“Advance and Future Trends of Information Technology in Agriculture”
C. H. Sawarkar 1, P R Kolhe 2, 3 K. Asif Ahmed 3
1, 3 Dept of Computer
Science & IT Shri Shivaji College of Arts Commerce & Science, Akola chsawarkar@gmail.com, aasifnasim@gmail.com
Assistant
Professor of Computer Science, College of Agricultural Engineering &
Technology, Dapoli, Ratnagiri
ABSTRACT:
After 1965 there is the word in
everyone mouth. Green revolution, green revolution and after some years of
mechanization and from last two decades the words information technology,
computerization in agriculture is revolving. Information technology is the one of
the field which changes the life style and social consciousness dynamically.
The country having area 328 Mha but productivity is too low which is due to
inefficient management of resources. For management, there is requirement of
system which is capable at thinking more than the man which becomes now lazy.
So Information technology is now influenced in these which having a share only
1.3% in agriculture. Farmers require timely information on weather, sowing
time, availability and recommendations on inputs, availability of credit,
expert advice on maintaining his crop in healthy condition, information on
markets and on all other areas of interest to him and his family. Despite best
efforts and expenditure, the conventional apparatus could not meet these requirements
satisfactorily. An IT based service to farmers to address this lacuna is an
important tool in the new approach to promotional activities.
Up until about ten years
ago, nearly all data processing could be summed up in a single word: computers.
Today, this term has given way to the broader descriptor information
technology, which has become generally accepted. It refers to a rapidly
expanding range of services, methods, techniques, applications, equipment, and
electronic technologies used for the collection, manipulation, processing,
classification, storage, and retrieval of recordable information and knowledge.
At this time, such technologies include, but are not limited to, computers,
software, high-capacity storage, networks, telecommunications, databases, data
warehouses, multimedia, training, the internet and its world wide web,
geographic information systems (GIS), computer-aided design (CAD), online
services, video conferencing, executive information systems (EIS), electronic
mail, and expert systems: in short, all technologies related to the
acquisition, storage, recovery, transfer, manipulation, and delivery of data,
sound, and graphics, including video.
Key words
1. Geographic
information systems (GIS)
2. Computer-aided
design (CAD),
3. Executive
information systems (EIS)
4. Information
technology (IT)
5. Local area
networks (LANs)
6. Selective
dissemination of knowledge(SDK)
7. Digital
library (DL)
8. Knowledge
management (KM)
Prospects
of Information Technology in Agriculture
In
the context of agriculture, the potential of information technology (IT) can be
assessed broadly under two heads: (a) as a tool for direct contribution to
agricultural productivity and (b) as an indirect tool for empowering farmers to
take informed and quality decisions which will have positive impact on the way
agriculture and allied activities are conducted. Precision farming, popular in
developed countries, extensively uses IT to make direct contribution to
agricultural productivity. The techniques of remote sensing using satellite
technologies, geographical information systems, and agronomy and soil sciences
are used to increase the agricultural output. This approach is capital
intensive and useful where large tracts of land are involved. Consequently it is
more suitable for farming taken up on corporate lines.
The
indirect benefits of IT in empowering Indian farmer are significant and remain
to be exploited. The Indian farmer urgently requires timely and reliable
sources of information inputs for taking decisions. At present, the farmer
depends on trickling down of decision inputs from conventional sources which
are slow and unreliable. The changing environment faced by Indian farmers makes
information not merely useful, but necessary to remain competitive.
Information
Technology:
Agricultural information technologies can be classified as:
1)
Communication and Information Management
2)
Monitoring and Control Technologies
3)
Telecommunications.
The relationships of these classifications are shown in
figure 2-1.
Communication and information management consists of on
farm digital communication systems, known generically as local area networks
(LANs), combined with the microcomputer- based information processing
technologies used by the farm operator as the central information processing
and management system. This central computer system may include remote
terminals with keyboards, display screens, and printers used for onsite data
entry and readout by the farm operator.
