Agricultural Informatics

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Agricultural computer science (English digital farming ) is an academic sub-discipline that deals with the use of information technology and electronics in the agriculture busy. At some universities, agricultural informatics can be taken as an elective within the framework of applied informatics . Agricultural informatics topics are also part of the training to become an agricultural scientist .

Subject areas

When it comes to the use of information technology and electronics in agriculture, one usually keeps a few overarching goals in mind, which can be described with these terms: transparent farmer, traceability , environmental compatibility , animal welfare , cross compliance .

Precision farming

Precision farming can be used as a generic term for precision farming. This generic term can be divided into Precision Agriculture ( crop production ) and Precision Livestock Farming ( animal husbandry ).

In the sub-area-specific management (Precision Agriculture) it's all about the differences in the growth conditions within managed areas ( impact ). These should be taken into account more than before when working the soil. They want to ensure that there is nowhere more to over- or under-supply of a patch with nutrients or pesticides comes. In addition, there should be an automatable recording of all measures during the cultivation of the land, so that the farmer is able to prove at any time that the cultivation measures have been carried out properly and the optimizable use of operating resources helps to save costs and at the same time to protect environmental resources.

Use of geospatial data

The handling of geodata also falls within the area of ​​responsibility of the agricultural IT specialists . One is working on the development and expansion of spatial data infrastructures. Access to the data is to be made easier for farmers.

Use of technology

GPS

The Global Positioning System and other GNSS , such as Galileo , are indispensable prerequisites for precise positioning in crop production.

Sensor technology

The sensor technology makes it possible to use measured values ​​directly to control the machines without any detours.

The inventory development is to be recorded automatically using sensors. The data should be evaluated automatically. With the help of the evaluation results, the z. B. in the field of precision agriculture, what the appropriate dosages are when applying fertilizer. Sensor-controlled plant recognition should also help to reduce the use of pesticides.

In relation to animal husbandry, sensor measurements (e.g. in automatic feeders about body temperature, the amount of feed consumed or weight) provide first indications of the state of health of the individual animal.

Application technology in crop production

Partial area-specific knowledge of a field cannot be used with the corresponding precision for the application if the application of fertilizers or pesticides cannot be adapted to it by means of appropriate applicators.

Interfaces

The aim is largely optimized supply and largely automated and therefore efficient process chain formation. Since the IT-supported processes in a chain often have to be carried out by different machines and technologies, standardized interfaces for the unhindered data transfer between the machines (including PC and their software) are of enormous importance. Important interfaces here are ISOBUS and agroXML .

Precision Livestock Farming

The term “Precision Livestock Farming” can be translated as “Precision livestock farming”. While precision farming collects data on plants and parts of land under cultivation, precision livestock farming is about feeding animals as individually and automatically as possible, and collecting and evaluating data. The aim is to reduce operating costs (for example feed costs). Since there is also the goal of traceability in Precision Livestock Farming , animal identification is of central importance.

Organizations

The Society for Computer Science in Agriculture, Forestry and Food Management (GIL) is a scientific society for the promotion of agricultural computer science . It has existed as a non-profit association since 1980, it was founded in Freising on the initiative of Ludwig Reiner , Hans Geidel and Anton Mangstl .

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ deutschlandfunk.de , Current Research , Peter Welchering in conversation with Arndt Reuning , December 29, 2016: Bauer sucht Cloud (December 29, 2016)