Center for Precision & Automated Agricultural Systems

What Center for Precision & Automated Agricultural Systems does

Center for Precision & Automated Agricultural Systems (CPAAS) is an academic research center within Washington State University focused on developing sensing, automation, and robotics technologies for precision and automated agriculture. Founded in 2005 and headquartered at WSU's Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (IAREC) in Prosser, Washington, CPAAS conducts interdisciplinary research spanning machine vision, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), soil and crop sensing, autonomous field robotics, and irrigation decision support. The center's research portfolio is closely aligned with the operational needs of Washington State's tree fruit, grape, and row crop industries, and it produces peer-reviewed publications, trained graduate students, and technology prototypes intended for eventual industry adoption.

The center's most visible commercial-adjacent output is the WSU Irrigation Scheduler Mobile App and its companion web platform at irrigation.wsu.edu, which together support soil-moisture-based irrigation scheduling on more than 10,000 fields across 12 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces. CPAAS also develops autonomous bin-hauling robots, shake-and-catch robotic harvesting systems, UAS-based crop monitoring, and machine-vision crop load estimation, with an autonomous fruit bin hauling robot earning a Farm Robotics Challenge Award in 2024. The center's core faculty and affiliated researchers span WSU campuses and partner institutions, and the unit maintains an industry advisory committee with representation from the Washington agricultural sector and private technology firms.

As a university research unit, CPAAS does not generate commercial product revenue. Operations are funded through federal and state research grants, WSU institutional support, and industry-sponsored projects. Its primary stakeholder groups are Washington agricultural producers, industry partners, growers using the free irrigation decision-support tools, and graduate researchers, with an industry advisory committee providing formal industry input.

Name

Center for Precision & Automated Agricultural Systems

Legal name

Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems

Website

https://cpaas.wsu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Academic research center at Washington State University developing sensing, automation, and robotics technologies for precision agriculture, serving Washington tree fruit, grape, and row crop producers and operating the WSU Irrigation Scheduler Mobile App used across 10,000+ fields.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

CEA Monitoring, Sensors & Automation Software (SCADA, IoT, Climate/Recipe Control) (AFAAAHAG)

Keywords

• Precision agriculture research
• Agricultural robotics systems
• Smart farming solutions
• Irrigation scheduling tools
• Crop sensing technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Prosser

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Funding: Funded through high impact research outcomes and grant funding from various agricultural research programs. The center conducts both fundamental and applied research supported by external funding sources.
2. WSU Institutional Support: Core funding and institutional support from Washington State University as part of the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CPAAS is a university research and extension center that develops and disseminates precision agriculture technologies, agricultural automation systems, and smart farming decision-support tools. Its principal commercial-grade outputs are the Irrigation Scheduler Mobile App and the irrigation.wsu.edu web platform, supported by applied research programs in crop sensing, agricultural robotics, unmanned aerial systems, and field phenomics. The center is funded through research grants and Washington State University institutional support, and it delivers technology transfer through the WSU Extension network to growers and industry stakeholders.

