PARTNER FEATURE ▶▶▶
Automated documentation by connecting machinery
BY YASMIN MÖHRING, 365FARMNET I
n the framework of constantly increas- ing regulations and rising economic pressure farmers face a great chal- lenge to document all actions and
measures in an easy and comprehensive manner. Good documentation is neces- sary on the one hand to prove the fulfil- ment of regulations, and on the other hand to identify potentials for increasing efficiency and process optimisation on ba- sis of reliable and comprehensive data. Subsequently good documentation builds sustainable decision support. Farming 4.0 and specifically the Internet of Things (IoT) offer solutions to digitise farm machinery and equipment and thus document the entire operation by increased integration of IT and communications technology with agricultural production. Using smart, networked systems promises to increase productivity and efficiency. However, much of the farming equipment in use today is still not, or only partly, digitised.
Internet of Things (IoT) solutions offer new possibilities for every farmer to work more efficiently, identify economic potentials and to ensure safe documentation – independently of age or manufacturer of machinery.
Bridging the technological gap To ensure all farm machinery and equipment ‘can talk to each other’ and also have these talks documented automatically, smart IoT solu- tions are necessary that bridge the gap between digital and analogue technology. On the way to such networked data and automated documentation farmers face some challenges. Farmers in Europe use large numbers of tractors, and many of these ma- chines are old. A large number of the tractors used are currently not state-of-the-art and are not network-enabled. Even when machinery is network-enabled a great challenge remains: When aiming to connect machinery it is often the case that digital products are neither compati- ble across different manufacturers (interoperable) nor networkable. Some standalone solutions exist but those are very difficult to integrate into an overall digital farm management system. Another factor that has to be taken into consideration when digitising farms is the practicability of digital devices. Ideally, digital applications are intuitive to use and hardware components are easily purchased, installed and networked. It is important that the time and investment
44 ▶ FUTURE FARMING | 25 May 2018
involved in introducing a digital solution is commensurate with the added value that results from using it, particularly in the peak growing season. Ideally, documentation takes place while working without any disturbances or needs to act. The equipment record itself and sends data to a platform where it is documented and networked.
Requirements for digital solutions Further obstacles on the way to a connected farm are deficiencies in digital infrastructure. In rural areas throughout Europe there is often only a limited mobile signal or landline internet connection. Therefore digital solutions for automatic documentation need to incorporate mechanisms to function offline. There is a high demand for solutions that retrofit machinery and en- sure its connectivity in order to integrate it into the digital world. Solu- tions created to do this need to be standardised, robust, universal and interoperable, as well as being capable of being installed and used with no special/extra training. They also need to take into account the inadequate telecommunications infrastructure in rural areas and devel- op solutions that work even where there is no mobile phone signal across parts of the areas under cultivation. A first step when digitising farms, data have to be collected and trans- mitted to be used. ‘Beacons’ have been set up as transmitters that send
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