Robotisation Evaluation of the Essential PDOs for the Veneto Region, Italy

Viticulture is a crucial sector of the Italian economy. Italy also boasts global leadership in PDO-certified wines (Protected designation of origin), with 523 wines labelled DOC, DOCG, or IGP. These achievements are made possible through continuous advancements in vineyard management and maintenance techniques. The introduction of new technologies, alongside the rapid evolution of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and software, offers significant potential for optimising information distribution to support agriculture, particularly viticulture. On the other hand, the advance of mechanisation in viticulture definitely provided several autonomous robotic equipment. This research paper represents the first comprehensive overview of the topographical and planting conditions of vineyards in the Veneto region. Vineyards were classified based on these characteristics, and the temporal and spatial variability of the plant vigour was analysed using vegetation indices such as NDVI and NDRE, focusing on macro-areas associated with DOCG labels. The study aimed to understand how territorial characteristics, planting conditions, and different vintages influence plant development. A sample of 500 vineyards in the region was classified using multiple data points. Analyses and evaluations were conducted by processing Google Earth satellite images using QGIS software. The results provide a foundation for a more extensive analysis of variability indices to enhance vineyard management across high-quality wine districts and pave the way for standard mechanisation strategies or to improve robotisation in the most critical ones.