Technology for
communication and information management helps farm operators collect, process,
store, and retrieve information that will enable them to manage their farm so
as to minimize costs, maintain and improve product quality, and maximize
returns. There are three basic components to such technology:
1) Microcomputer- based hardware systems for
information processing, storage, and retrieval;
2) High-speed LANs for on
farm communication of digital information; and
3) Applications software. The computer allows
farm operators to keep track of more detailed information, apply complex
problem-solving techniques to this information, and thereby make better, more timely,
decisions. Microcomputers appropriate for on farm use cover the range of
business-class computers. Larger and more complex farm operations will
generally benefit from larger, more complicated computer systems. Onfarm
computers are likely to be subject to more adverse operating environments than
those found in typical nonfarm businesses. Thus some additional equipment and
adaptations are needed for on farm operations
While LAN technology is
rapidly becoming more mature and standardized, on farm installations are likely
to be more expensive per node than the typical business system. Farm nodes are
generally much farther apart than nodes of the average office system. Farm
installations placed among several separate buildings are also more susceptible
to lightning-induced electrical problems. Photoelectric isolators at every node
will enable use of copper wiring between nodes. Alternately, use of LANs with
fiber optic cabling will eliminate problems from electromagnetic interference.
Many software packages
sold for use on farm computers are general-purpose packages that are identical
to those used in other businesses, Spreadsheet programs and database management
systems fall into this category. Other packages have only minor modifications
and upgrades. The most expensive class of software is generally that written
for specialized applications. Few farms are large enough to afford custom
programming for their own operations. The range of specialized applications
programs that have been developed and are being developed by extension
personnel at land grant colleges is quite large, Agricultural software from
commercial sources and the land grant institutions is generally task-specific.
Another promising software concept is that of a fully integrated system that
would allow the farm operator to simulate the outcome of small and large
changes in production practices, The software could generate distributions of
prices and weather impacts and simulated biological growth functions, It could
produce detailed listings showing expected costs, returns, production
schedules, cash flows, and net income streams, working within the constraints
of those assets and productive potentials that the operator chooses to consider
fixed. Such software would give operators much greater ability to maximize
income and flexibility in planning for growth and in responding to changes in
the economic and technical environment.
Monitoring and control technologies:
Automatically monitor and
control certain aspects of a wide variety of production processes. These
technologies, generally considered to be subsystems, are located at the site of
production activities, such as livestock confinement systems, storage
facilities, and irrigation pumping and control stations, and on mobile
equipment such as tractors and combines. Monitoring and control systems can
function autonomously, although they are increasingly being connected to the
central on farm information processing system through fixed links and low-power
radio links to the on farm LAN. The LAN connections between the central
information management system and the onsite monitoring and control
technologies are indicated by the boxes on figure 2-1 labeled “N,” for network
node. Several different kinds of local configurations of the LAN and the
components of the on farm computer system are possible. The arrangement shown
here is just one of many possibilities.
Many processes in plant
and animal production may be monitored and controlled by new and emerging
electronic technologies. In some cases these devices are designed simply to
detect certain conditions and report the information to the farm operator. In
other cases, the technology operates essentially autonomously, without operator
attention. Devices of this nature are usually programmable, can operate
continuously, can be designed to be very sensitive to changes in target
variables, and can respond very quickly. These devices, therefore, offer
improvements in speed, reliability, flexibility, and accuracy of control, and
sometimes reduce labor requirements (Battelle, 1985). Some applications of this
technology include irrigation control, pest monitoring and control, and the
automatic animal identification and feeding system in livestock operations.
Positive identification of animals is necessary in all facets of management,
including record keeping, individualized feed control, genetic improvement, and
disease control. All animals could be identified soon after birth with a device
that would last the life of the animal. The device would be readable with
accuracy and speed from 5 to 10 feet for animals in confinement and at much
greater distances for animals in feedlots or on pasture. Research on
identification systems for animals has been in progress for some years,
especially for dairy cows. For example, an electronic device now used on dairy
cows is a low-power radio transponder that is worn in the ear or on a neck
chain. A feed-dispensing device identifies the animal by its transponder and
feeds the animal for maximum efficiency, according to the lactation cycle and
the life cycle of that animal. This technology also permits animals in
different stages of production to be penned together yet still be fed properly.
The largest potential use of electronic devices in livestock production will be
in the area of reproduction and genetic improvement. Estrus in dairy cows can
be detected automatically by using sensors that remotely detect small changes
in the body temperature of the cows. Such an estrus detection device could
prove profitable in several ways:
Ø
Animals could be rebred faster after weaning and
could increase the number of litters per year.
Ø
Animals that did not breed could be culled from
the herd, saving on feeding and breeding space.
Ø
Time would be saved because breeding would be
done faster.
Ø
Embryo transplants would be easier because of
better estrus detection.
