Web Based Research Mapping and Analysis: ICT-AGRI's Meta Knowledge Base Centralizes ICT and Robotics Development in Agriculture and Related Environmental Issues

Ample research is conducted on ICT, automation and robotics in agriculture and related environmental issues. ICT and Robotics innovations are rapidly emerging and have the ability to revolutionize future farming through their major impacts on productivity and profitability. Unfortunately human and financial resources and efforts are fragmented and limited. This led to the creation of the ICT-AGRI ERA-NET that provides a central structured framework. Its main objective is to strengthen and coordinate European research regarding ICT and robotics in agriculture. Besides the creation of the Meta Knowledge Base (MKB), a common European research agenda will be developed and common research calls are launched. The Meta Knowledge Base (http://db-ictagri.eu) is attempting to map all relevant research and development within the selected research area. To accomplish the mapping, two types of information are collected: research profiles and research postings. To organize the postings, a three-dimensional task-technology oriented framework was designed. The results indicated that the three axes: task, technology and scope seemed insufficient to describe the whole research area. Therefore, an improved framework was developed. By extending the task-technology oriented framework with a process-control–information system, a useful framework was designed

Uso de piloto automático na implantação de pomares de citros Use of autopilots on citrus orchards establishment

Sistemas de piloto automático vêm sendo utilizados com relativa frequência na agricultura brasileira. Na citricultura, o uso dessa tecnologia vem difundindo-se na operação de abertura de sulcos para o transplantio de mudas. O presente trabalho teve como objetivos avaliar a acurácia de um piloto automático e avaliar possíveis ganhos gerados pela utilização dessa tecnologia de orientação automática em relação ao sistema convencional de abertura de sulcos na implantação de lavoura de citros. A primeira etapa consistiu em georreferenciar as plantas no campo, três meses após o transplantio, com sulcos feitos com as duas tecnologias. Na segunda etapa do trabalho, foi conduzida a avaliação da capacidade operacional da operação de abertura de sulcos, com e sem a utilização de piloto automático coletando dados de tempos e de movimentos com um receptor de GPS. Foi obtido um erro médio de desalinhamento de sulcos de 0,08 m no sistema convencional e de 0,04 m com o uso do piloto automático. A operação de abertura de sulcos utilizando o piloto automático apresentou eficiência de campo de 73,4% e no sistema convencional a eficiência foi de 77,6%. Porém, com piloto automático, foi possível trabalhar com velocidades maiores, o que resultou numa capacidade de campo efetiva maior para este sistema em relação ao sistema convencional de abertura de sulcos (4,65 ha h-1 e 4,09 ha h-1). O usuário reportou custo da operação de abertura de sulcos menor para o sistema com piloto automático quando comparado com o sistema convencional, especialmente devido à redução de demanda de mão de obra.<br>Auto-guidance systems have been used with relative frequency in the Brazilian agriculture. On citrus the use of this technology is being applied on the furrows opening for transplanting. The present study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of a RTK auto-guidance system and to compare the field capacity generated by the use of that technology in relation to the conventional system on citrus furrows opening operation. The first stage consisted on georreferencing the plants in the field three months after the transplanting using both technologies for furrows opening. In the second stage field capacities were evaluated by collecting data with a GPS receiver, with the tractor under the two conditions, with and without auto-guidance use. The average aligning error for plants was 0,08 m in the conventional system and 0,04 m for the auto-guidance system. Field efficiency for the opening furrows operation was 73,4% for the auto-guidance system and 77,6% for the conventional system. However, with the auto-guidance system it was possible to work with higher speeds, what resulted in a larger field capacity (4,65 ha h-1 and 4,07 ha h-1). The user reported operation cost of the opening furrow smaller for the auto-guidance system than for the conventional system, especially due to the labor involved on the conventional system