Abbotsford, BC, November 18, 2021 – Employees at i-Open Group, a global geospatial technology solutions leader based in Abbotsford, were thrilled to welcome a visit from provincial MLAs Michele Babchuk, Ravi Kahlon, Bruce Ralston, Brittny Anderson, and Niki Sharma.
The MLAs gathered at the office headquarters to discuss BC’s food security and agriculture sector. With a keen focus on the challenges within the agriculture industry, team members introduced the company’s newest divisions to its portfolio of tech companies – Agrilyze and DirectFood.store. In particular, the MLAs learned about the Modern Farming Community (MFC), a concept around the new generation of farming practices and solutions driven by the latest in applied agriculture technologies (“AgTech”). The Group’s primary goal is to position the Fraser Valley region as the AgTech leader nationally and potentially globally through partnerships, high-profile projects and local research within the coming months.
AgTech is quickly becoming a vital part of the Canadian economy and a growing source of both income and investment. This transformation has allowed Agrilyze, BC’s first spatial data analytics platform for precision agriculture, to respond to the opportunities and emerging challenges related to global issues like climate change.
“Agrilyze is focused on helping the agriculture industry leverage the increasing amounts of vital data. It allows users to make informed decisions that can benefit the farmers, consumers and environment,” said Jonathon McIntyre, VP of product development, Agrilyze, “Our solutions help the industry view complex data in a local context. This includes weather and climate, regulations, soil and crop health, animal health and finances.”
In addition to AgTech and the MFC movement, the i-Open management team introduced the corporate theme and innovative suite of applications that counter the environmental and technological challenges that corporate entities, governments, and educational institutions face daily. For instance, homegrown agriculture and food tech companies such as the noted Agrilyze and DirectFood.store join hands to advance the food supply chain and improve food traceability by forming global partnerships with educational institutions and private sector players.
Colin Schmidt, Sr. VP of Product Development, DirectFood.store, adds, “In listening to the feedback from the MLAs about food access and food security concerns across the province, we have been challenged to think differently and move faster. It is great to connect with people who listen to others’ needs daily, and we appreciate their time to listen to us and share.”
Overall, the presentation shared successes and provided encouragement to develop stronger, smarter, and more advanced processes that empower like-minded communities to simply “do more with less” while ensuring that mindful actions lead to a positive impact on the planet.
As BC becomes an epicentre for production and innovation, developing and producing world-class agriculture technology, the team will continue to cultivate these vital connections and relationships. Thank you, MLAs, for sharing your insights and learning more about i-Open Group’s goals and aspirations. Looking forward to future collaborations!
About i-Open Technologies:
i-Open Technologies, based in Abbotsford, specializes in geospatial web-mapping applications, data integration, and spatial Artificial Intelligence (AI). The company is developing Agrilyze, BC’s first spatial data analytics platform for precision agriculture that collects, tracks and maps data allowing for efficiency and better regulatory compliance while optimizing resource usage (such as human, equipment, consumables and waste).
About DirectFood.store:
DirectFood.store is an online grocery delivery service that provides communities direct access to local, fresh, healthy and organic food from local farmers and vendors. With a demand for more convenience, tailored food choices and a simplified ordering process, the platform helps local farmers and vendors sell their products online and allows customers to discover the latest in fresh food from neighbouring cities.
https://vancouver.directfood.store/
About Agrilyze:
Agrilyze is a leading-edge, cloud-hosted, data-driven analytics platform. By leveraging existing operational data sources in conjunction with aggregated data, farmers can see their data in context. Using advanced technology, agricultural expertise, premium geospatial data, imagery, and AI, Agrilyze can improve productivity, Return on Investment (ROI) and profitability, essentially allowing small or large agricultural operations to “do more with less.”
For further information:
Chona Canlas, Brand Manager at 1-877-256-7722
Email: [email protected]