been established. This includes specifications related to the user interface, data processing capacity, information storage, and how data will be accessed by various stakeholders (viticulturists, researchers, authorities). Additionally, the integration with various existing systems has been analyzed, as well as how the platform can support precision viticulture.

Activity 1.3 – Defining an Interoperability Mechanism for Efficient Data Integration

This activity focuses on creating an interoperability framework that allows for the efficient integration of data from various sources (sensors, external databases, etc.). Discussions are held regarding data standards, communication protocols, and the necessary APIs to facilitate information exchange between the different components of the system. The goal is to ensure a coherent and accessible data flow for all stakeholders, thereby optimizing the decision-making process.

Activity 1.4 – Coordination and Dissemination of Results

This activity emphasizes the coordination of working teams and the effective communication of the results obtained within the project. Periodic meetings, workshops, and training sessions have been organized to ensure that all partners are aligned with the project’s objectives. The aim is to promote transparency and the adoption of the solutions developed within the project.

Results:

Stage I of the OENOTRACE project focuses on creating an integrated IoT network for viticulture, with the main objective of improving transparency and sustainability in agricultural practices. In a context where European vintners face challenges related to climate change and increasing consumer demands for information regarding environmental impact, this stage aims to address these issues through the development of effective digital solutions.

Dissemination

  • Participation in the OENOTRACE project meeting, – Annual Consortium Meeting – June 3-4, 2024, Istituto Ximeniano (top floor), Borgo San Lorenzo 26, Florence, Tuscany, Italy. Social media posts showcasing the progress of the OENOTRACE project and the architecture of the OENOTRACE platform.
  • Participation in the agricultural exhibition AgriPlanta – RomAgroTec, from May 23-26, 2024. AgriPlanta-Romagrotec means: field exhibition; demonstration plots; demonstrations with agricultural machinery. Beia had a stand at the exhibition, where it presented the OENOTRACE project and the progress achieved so far.
  • Participation at the SIMI 2024 conference, on September 19 – 20, 2024 “The 27th International Symposium “Environment and Industry””, with the paper Advanced Solution for Urban Gardens Based on IoT Systems, Prediction Algorithms and Multi-Criteria Application, Eng. Andrei-Bogdan Dănilă, Eng. Robert-Alexandru Streche, Eng. Oana Orza, Dr. ing. Cristina Dobre, Dr. eng. ing. Dr. George Suciu.
  • European Coastal Challenge Summit, 24-27 September 2024, Constanta, Romania, Enhancing viticulture: integrating IoT, wireless sensors and machine learning for precision vineyard management , Andrei Danila, Robert Streche, Oana Orza , Cristina Dobre, Andrei Sterea, Theodor Pintilie  , George Suciu  
  • Participation at the SIITME 2024 conference, October 16 -19, 2024, Sibiu , Romania and presentation of the paper Smart Solutions for Sustainable Urban and Food System Development, authors A.B. Danila, R.A. Streche, O. Orza, F.E. Osiac, C.M. Dobre and G.. Suciu, https://siitme.ro.

Phase II – Collection and processing of monitored data through the integrated software module, coordination, and dissemination [01.01.2025 – 31.12.2025]

Activity 2.1 Collecting data from real-time IoT monitoring components – enabled the successful configuration and validation of an integrated system for collecting, transmitting, storing, and visualizing data from IoT sensors, used for real-time monitoring of essential parameters in viticulture. The implementation was carried out using a Libelium One station and a Meshlium gateway, allowing efficient data transmission through protocols suitable for the context (Zigbee, LoRaWAN, Wi-Fi, 4G/5G). The collected data are transmitted to an MQTT broker, stored in an InfluxDB database, and displayed in real time on the Grafana platform, which provides an interactive environment for visualization and analysis. This infrastructure enables continuous and accurate monitoring of agro-climatic parameters in vineyards, contributing to the optimization of decision-making processes in vineyard management.

The implemented system ensures a modular and scalable architecture organized into four layers (Device, Network, Cloud, and Application), each with a well-defined role in the data flow. The integrated sensors monitor vital parameters such as air and soil temperature and humidity, solar radiation, leaf moisture, atmospheric pressure, soil oxygen, luminosity, and other indicators relevant to plant health.

Through this activity, the functionality of the IoT system was validated under real operating conditions of a viticultural farm, demonstrating its ability to provide accurate and timely data—essential for data-driven agricultural management. The system also offers extensive capabilities for alerting and rapid intervention in case of critical variations in monitored parameters, thus contributing to improving the efficiency and sustainability of the crops.

Activity 2.2 Developing a software module for processing the acquired data =  led to the development of an advanced software module dedicated to the automated processing of data from IoT stations installed in vineyards, with the purpose of providing relevant indicators on phytosanitary risks. Through this component, the OENOTRACE platform evolves from simple environmental parameter monitoring to an intelligent system for interpretation and prediction.

The module was implemented on the Node-RED platform, providing a flexible, scalable, and easily adaptable processing flow capable of interpreting sensor data (temperature, humidity, radiation, light) and generating in real time a numerical phytosanitary risk index. This index enables immediate evaluation of conditions favorable to disease emergence in vineyards and supports informed decision-making for preventive treatments and resource management.

The developed algorithm uses a heuristic model that combines parameter values into specific scaling functions, reflecting the risks associated with each agro-climatic condition. The output of the processing—a score between 0 and 1—is automatically sent into the IoT ecosystem and integrated into the InfluxDB database, becoming available for analysis on the Grafana platform.