Product overview

CPAAS operates as a trans-disciplinary research center within Washington State University, offering a portfolio of precision agriculture technologies, smart farming solutions, and agricultural automation systems. The core offerings include the Irrigation Scheduler Mobile App and irrigation.wsu.edu web platform for irrigation management decision support, alongside research programs in precision/smart agriculture sensing systems, agricultural robotics, UAS services, and field phenomics. These products work together to advance smart farming for resilient and sustainable agriculture in Washington State.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Irrigation Scheduler Mobile App A mobile application for irrigation scheduling developed by CPAAS director Dr. Troy Peters. Used in 12 western U.S. states and two Canadian provinces at more than 10,000 fields, the app supports growers and irrigation professionals in making automated irrigation decisions.
• Irrigation Website (irrigation.wsu.edu) A public web platform providing irrigation calculators, crop water use estimation tools, and irrigation system design capacity calculators based on historical average evapotranspiration data for various regions and crops. Targets growers, irrigation professionals, and students seeking open-access irrigation planning tools.
• Precision/Smart Agriculture Systems Research Program An applied research program developing ground and aerial crop sensing technologies, data-to-decision support systems, and variable rate technology for chemical application, water management, and crop load estimation in tree fruit, grapes, and berries. Targets Washington agricultural producers and industry stakeholders.
• Agricultural Robotics Platform A research program delivering multi-purpose robotic systems for orchards, including autonomous harvesting robots, pruning/training robots for tree fruit and berry crops, weed control systems for vegetable crops, and intelligent bin management systems. Targets Washington agricultural producers and the agtech industry.
• Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Research Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Irrigation efficiency improvement of 15-20% through LESA technology
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Washington Agricultural IndustrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngagement and partnership with Washington Agricultural industry to accelerate commercial adoption of smart farming solutions. Industry representatives serve on the External Advisory Committee from major agricultural sectors.
• Private Technology IndustrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with private technology industry companies to develop and commercialize agricultural technologies. Includes engagement with equipment manufacturers through External Advisory Committee.
• International Academic InstitutionsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational joint centers and agreements allowing exchanges of professors, scholars, and students. Expands research endeavors across the globe and has gained WSU CPAAS global recognition.
• WSU Departments (BSE, CSS, Horticulture, SES, MME, SCBE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrans-disciplinary collaboration within WSU including Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Department of Crop & Soil Sciences, Department of Horticulture, School of Economic Sciences, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, and School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering.
• WSU ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with WSU Extension for technology transfer and stakeholder education throughout Washington State.
• Pacific Northwest UniversitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with other universities in the Pacific Northwest through field days and stakeholder events.
• Heritage UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on student projects including the Farm Robotics Challenge award-winning autonomous fruit bin hauling robot developed with Heritage University undergraduates.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Taranis: Aerial imaging and AI-driven crop intelligence platform using UAS and satellite imagery for in-season monitoring. Closely comparable to CPAAS's UAS-based crop sensing and predictive analytics capabilities.
• Sentera: UAS and analytics provider for agriculture, including high-resolution imagery and stand/count analytics. Comparable to CPAAS's UAS-based crop sensing, crop load estimation, and field phenomics work.
• Blue River Technology: John Deere subsidiary applying computer vision and machine learning to plant-level agriculture (See & Spray). Directly comparable to CPAAS's machine-vision-for-agriculture research, particularly weed/crop differentiation and variable-rate technology.
• FarmWise: Autonomous weeding and cultivation robotics for specialty row crops. Comparable to CPAAS's agricultural robotics platform, particularly for autonomous in-field actuation and computer vision-guided implements.
• Advanced Farm Technologies: Developer of robotic strawberry picking and other specialty-crop harvesting systems. Closely comparable to CPAAS's shake-and-catch harvesting research and orchard robotics platform.

Broad incumbents

• Climate Corporation (Bayer): Digital agriculture platform (Climate FieldView) providing predictive analytics and decision support at scale. Directly comparable to CPAAS's crop sensing and data-to-decision support systems.
• DJI Agriculture: Dominant commercial supplier of agricultural UAS platforms (Agras series) globally. Provides the hardware backbone for many CPAAS UAS research programs and represents the commercial counterpart to CPAAS UAS research.
• Trimble Agriculture: Precision agriculture hardware and software suite (guidance, VRT, water management). Comparable to CPAAS's variable-rate technology and precision irrigation research; a potential industry partner or license acquirer.
• John Deere (Deere & Company): Largest precision agriculture incumbent via its Operations Center, See & Spray, and autonomous tractor programs. A natural commercialization path for CPAAS research and a likely competitor for talent and grant influence.

Others

• University of California, Davis – Agricultural Robotics Lab: Peer academic research lab at UC Davis focused on agricultural robotics and sensing. Comparable as a competing talent source and grant competitor for federal precision-agriculture funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-precision-automated-agricultural-systems

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Precision & Automated Agricultural Systems