Environmental control of livestock
facilities is another area where monitoring and control evaluated for use on a
regional scale by a USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service regional
program, Such systems will provide rapid analysis, summarization and access to
general crop summaries, observer reports, pesticide and field management
information, reports of new or unknown pests, general pest survey information,
and specified field locations with pest severities. Other software systems
designed to facilitate directly the implementation of pest management programs
are in use and are continually being improved, The Prediction Extension Timing
Estimator model is a generalized model for the prediction of arthropod
phonological events but is sufficiently flexible to be used for management in
many agricultural and nonagricultural systems.
Telecommunication technologies:
Telecommunication
Technologies comprise the hardware and software that connect the on farm
systems with the rest of the world so that the farmer can communicate with
people and with computer system in other farms and situations.
Telecommunication systems may combine both voice and data communications. Three
types of communication technologies are shown in figure 2-1: satellite ground
stations, low-power radio links, and telephone lines.
Telecommunications
technology provides links for voice communications and the transmission of
digital data between farms and other firms and institutions. Through such
technology, farms, firms, and institutions can be joined together in a large
number of formal and informal networks. These networks enable farmers have
relatively rapid, inexpensive, and reliable access to central databases,
centralized software packages, and information on weather, markets, and other
subjects of interest. Virtually the same technology will be applied to both
animal and plant agriculture. Telecommunications include high speed, low speed,
and radio telecommunications, satellite base communications, and remote sensing
technology
High-speed or
high-bandwidth communications allow the farmer to send and receive much larger
amounts of data at lower costs per bit of information. This capability is
needed for videotext services, teleconferencing, and, in many cases,
satisfactory real-time use of remote computer facilities, High-speed telecommunications
is still undergoing substantial amounts of development. New transmission
capabilities or new technologies are needed for bringing high-speed
telecommunications to most rural areas, High-bandwidth telecommunications can
be provided by technologies that range from conventional high capacity, coaxial
cable, microwave relay systems to fiber optics systems and high-bandwidth
direct transmit/broadcast satellite systems. High-bandwidth send-and-receive
service for the average farm operation is not likely to be available for some
time. The existing telephone system is capable of handling the demand for
slow-speed telecommunications services in many rural areas, The latest
generation of microcomputers, modems, and communications software is capable of
automatically accessing remote databases and quickly downloading and uploading
information at regular intervals without operator attention, Rural areas that
install fiber optic telecommunication systems will have enormous information
capacity that will easily support very high data rates. In fact, the perennial
dream of low cost, two-way videoconferencing, education, and entertainment may
well become a reality in these rural areas by 1990 or 2000, A
number of emerging radio telecommunication technologies will provide improved
service in rural areas without the need to rewire the local telephone networks.
These technologies can be put into two groups: ground-based, low power radio
repeater systems, such as cellular mobile phone systems; and satellite-based
communication systems. In principle, the cellular radio technology being
installed in major cities can be expanded to smaller cities, towns, and rural
areas at higher power levels for use in voice and data communications. For
applications where data transmissions are sufficient and instantaneous
communications are not necessary, technology for packet radio messages may
provide substantial savings. Packet radio systems use ground-based repeater
stations to funnel messages with a standard, or “packaged,” format from distributed
users to one another or to a point where the messages can be inserted into a
national telecommunication network; Messages are entered at each user station,
then converted into encoded “packets” complete with addresses and distribution
instructions. Each user station then transmits to the local repeater station
when the transmission channel is free. This technology may enable cellular
radio repeater technology to be extended to especially remote and sparsely
populated areas and to areas where the basic telephone system is inadequate and
is unlikely to be upgraded.
Satellite-based
communication technologies may provide very high-capacity telecommunication
channels for rural areas. These systems may be the only feasible high-capacity
link for some especially isolated rural areas. Large farms may opt to establish
their own ground stations for satellite-based telecommunication, but new
generations of communication satellites may have the power to serve many small
individual subscribers in remote rural locations.
Almost all commercial
satellite communication systems employ satellites in geosynchronous orbit. Alternately,
the feasibility of using low-cost, low-Earth orbit satellites for the
collection, storage, and rebroadcasting of message packets has been
demonstrated by amateur radio groups. Commercial satellites using this design
could enter service by 1990.
