Agro, data and distrust: New NXT Podcast episode welcomes Carlos Jr., scientist and founder of Spectra X
- Geospatial intelligence specialist explains why Brazilian agribusiness struggles with information overload, low trust in data and decisions made in the dark
The latest episode of the NXT Podcast dives into one of the most strategic topics in Brazil’s economy: the use of data in agribusiness. The guest is Carlos Jr., scientist, university professor and founder of Spectra X, a company specialized in agricultural monitoring through satellites and geospatial intelligence.
Throughout the conversation, Carlos discusses the challenges of modern agriculture, the difficulty of turning information into practical decision-making and the financial impact that poor data interpretation can have on rural producers.
Despite the growing volume of information available in the sector, the specialist believes the issue is not only the amount of data, but how it reaches the field.
“Having data does not mean you will use it correctly. Information needs to arrive ready, simple and applicable for the people operating in the field,” he explains.
Information overload and the trust crisis in agribusiness
During the episode, Carlos Jr. highlights that many producers have become skeptical of new technologies after repeated promises that failed to deliver real results.
According to him, there is a “flood” of poorly validated solutions being sold as innovation, but which ultimately fail in practice.
His criticism also extends to the misuse of satellite imagery and outdated algorithms being repackaged as innovation.
Satellites, geospatial intelligence and real-time decisions
As founder of Spectra X, Carlos explains how the company developed algorithms capable of identifying soybean cultivation areas in Brazil with an error margin as low as 1.2%.
The technology has already been used by institutions such as Conab, IBGE and international logistics and transportation companies.
“Today we can detect where soybeans are planted, predict productivity before harvest and even indicate how many railcars will be needed in certain regions.”
He also shares practical cases in which the company’s data helped rural producers reverse banking decisions related to Proagro, using satellite-based climate reports.
Agribusiness, real estate and the similarities between sectors
One of the most interesting points in the episode is the connection between agribusiness and the real estate market — a topic raised by the host while comparing the challenges of data transparency in both industries.
The discussion touches on logistics, storage, silo shortages, operational verticalization and even intelligence applied to property tax collection in Brazilian cities.
Where to watch
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