Leica Geosystems, RPA partner to increase efficiency in CAP claims

(Milton Keynes, UK, 22 May 2018) – Leica Geosystems, industry leader in measurement technology, today announced its plans to provide the Rural Payment Agency (RPA) with an enhanced solution for verifying claims under the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

RPA will receive Leica Zeno GG04 Plus smart antennae and Panasonic FZ-G1 MK4 tablets to integrate with their current Leica Zeno Field software. RPA’s field inspectors will capture land parcels and other key information quicker and more efficiently to increase productivity in managing claims by using GNSS services from the U.S. GPS, Russian GLONASS and European Galileo constellation.  This new equipment will replace the current inspector equipment (reached the end of service life) and will  assure the RPA inspections capability for the next seven years.             

“We needed a simple, accurate and reliable solution that could use RPA’s existing software and workflows while delivering performance improvements for our field inspection team, and the Leica Zeno combination with the Panasonic Tablet met our requirements,” said Michael McEvoy, RPA Change and Service Design team leader.

High accuracy in demanding rural environments on the device of choice
Under the CAP, claim data must be verified to ensure that the claim complies with the EU CAP rules. From forested areas with heavy tree canopy to mountainous regions where GNSS signals can be obscured, the Zeno GG04 Plus is able to scale accuracy to  the determined level needed with the array of correction services provided by satellites. RPA will also benefit from further flexibility in the future as the GG04 Plus can work with Windows, Android or iOS using third-party or Leica Geosystems software on the device of their choice as the instrument supports open interfaces.

The Leica Zeno and Panasonic tablet solution will enable the RPA inspectors to capture new land information and verify the farmer-submitted claims more quickly, accurately and efficiently.  The result of this will be a significant improvement in productivity, improved data collection,  greater accuracy, while lowering costs and delivering a better service.

“We are looking forward to helping RPA ensure the significant productivity and effiency benefits the team is looking for with the Zeno GG04 Plus solution,” said Mike Cooper, Leica Geosystems Regional GIS segment manager. ”Over the next few months as the solution is rolled out to the field inspection team, we are confident the agency will realise substantial gains.”  

For more information about the Leica Zeno GG04 plus, please visit: https://leica-geosystems.com/products/gis-collectors/smart-antennas/leica-zeno-gg04-plus

About the RPA
RPA’s headquarters are in Reading, with major offices in Carlisle, Exeter, Newcastle, Workington and York, and employ around 2,300 staff validating more than £2bn worth of payments to England’s thriving farming and food sector.
As the paying agency for the EU’s CAP schemes in England, the RPA make payments to farmers, traders and land owners while also making payments on behalf of Natural England. The RPA manage over 40 schemes to help ensure a healthy rural economy and strong rural communities.