Remote sensing is a collection of technological
systems used to detect, process, and analyze reflected and emitted
electromagnetic radiation at a distance. This includes the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration weather satellites, land and ocean resource mapping
satellites (the Landsat series), airborne camera and electronic sensor systems,
and ground-based photogrammetric and radiometric sensors. Information from
remote sensing technology is used for a wide range of applications. Some
examples are weather reporting and forecasting, land use planning,
environmental monitoring, crop production estimates, soil mapping, range and
forest management, mineral exploration, and watershed management.
Remote sensing technology
in the form of weather forecasting has already made a great impact on
agricultural production. Weather reports and forecasts help farmers decide when
to plant and when to harvest, Fruit growers depend on local weather forecasts
to help make frost protection decisions.
Farmers can also use
remotely sensed information to make other management decisions, Soil moisture
levels can be estimated accurately for large northern plains wheat farms that
depend on stored soil moisture. Selection of fields for rotation, seeding, and
fertilizer rates could then be planned for the available moisture on different
parts of the farm to optimize net income.
Remote sensing technologies provide crucial and
timely information for the process of estimating global crop production. These
crop estimates can have large impacts on price levels and price variability.
Estimates of crop production in different countries are an important factor in
the administration of commodity and export policies.
Digital Libraries and Knowledge Management:
Digital Library:
In
the past, global networks have usually transported textual information, but
there is a growing need for these networks to transport other forms of
information such as images, video, and audio. Until recently, electronic
information sources served mainly specialized clients, but now these sources
will be accessed by a wide range of users, ranging from computer specialists,
discipline experts, engineers, and the general public, including novice
computer users and students at all levels. These trends have created an
emerging, important environment: digital libraries. Several US agencies,
including NASA, ARPA, and NSF, have made available over the past few years a
considerable amount of money to support research in this field. Other
countries, including Canada,
the UK, France, Italy,
and the Netherlands
have also invested in digital library development [1]. The digital information
resources which are processed in a searchable and orderable manner like
traditional libraries but working within a web environment may be seen as a
digital library.
Knowledge Management:
According
to OECD identifications, knowledge can be divided into four categories: know-what;
know-why; know-who; and know-how. In another words, it can be explained to be
understanding knowledge; tuilixing knowledge; management knowledge and
technical knowledge. If we added another two: timely knowledge (know-when) and
position knowledge (know-where) [2]. Some information and IT specialists put
knowledge in four degrees: data; information; knowledge and wisdom.
Creation of knowledge
depends on moving and transferring of tacit knowledge. Among various concepts
of knowledge, there are two main streams: tacit knowledge and explicit
knowledge. Tacit knowledge includes thinking, experiences chats, electronic
meetings….which kept in human minds and skills and shown through behaviors or
performances. There are five key factors consisting of the Tacit knowledge e.g.
knowledge, mood, worship, experience and skill [3]. Explicit knowledge mainly
means that the knowledge is carried by some explicit material like characters,
pictures, printed and electronic materials etc. Collection of tacit knowledge
for shares needs more efforts and control methods for which we often use the
word KM to represent the meaning.
DL and KM are strategic partners in agricultural
scientific and technical innovations as many
information specialists have been already aware of. Construction of DL
is the need of the current information users in the 21 century and KM will hold
the core position in DL. DL is an ideal digital environment in our network
world. However, It would not be so efficient without effective KM. We prefer to
establish KM system in agricultural research sector in order to cater accurate
and useful knowledge to our scientific users. In this way, users may have
knowledge sharing conditions timely, quickly and effectively.
How Can We Create Effective KM System within
Digital Library
Environment?
Understanding ultimate user needs
The aim of Information specialists to organize and classify
documents or create metadata of network, electronic and digital resources are
to help their users to get the right information they need at the right time.
To clearly understand users needs is the first importance in creating helpful
KM system within digital library environment.
Better agricultural knowledge capture and
resource coordination
From various sources to capture useful information in different
formats is really a tough work. However, librarians have to be competitive in
today's information society and aware that it is a chance for them to display
their advantages in KM and they should take the obligation and play as the CKO
in business companies so that they may complete well the transfer of actors
from librarian to knowledge manager. By using knowledge capture techniques,
knowledge managers can organize knowledge for users to use. And knowledge from
different sources needs reorganization. In establishing digital knowledge
resources, coordination and collaboration is very much needed within
agricultural information system to avoid duplication and time waste.
