New arrivals to data management in agriculture are ignoring the problems involved in capturing accurate, reliable agriculture data at precise locations in the field in real time.
(PRWEB) October 14, 2005 -- Supply chain collaboration, synchronization and optimization are focused on problems with data capture, resulting in inadequate, inaccurate, incomplete transfer and management that can’t meet the speed of commerce. Information that affects a company’s profit is more accurate when it is collected at later production / processing stages.
Data collected early in the production process are more difficult to collect and usually less accurate; this often makes the benefits of traceback unrealizable, and sometimes false data can be taken as true. Deep subject experiences, not IT solutions, are more able to properly solve PIDC field data problems that are even rarely obvious to people not familiar with agricultural situations. IT solutions don’t account for agricultural terms, truths, and experience that are needed to know what data must be collected to solve PIDC field data problems.
Capturing data first hand is better than reconstructing it afterward. The challenge of direct collection is to do this without interrupting production workflow. Passive data capture is preferable to human input. Automation tends to reduce error rate and improves speed of commerce.
Data collection on the farm or ranch must be simple, automatic using TCP/IP technology. Data collection using this updated, high-speed transfer can run in the background without interfering with the producer’s work. Avoid the complexity and cost of real-time data collection if possible. Data accuracy is best qualified and validated at the source. Data conversion and correction later is slower, less effective.
Don’t pursue elegance at the expense of content. