Weather and Networked Data (WAND)
World-first solution to combat spray drift saves growers time, money
Weather and Networked Data (WAND) is a world-first, Australian-developed hazardous weather warning system to help minimise spray drift. It is the result of six years of collaborative research by CRDC and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), with the support of commercial partner, Goanna Ag.
WAND provides real-time weather data for growers and spray operators about the presence or absence of hazardous temperature inversions.
It consists of a network of 102 profiling inversion towers located across the grain and cotton regions of New South Wales and Queensland. The inversion towers have remote sensing capability and proprietary software to provide growers and spray contractors with up to a 24 hour forecast of real-time weather data that is updated every 10 minutes.
This valuable data can accurately identify whether a hazardous inversion or hazardous conditions are present, allowing growers to understand whether they can spray or not against their label requirements. This information reduces the spray drift risk for growers and spray contractors.
WAND recently introduced a 24 hour forecast, enabling growers to have greater insight into weather conditions to better manage their spray operations.
Research conducted by CRDC in 2023–24 found that 60 per cent of cotton growers who have accessed WAND have made a change in their spray application as a result.
