Digging For Treasure: AI Tool To Help Scientists Access Soil Research Under Development

Callaghan Innovation and Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research are digging into artificial intelligence to develop a tool to help scientists uncover a treasure trove of soil research insights.

The AI tool, named SoilInsights, will help Manaaki Whenua scientists seeking to access its extensive digital library of historic soil science research findings by enabling them to ask, and get answers to, research questions from 40 years of unseen soil data and reports.

The project team expects to have the first version of a pilot focusing on public-facing research outputs ready by the end of this year. They are working closely with soil data experts and other data scientists from Manaaki Whenua to help guide and improve the tool’s development.

Manaaki Whenua Senior Pedologist Thomas Caspari says Manaaki Whenua has a plethora of potentially interesting soil information for AI training.

"Aotearoa New Zealand’s early soil information, spanning from 1920 to 1960, remains a largely untapped treasure.

“This pilot will help us explore how to unlock decades of valuable pre-database insights that are still waiting to be uncovered and shared.”

Callaghan Innovation AI and Digital Whare Head Sarah Sun says recent advances in generative AI have opened up a myriad of new use cases.

“We were thrilled with the recent reaction to GovGPT, which has helped start several conversations,” she says.

GovGPT is an AI conversational companion pilot that accesses several Government websites to provide information on funding and support to businesses much faster.

Like GovGPT, SoilInsights is being developed in partnership with Microsoft. The tool will use a technique called Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to enhance the accuracy and reliability of the AI model tasked with summarising the research outputs. It will also provide links so scientists can check results against original sources.

"We know AI is a gamechanger for business productivity, but examples like this show the huge scope to support our scientific and environmental ambitions as well," says Vanessa Sorenson, Managing Director for Microsoft NZ.

"By giving researchers instant access to insights and summaries from decades of untapped soil science data, it’s helping empower faster and more informed decisions on our future – from the way we use our land for food, primary resources and infrastructure, to how we respond to climate change. We’re proud to be part of this project and look forward to seeing how SoilInsights benefits researchers, businesses and people across Aotearoa."

Once the pilot tool has been built it will be tested and validated by Manaaki Whenua researchers in January, who will also give feedback on its performance.

“Subject to the results of the trial, we may consider developing a public-facing version of the tool, so that researchers outside Manaaki Whenua have access,” says Sarah Sun.

“Ultimately, we envisage a future where an AI tool could help to make our research more widely accessible to the communities we serve,” says Manaaki Whenua Head of Digital Strategy, Nick Spencer.

About Callaghan Innovation

Callaghan Innovation is New Zealand’s innovation agency. It activates innovation and helps businesses grow faster for a better New Zealand.

The government agency partners with ambitious businesses of all sizes, delivering a range of innovation and research and development (R&D) services to suit each stage of their growth. Its staff – including more than 150 of New Zealand’s leading scientists and engineers – empower innovators by connecting people, opportunities and networks, and providing tailored technical solutions, skills and capability development programmes, and grants co-funding.

Callaghan Innovation also enhances the operation of New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem, working closely with MBIE, NZTE, NZVIF, Crown Research Institutes, and other organisations that help increase business investment in R&D and innovation. The agency operates from five urban offices and a regional partner network in a further 12 locations across Aotearoa.

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