B-GOOD First General Assembly Meeting

Photo: Consortium members at the First General Assembly Meeting

The first B-GOOD project assembly meeting took place between 2 and 3 December 2019. The meeting was hosted by the University of Coimbra, Portugal, and discussed the progress achieved on the project so far.

The beginning of the event was marked by presentations discussing the advances in the B-GOOD work packages. Furthermore, discussions on the mini apiaries setup were undertaken: these apiaries are test sites where the B-GOOD sensors will be installed in order to collect data for the B-GOOD models, and ultimately, for the project’s decision-making support platform. The focus of the debate was set on the parameters and health aspects that should be monitored during the three field season. Apiaries are partially installed in Belgium and the UK, while installation in Portugal has begun alongside the project meeting.

Photo: Presentations discussing the advances in the B-GOOD work packages

Data collection and standardization were also discussed, as it is essential to ensure that good practices are kept and data is interoperable and reusable for the modelling exercises and the decision-making support platform.

Another subject raised in the meeting was the development of the BEEP app, with the central question being "What are the five most distinct features that you would like to see in a bee monitoring app?" Some of the suggestions included the possibility to see historical data, beekeeping predictions and advices, voice recognition and command in assistance of busy beekeepers (in their suits) in the mending of their hives, photo upload to provide first layer advice based on AI and the possibility to contact an expert.

 

The aspect of education and awareness raising was also reviewed in B-GOOD’s training courses, which aim to create online learning modules (MOCs) that will include presentations from experts and Q&A sessions.

The meeting was concluded with a reference to the EurBee 2020 meeting, where co-coordinator Dirk de Graaf, together with other projects on European bees, will organize a session as part of the event. EurBee 2020 will take place from 15-17 September 2020 in Belgrade, Serbia.