Where is innovation heading in the agricultural sector? Antonio Fernández, professor at UNIR, stated in the newspaper La Rioja, that there are two main points. “The sensorization of practically everything. The field is going to be one hundred percent sensorized, so that all the necessary parameters are known in real time. And decision making based on that data. We are going to see more and more intelligent agents capable of processing thousands of data and making the right decision at any given moment.”
The use of sensors in plantations is growing every day in agriculture due to the increased reliability and cost reduction that this type of technology entails. The irruption of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence allows an innovative approach in the use of these sensors, providing a great improvement in maintenance and agricultural production.
Until today, a descriptive and reactive approach to the data collected has been used in plantations. But, thanks to advances in Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, we can go further and opt for a predictive approach.
Why is a predictive approach better?
AI-based models provide us with forward-looking information that can be key to making decisions in the present, whether it is about how productive a plantation will be, what conditions should be in place for better product quality, or even the optimal time to harvest the fruit. With this knowledge it is possible to increase productivity and reduce costs by increasing efficiency.
What algorithms are used for decision making in the field?
Algorithms are a series of rules and instructions that are defined to solve a problem. With them, we are able to define mathematical models whose objective is to find patterns and relationships between different variables. The purpose of the models is to automate an optimal process that helps us to deal with the huge amount of data generated every day in the field.
After obtaining the data and integrating them in the same platform, these models come into play, processing the huge amount of information in an effective and efficient way. In this way, the data is translated into concrete guidance for the farmer. For example, what dose of seed or fertilizer should be applied in each area of the farm, or predict the yields to be obtained in each plot.
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Thanks to the cloud, technology is more accessible than ever before.
Data is a fundamental asset today, but if we don’t know how to interpret it, it can leave us behind. It is true that, historically in this sector, the use of technologies such as Big Data or Artificial Intelligence has always been hampered by the same problem: the need to have the necessary infrastructure to carry them out.
Today, thanks to Cloud services such as AWS this problem is reduced. How? With the lowering of the costs of sensors for agriculture, with the ability to connect wirelessly thanks to the use of 5G or thanks to the ability of the Cloud to collect information in real time. With the Cloud, we can have the necessary resources on demand, reducing operational costs and paying only for what we need without having the obligation to have an infrastructure within our organization. All this makes it easier than ever to take agriculture to the next level.
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And not only that…
In addition, monitoring and maintaining all these types of solutions and services is much easier today. There are several cloud-based monitoring applications, such as Splunk or Datadog, cloud-based platforms that allow you to generate Dashboards to visualize both business and systems information and also automate and prevent troubleshooting. If the Cloud makes technology more accessible, these applications simplify it, since they make it unnecessary to have 24-hour staff to control the services, but rather these types of applications take care of it.
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Benefits of having aws in your fields
- Improved storage of all collected data: No more manual management of agricultural information. With your data in the Cloud, files are easily organized, so you always have the data you need at hand.
- Allows integration and data transfer with other mobile applications: The apps you use on a daily basis can be combined. In this way, it becomes possible to store, share and simplify all the information collected in the different agricultural applications. Allowing us an all in one.
- Facilitates knowledge of the environment: By being able to access, analyze and manage more data, fields are more controlled than ever and important decisions are easier to make.
- Increased security and protection for collected data: Collected agricultural information can be stored and managed with complete security, as only authorized devices can access the data.
- Provides a 360° view of the business: AWS cloud-based solutions allow strategic decisions to be made from a broader perspective.
New technologies are helping us every day to improve our companies. While it is true that they are applicable to any sector, agriculture may be one of the sectors that will experience the greatest impact and benefits thanks to the use of AI. The fact is that, day by day, technological advances are changing the concept we had of traditional agriculture for that of cutting-edge agriculture.
A concept that, at first glance, may seem complicated to achieve; but that, with the right team of professionals, is simple and very beneficial in the short-medium term. At Daus Data we are that team of experts. We are committed to the use of technologies such as Big Data, Cloud, AI and monitoring, to help our clients improve and advance their business. We make the cutting edge tangible and agriculture more efficient, productive and sustainable.