SmartBeeKeep: Development of a smart tool for the viable management of beekeeping activities

The project SmartBeeKeep aims to capitalize on the latest advances in Information and Communication Technologies in beekeeping and biodiversity studies by proposing an innovative platform that will facilitate beekeeping activity and research in Greece and internationally.

The main objectives are:

• to provide tools for participatory mapping of beekeeping flora and a study of local biodiversity (for selected plant species, the approximate estimation of flowering time at an early stage will also be explored),
• to provide new innovative services to beekeeping community (Beekeepers, laboratories analysing bee products and beekeeping researchers); and
• tp evaluate of applications through pilot application in two study areas of the Prefecture of Thessaloniki, to demonstrate that local biodiversity in combination with 'smart' beekeeping can lead to high added-value products (production increase, quality optimization)and to savings in management and production.

The ambition of the consortium is to exploit the platform through a low-cost subscription service that intelligently manages a multitude of data, providing significant benefits to its users and contributing significantly to biodiversity studies. In addition, the creation of an innovative e-shop that draws data from the platform and is the first step in establishing a new way of 'linking' producers to end-consumers (without any intermediaries) to give the final consumer the opportunity to finance and participate actively at all stages in the production of a specific bee product (e-beekeeping).