Metadata and domain-specific markup language
Metadata and markup language are both aimed for description of
information resources. However, Metadata has been developing from MARC format
to DC 15 elements and from its simple description to become centralized
functions of description, control, structure, storage, protection etc. But it
is still limited to be a subsidiary of the documents and can not help the users
to dig into the contents of it. And being a librarian, we need to not only do
discovery of resources, but also discovery within resources [4]. So, the XML(eXtensible
markup language) which develop fast in recent years, has formed a new era of
markup language. Its characteristics are mainly including: accurate description
of the contents, common XML rules and grammar in order to put special mark code
into original text in the digital resources and so on. These standards will
assist greatly in knowledge presentation in digital libraries.
Requirement for Strategic planning in establishing India agricultural digital library
The strategic plan
will become a systematic approach of building the digital
environment for the entire agricultural research sector of the country. It will
be an open and large hybrid information system of both traditional and digital
collections at present. It consists of many aspects not only the information
resource allocation and organization, but also processing and financial support
etc. Several issues are requested to be considered in the plan and the main
ones include coordination and distribution of digital resources construction;
digital library Collections linking; user community participation; human
resources and investment needed; and intellectual property rights. The plan
will be implemented in three years to establish a primary digital library
framework for future development.
3 User Oriented KM Services
Speaking of
KM, its basis is the knowledge collection, capture and classification and
process, its aim is knowledge share and exchange, and its core is knowledge
utilization and innovation. Like information use, the key aspects of KM are
also user oriented services. Mainly include:
Knowledge research and analysis
Specialized
selective dissemination of knowledge (SDK) is recommended to users or research
projects for more critical and accurate knowledge delivery. "My
library" service is another good choice for individual user collecting and
establishing his/her own knowledge based libraries on the web.
Knowledge searching and linking
Digital knowledge databases should be established on the core
fields in agricultural digital library system. Linkage of various databases and
web sites will be needed and portal should be set up to 509 indicate users to
access the information or knowledge needed. Knowledge managers have the
responsibility to help users to search what ever information they require.
Knowledge issuing and exchanging
Within the
vast knowledge sea, knowledge exchange and innovation are needed to be
distributed quickly for a better share and effects. Digital libraries will
provide fast communication channels and any other infrastructure for this
purpose.
Knowledge resource sharing
Knowledge
resource sharing is our ultimate goal in digital library knowledge management
to set up a mutual web platform for digital libraries to manage their knowledge
resources will benefit to all users from different fields and sectors. And the
system follows the international and national standards which will help us to
share the knowledge more easily. We are so exciting to see such systems
appearing by some authorized organizations or companies in India like
Infosys and Wipro.
4 Technology Support
For
establishing an efficient digital library environment, many high technologies
will be used including data warehousing, data mining, text mining, knowledge
extraction, knowledge mapping, and
Information
visualization etc. Besides, in order to grasp extended contents or knowledge,
resource description framework (RDF) should be prepared and markup language
will be the choice for this aim. And semantic web pages will be useful for
understanding of knowledge.
5 Suggested Precautions
*To put more emphasis on knowledge values and increase its
transformation into productivity;
*To establish knowledge distribution mechanism and knowledge
sharing environment;
*To promote knowledge innovation in agricultural research in
science and technology;
*To enhance knowledge managers’ capability in KM;
*To develop suitable knowledge management policies to protect
intellectual property; and
*To keep and increase core competence of the agricultural
libraries and information system by using both DL and KM advantages in
developing our professional activities.
The progress
of information technology has truly transformed every aspect of our lives
throughout the world. Librarians are facing greater opportunities and
challenges. I am sure that we are capable to receive more achievements in the
formation of agricultural digital libraries and its knowledge management if we
closely work together on it from now on.
Reference:
[1]
Recent posts in the Industry - Agriculture Category http://www.jimcarroll.com/blog/industry-agriculture/
[2] Information
technology: the global key to precision agriculture and sustainability http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T5M-46Y585M-1&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=72e12b7a42438628addd8ae25a11be00
[3] Geographic information systems
(GIS) http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/gis_poster/
[4] Computer-aided design
(CAD), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-aided_design
[5] Executive information
systems (EIS) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_information_system
[6] Information technology (IT)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_technology
[7] Local area networks (LANs)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_area_network
[8] Digital library (DL) and
Knowledge management (KM) http://zoushoku.narc.affrc.go.jp/ADR/AFITA/afita/afita-conf/2002/part7/p507.pdf
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