CREATING AN INNOVATION OPPORTUNITY SPACE FOR BROADACRE SMART FARMING: A CASE STUDY OF AUTONOMOUS FARM EQUIPMENT

Advances in digital technologies are transforming the agriculture and agri-food system. The technological changes are represented in many forms, ranging from software-based prescriptions for optimal rate application of farm inputs, advanced imagery of fields and plants collected by sensors, satellites and drones, to new forms of human-to-machine interactions and machine learning This thesis is a case study of one type of a smart farming innovation, a field robot., originating from a small-to-medium sized enterprise (SME) that designs and manufacturers machinery used in broadacre, conservation tillage farming. The innovation, known as DOT™, is an entrepreneur’s response to problems in the agriculture industry, and a solution to a critical constraint of labour shortages in the sector. By gathering qualitative data through interviews, news items and academic publications, observing the farming community’s engagement with digital technology innovation at farm show, and applying the Innovation Opportunity Space (IOS) analytical framework, this study identified that an autonomous DOT™ offers a solution for farming problems. Other firms are incorporating the DOT™ technology into their manufacturing operations through licensing agreements and early farmer adoption is positive. The process of innovation was based on synthesis of tacit knowledge (experience-based knowledge of farming and agribusiness) and codified knowledge (drawing on computer programing), while public policy facilitated the hiring of trained university students who remain with the SME as advocates for smart farming. There remain some gaps: public policy for safe deployment of smart farming innovation is lagging behind invention and commercialization; new business models for manufacture and commercialization of high-tech equipment are just emerging and data ownership and control remains unresolved; and evidence of the value of smart farming technologies to farmers and the larger social system remains scant

Sustainable Agriculture and Advances of Remote Sensing (Volume 2)

Agriculture, as the main source of alimentation and the most important economic activity globally, is being affected by the impacts of climate change. To maintain and increase our global food system production, to reduce biodiversity loss and preserve our natural ecosystem, new practices and technologies are required. This book focuses on the latest advances in remote sensing technology and agricultural engineering leading to the sustainable agriculture practices. Earth observation data, in situ and proxy-remote sensing data are the main source of information for monitoring and analyzing agriculture activities. Particular attention is given to earth observation satellites and the Internet of Things for data collection, to multispectral and hyperspectral data analysis using machine learning and deep learning, to WebGIS and the Internet of Things for sharing and publication of the results, among others

Security risk assessment in systems of systems.

A System of Systems (SoS) is a set of independent systems that interoperate to achieve capabilities that none of the separate systems can achieve independently. The component systems may be independently operated or managed, and this may cause control problems. An area of particular concern is managing security of the large complex system that is the SoS, because development and operation of component systems may be done independently. Security vulnerabilities may arise at the SoS level that are not present or cannot be determined at the component system level. Security design and management processes typically operate only at component system level. Within this thesis, the problem of security risk assessment at the SoS level is examined by identifying factors specific to SoSs, formulating a framework through which it can be managed, and creating a process with visualisation to support risk managers and security experts in making assessment of security risks for a SoS. Humans must be considered as part of the SoS and feature in risks associated with security. A broadly qualitative methodology has been adopted using interviews, case studies, and a scenario method in which prototype framework elements were tested. Two SoS examples, including the Afghan Mission Network (AMN) as a SoS, and a SmartPowerchair SoS were used to identify, combine, and apply relevant elements in a SoS context towards addressing the research problem. For the AMN, this included interviews and focus groups with stakeholders experienced in NATO security, risk, and network-based roles. Whereas, the SmartPowerchair SoS was based on interviews and on-going communication with a single stakeholder representative as the owner and user of the SoS. Based on the findings, OASoSIS has been developed as a framework combining the use of OCTAVE Allegro and CAIRIS to model and assess Information Security risk in the SoS context. The process for applying OASoSIS is detailed within the thesis. The first contribution of OASoSIS introduces a SoS characterisation process to support a SoS security risk assessment. The second contribution modifies a version of the OCTAVE Allegro Information Security risk assessment process to align with the SoS context. Risk data captured during a first-stage assessment then provides input for a third contribution that integrates concepts, models, and techniques with tool-support from CAIRIS to model the SoS information security risks. Two case studies relating to a Military Medical Evacuation SoS and a Canadian Emergency Response SoS were used to apply and validate the contributions. These were validated through input from expert Military Medical stakeholders experienced in NATO operations, and key Emergency Response SoS stakeholders with further input from an expert Emergency Management stakeholder. To further strengthen the validity of the end-to-end application of OASoSIS in future work, it would benefit from being implemented within the SoS design process for other SoS scenarios

Enriching Gross National Happiness through Information and Communication Technology

The stance taken in this study was based on two premises: GNH principles and values need to be entrenched in education, and ICT has great potential to transform learning. With these in mind, this study set out to explore the capacity of ICT to enhance GNH principles and values in pre-service teacher education in Bhutan. Set in a pre-service teacher college in Bhutan, a mixed methods approach utilising convergent parallel design was employed in the study. Quantitative data was collected using a web-based survey instrument to determine: pre-service teacher and lecturer attitudes towards GNH and GNH in education; pre-service teacher and lecturer attitudes towards ICT in education; pre-service teacher and lecturer attitudes towards ICT enhancing GNH principles and values; and pre-service teacher and lecturer TPACK. Qualitative data was collected using focus group interviews for the preservice teachers and semi-structured interviews for the lecturers to provide a richer view of the data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the webbased survey data. Thematic analysis was utilised to analyse the focus group and interview data. The study revealed that pre-service teachers and lecturers viewed both GNH and ICT positively indicating a strong enabler to using ICT to enhance GNH principles and values at the study site. However, there are areas where attention needs to be paid if ICT is to be used to enhance GNH principles and values. For example, the lecturers in their teaching do not specifically stress GNH principles and values but rather assume that GNH principles and values are being taught unintentionally. However, results from the study suggest that in order for GNH principles and values to be enhanced by ICT, they need to be explicitly taught and modelled by lecturers. The study also discovered that both pre-service teachers and lecturers use very few ICT tools and for a limited range of activities. Furthermore, these ICT tools are mostly being used at either the substitution or augmentation level as viewed through the SAMR lens. In order for the affordances of ICT to enhance GNH principles and values to be fully realised, ICT tools need to be implemented at the Transformation domain of the SAMR model. This is where the level of ICT usage is either modification where technology allows for significant task redesign or redefinition where technology allows for the creation of new tasks previously not possible

Ciência de dados na era da agricultura digital: anais.

Estes anais contêm o texto completo dos trabalhos apresentados no XI Congresso Brasileiro de Agroinformática (SBIAgro 2017), o qual foi promovido pela Embrapa Informática Agropecuária e pela Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola, Instituto de Computação e pelo Centro de Pesquisas Meteorológicas e Climáticas Aplicadas à Agricultura da Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp). Esta edição do evento foi realizada no Centro de Convenções e na Casa do Lago da Unicamp, localizados na cidade de Campinas (SP). O propósito do evento foi o de reunir pesquisadores, professores, estudantes, empresários e funcionários de empresas para discutir o tema da informática aplicada à agricultura, além de promover um ambiente propício para o surgimento de novos relacionamentos, projetos e negócios.Organizadores: Jayme Garcia Arnal Barbedo, Maria Fernanda Moura, Luciana Alvim Santos Romani, Thiago Teixeira Santos, Débora Pignatari Drucker. SBIAgro 2017