PDA's and smartphones are becoming more and more useful as a tool for real-time data collection in the field for farming operations. With features like built in GPS, digital cameras and barcode scanners it seems as though we should have a good handle on data intensive business process management like certification, regulatory compliance, quality assurance, harvest management and payroll. And, as we keep hearing, "there's an app for that". When we think about the number and frequency of measurement and the volume of information that has to be kept close at hand to meet sustainable certification, not to mention day-to-day quality management, operations management and compliance record-keeping, we might be excused for thinking that the effort is likely to be considerable.  

So, what's getting in the way of ensuring that all the data necessary to support activity based costing, carbon footprint calculations, continuous improvement and the other initiatives our accounting departments want to report on next, is readily available and up to date? Where are all the field readings going to come from? Who is going to track or measure everything and how much effort is going to be required to enter the data into the half dozen spreadsheets that are bouncing around the office?

Organizations that are successful at in-field operations data collection have deployed PDA and smartphone technology throughout their organization - from crew foremen and equipment operators to operations directors and technologists. But what about the language barrier, the cost, the training...? The devices and associated software are just glorified cell phones and it is difficult to conceive that there is a lack of familiarity with this technology. These devices, ATM machines, even the controls of a modern tractor are easily within reach of just about everyone who steps through the farm gate. Crew foremen and equipment operators are essential participants in the success of an operations management data capture solution - PDA's at this level of the organizational hierarchy get much more use than at any other level when the program is working. It's not about "coercion" either - in many organizations we have worked with we see enthusiasm and a greater sense of inclusion. Support tools and security management capabilities now provide real-time interaction to mobile devices and ensure that sensitive data is not compromised and even allow technicians to remote control the users' device remotely - that way your operations directors will not be embarrassed unneccessarily.

Technology making the rounds in drought stricken California farmland has the ability to measure soil moisture content every few seconds and transmit data back to a central location over a wireless network. A grid of such sensors can provide enough information to control your irrigation system and give plants exactly the right amount of water whenever it is needed. Sounds like we're on the road to wiring thousands of acres or trees and vines.

"Hold the phone" - not so fast. While chatting to a customer a few months ago we were looking at how we might make better use of weather station (and by extension - sensor networks) data in combination with irrigation management decisions. It seems that having all this data about what the temperature, humidity, etc. was a few minutes ago does not give us enough decision support content to schedule irrigation activities a few days down the track - the key ingredients are "how stressed are our plants right now", "how much water do we have in the tank" and "how hot is it going to be tomorrow". Sounds like our technology footprint is going to have to touch large parts of our existing infrastructure and contain some modeling capability that gives us a stress prediction for a few days ahead. Since I am pretty ignorant about the combination of technology and irrigation infrastructure I threw out a question about why a team of irrigation system foremen were so hands on and there was an absence of automated irrigation system control - turns out that when there is a hole in the drip tape it is helpful to have someone out in the field so that the leak can be spotted and repaired. 

Business Intelligence tools have been able to slice and dice our data for years. But, management teams are reaching deeper into the data, beyond the basics of how good or how bad sales (or quality, or...) are and they are seeking an understanding of where and why. Recent tech giant discussions estimate that 90% of data has a spatial component to it.

Of course, this is where we need to plug in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). More specifically, we need maps that can pull data from our databases and present the data in a manner that is easy to interpret while still supporting the drill down capability that we are familiar with. It turns out that the GIS is the database as all the major database vendors now include the capability to manage spatial content in the data tables. All we need to do now is teach everyone how to write spatial queries....    

I was talking recently to a colleague in the Barossa Valley who mentioned having just returned from a training program for yet another farm management certification program. It seems that every few months a new method of assessing efficiency or environmental impact is introduced. Organic, sustainable, biodynamic, river friendly, salmon safe, carbon neutral, you name it and it seems there is a program for it. That’s not to mention all the state and national certification programs.  No doubt, this leaves the grower with a potentially substantial administrative overhead and a confusing array of choices.