Adelaide Oval, one of Australia’s most iconic landmarks, renowned for hosting events from the Cricket World Cup to the AFLW Grand Final, is set to experience CisgenX and undergo a green transformation. This spring, it will join Memorial Garden in West Torrens in optimising water consumption, thanks to a partnership with Cisgenics, an innovative irrigation company specialising in drip irrigation for urban landscapes and rural farming.
Cisgenics, founded in 1979 in the US, started its journey at a golf course in Pebble Beach, Del Monte Forest, California. Today, the company boasts over 1,000 projects worldwide, including Singapore’s iconic Gardens by the Bay and the Jewel at Changi Airport. “Following our success with Gardens by the Bay, Cisgenics is implementing next-generation irrigation solutions at the Founders Memorial project at Bay East Garden, a truly iconic project. We are installing next-generation technology that delivers efficient water usage,” says Sam Rebera, CEO of Cisgenics. He adds, “Satellite data on rainfall, even in a small country like Singapore, can vary widely from place to place. At Gardens by the Bay, water requirements vary based on shade, plant variety, and microclimates, each needing a soil moisture sensor. Factors for which our irrigation technology helps to monitor.”
Cisgenics (formerly Christensen Irrigation) aids municipalities in achieving ‘smart-city project’ goals and reducing carbon emissions through urban landscape projects. “Another example of a smart-city initiative we have is Nad Al Sheba, near the King’s palace in the UAE. Now we are bringing these world-class solutions to Australia to help businesses combat the challenges posed by climate change,” says Rebera.
Australia’s vast farms, grassed courses, and urban landscapes are vulnerable to water shortages due to climate change. “In drought conditions, systems like our solution CisgenX, which we hope will soon be certified with the Smart Approved Watermark, are prioritised. This certification states that our systems are sustainable and efficient even under extreme conditions,” explains Rebera.
Internal studies have shown that implementing CisgenX can reduce water consumption by up to 40% and up to 70% in some cases. These reductions help clients meet their ESG goals, providing real-time data via IoT sensors that monitor soil moisture and other variables. CisgenX, the company’s flagship product, uses algorithms to predict water requirements accurately, ensuring optimal water use, energy efficiency, and plant health. Rebera says, “This is crucial for clients in regions with strict environmental regulations and those aiming to improve supply chain sustainability.
The CisgenX platform integrates seamlessly with data from weather stations or mobile apps. “We developed an open platform that is sensor-agnostic, meaning we can integrate any sensor into our system, allowing us to collect data across various parameters and develop machine-learning algorithms for yield prediction, weather prediction, and water demand prediction,” says Rebera.
Another Cisgenics partner is Singapore’s Temasek Life Sciences, which is keen on using the CisgenX platform to monitor drip irrigation in Southeast Asia’s paddy fields, which traditionally rely on flooding. For this project, CisgenX uses data from weather stations to calculate evapotranspiration and measures soil moisture before triggering irrigation to deliver the precise amount of water needed.
Cisgenics wants to help urban landscape developers meet their ESG goals for compliance and tax incentives in Australia. Rebera says that Australian exporters may also benefit because the CisgenX platform can help them meet the stringent requirements of European Union buyers.
With an office in Adelaide, Cisgenics plans to open a subsidiary in Australia within the next six months. The company is exhibiting, and Rebera will be present at the Irrigation Australia Conference 2024. He reiterates, “Irrigation doesn’t have to follow traditional methods. We’re redefining irrigation by providing a scientific approach and offering more choices with a decentralised system.”