An essential aspect of this module is its robustness and completeness verification of the data, thus avoiding incorrect estimations when a missing parameter might compromise analytical accuracy. Furthermore, the modular architecture allows future expansion of the model through the integration of new sensors and the adaptation of the algorithm to other diseases or grapevine varieties.

Activity 2.3 Integrating the software module into the platform-   marked the successful completion of integrating the data-processing software module into the full OENOTRACE platform architecture, consolidating a unified flow for collecting, processing, analyzing, and visualizing essential data for modern vineyard management.

The integration was carried out by connecting the Node-RED nodes to the dedicated MQTT broker (mqtt.beia-telemetrie.ro), ensuring real-time transmission of processed data to the Grafana-based visualization interface. This connection provides end users with fast and intuitive access to information on plantation status, equipment activity, and resource consumption.

Additional configurations applied to the MQTT message structure ensured full compatibility between the platform’s subsystems and the user interface, enabling customized display of operational indicators, costs, and the position of agricultural equipment. Through this activity, advanced alerting functionalities were implemented based on critical thresholds, giving users the ability to react proactively to phytosanitary risks or operational deviations (e.g., excessive consumption, frost risk, etc.). The platform is now fully accessible both on desktop and mobile devices, offering a consistent and efficient user experience.

An essential result of the activity is the modular Node-RED flow that automates the collection and processing of telemetry data from external sources (Exatreck API), transforming them into precise operational and economic indicators, published in dedicated MQTT topics.

Activity 2.4 Coordination and dissemination of results – contributed essentially to ensuring the coherence of the technical implementation of Phase II and to maximizing the visibility of the OENOTRACE project results. Through rigorous coordination and constant communication between partners, the team successfully adapted to technical challenges and optimally capitalized on the outcomes generated by Activities A2.1–A2.3. The dissemination process was expanded and diversified, including participation in international conferences, demonstration sessions with farmers, online promotion, and informational materials, which led to:

● strengthening the project’s position within the agritech ecosystem;

● increasing stakeholder interest in the developed IoT solutions;

● facilitating knowledge transfer to other actors in the field of viticulture and applied research.

Results:

The second stage of the project represented a key milestone in building an advanced digital platform that meets the concrete needs of modern viticulture by integrating state-of-the-art technology into a coherent, functional, and scalable system. Through a data-centric approach, this stage enabled the transition from passive monitoring of vineyard conditions to an active decision-support system capable of interpreting information in real time and anticipating risks, thereby contributing to optimized interventions and sustainable resource management. The developed platform seamlessly integrates hardware and software components, bringing together smart sensors, efficient communication protocols, specialized databases, and advanced analysis and visualization tools. This technological ecosystem allows for the automatic collection of large volumes of relevant data, such as agro-climatic and operational parameters, which are then contextually processed to provide a clear and real-time overview of the vineyard’s condition. The system not only records data but also transforms them into valuable indicators—such as risk scores for disease occurrence—supporting well-founded preventive interventions. The solution’s architecture ensures continuous and adaptable operation, being capable of integrating new types of sensors or being calibrated for various pedoclimatic conditions and agricultural technologies. Through its ability to analyze and correlate data from multiple sources—from in-field sensors to telemetry streams on machinery and resource consumption—the platform offers an integrated view of agricultural activity, contributing to increased efficiency, traceability, and accountability in vineyard management.

At the same time, special emphasis was placed on communication and dissemination, through which the technical results were actively promoted and valorized. Participation in industry-specific events, the organization of demonstration sessions, and the use of digital channels increased the project’s visibility, strengthened its reputation within the agritech ecosystem, and stimulated interest among other stakeholders in adopting the developed solutions. This exposure contributed to the formation of a community of practice around sustainable digital agriculture and encouraged dialogue between research, farmers, and industry.

Overall, the completed stage demonstrated the technical viability and practical value of an intelligent solution applied to viticulture, through the effective integration of technology with field-specific processes. The resulting platform serves as a real decision-support tool for agriculture, supporting not only improved economic performance but also a responsible, sustainable, and future-oriented agricultural model.

Dissemination

  • Article published at the conference. AIR AND WATER COMPONENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, 2025. A. Danilă. R. Streche, O. Orza, C. Dobre, G. Suciu (2025) Intelligent System for Monitoring and Optimizing Viticultural Processes”Air and Water – Components of the Environment” ConferenceProceedings, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, p. 57-67,https://doi.org/10.24193/AWC2025_05
  • Article presented at the Proceeding of 5th International Conference about Rice and Engineering Sciences in Braila – ICRESB 2025, IoT-based integrated agricultural monitoring system with disease prediction for crop protection, Andrei Danila, Oana Orza, Robert Streche, Theodor Pintilie, Cristina Dobre, George Suciu 
  • BEIA participated in the SIITME 2025 Conference, held between October 22–25, where the company presented the poster titled “Integrated IoT Monitoring and Decision Support System for Smart Agriculture Applications.” The work is based on the OENOTRACE
  • Participation at Agriplanta  2025 ,23-25 May  2025

Phase 3 – Evaluation, testing, and validation of the solution; Definition of business models, coordination, and dissemination

Results: Research report on the evaluation, testing, and validation of the solution; definition of business models, coordination, and dissemination

Activity 3.1 Evaluation, testing, and validation of the visualization platform
Activity 3.2 Real-world validation of the visualization platform
Activity 3.3 Defining the market exploitation strategy
Activity 3.4 Coordination and dissemination of results