Advances in FOrestry Control and aUtomation Systems in Europe

The goal of project FOCUS was to demonstrate how innovative sensing technologies and control methods can solve the lack of integrated control and planning mechanisms, using case studies from Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Portugal, covering the main forest-based production processes in Europe.  The idea was to improve the individual value chain processes, and to eliminate the barriers to the integrated planning and control of the entire value chain. The project has developed novel sensors for monitoring the environment, raw materials and production machinery; new process-specific control processes; plug-and-play composition of value chain wide control processes. Moreover, the FOCUS open source was created as part of the project.  The project supported the efficient and sustainable exploitation of existing and new forest-based value chains alike, and enhanced the economic development of European rural areas.