Sumathi Information Technologies (SiT), a subsidiary of Sumathi Holdings – a large and
extensively diversified business conglomerate in Sri Lanka, is a well reputed and established
organization in the technology industry in Sri Lanka. Backed by over 20 years of experience
the organization has now ventured further paving the way to provide feasible and efficient
solutions for agriculture in Sri Lanka.
As a subsidiary of Sumathi Holdings, Sumathi Information Technologies is a professionally
managed, socially responsible, successful company that delivers superior value to their
stakeholders. Sumathi Holdings has further diversified and has several other strategic
investments and alliances in several key sectors of the economy.
SiT initiated Global Positioning Systems through hand held devices in 1994 and since then
has evolved exponentially, specializing and providing enterprise-level Global Positioning
Systems, Geographic Information Systems and Communication solutions to Government
Agencies and other leading business organizations in the country. The SiT team works
meticulously striving to create applications that meet the overall strategy of their clients.
This business venture of SiT, being the 1st to test and implement industrial Drones in
construction, irrigation and military tasks as well as the pioneers to introduce Anti Drone
technology and counter measures for the security forces, focuses on revolutionizing key
industries in Sri Lanka with special emphasis on the agriculture industry having successfully
launched agricultural spraying services island-wide.
Having entered into a partnership in 2017 with Dà-Jiāng Innovations (better known as DJI),
the world’s leading drone manufacturer in China, SiT and Retail IT (a supporting arm of
Sumathi Holdings) were able to further enhance their geographic information solutions
(GIS).
Infusing technology to local industries like agriculture will immensely contribute towards
industrial development as well as community development in Sri Lanka by uplifting farmers
wellbeing brought about by effective time and crop management.
The use of drone technology in the agriculture sector will vastly benefit the industry by
enabling treatment from above for crops as high as 30 meters or even for infant and
maturing crops at ground level. The footage will provide high quality zone maps for future
reference and crop planning. Remote monitoring of crops and livestock plus targeted
nutrient or pesticide applications with the generation of variable rate prescriptions will help
to decrease inputs and maximize profits. The health of the crops can be assessed accurately
using NDVI technology developed by NASA to process photos in a way that helps the human
eye better visualize plant health. This will eliminate False-Colour mapping and reduce
wastage. The crops can be managed better and safeguarded by the timely detection of
weeds, diseases, and pests.
Commenting on the partnership, Executive Director of Sumathi Information Technologies,
Mr. Chadu Sumathipala stated, “We are very pleased to make advancements with new
technology and approaches. Times have changed drastically over the last decade and we
need to look at embracing new technologies to strategically drive our industries to achieve
maximum output. The use of drone technology will help to increase productivity and utilize
resources in an effective manner to yield higher profits.”
Through the introduction of new technology, SiT will be able to provide many cutting-edge
services to a wide array of businesses & service sectors. Organizations can utilize drones for
the transportation of essential documents between harbor offices and ships as well as
deliver blood samples/ medical reports/ emergency medicines between hospitals,
laboratories and main pharmacies. In the Construction & Engineering sector, the progress of
construction sites can be monitored with real time videos. Drones can be used to obtain
highly accurate survey maps with real images whilst efficiently and cost effectively carrying
out building maintenance with high power washing. Drones can also play a major role in
firefighting services; rescue mission planning, obtaining live videos from operating room,
dropping powders from the air where human interaction is zero are a few options.
Furthermore, drones can be utilized for management of wildlife and forestry with increased
efficiency and minimal errors and risks. In the energy sector drones are used for solar panel
inspection and maintenance, and turbine inspection of wind power plants, thereby reducing
associated risks commendably. Periodical checks of aircrafts, and inspecting the runaway for
FODs is another area of work that can be carried out with the use of drones. Urban
planning, development, coastal conservation and fish farming are industries that can be
successfully developed through the application of drones
As the market leader and authorized agent for DJI and Pix4D in Sri Lanka for Enterprise and
Agriculture drones, SiT offers a range of services including Drone utility and mapping
software, Professional photogrammetry, Enterprise and Agriculture drone supply,
Agriculture spraying services, Anti drone detect and destroy technology, combined with a
renowned after sales support.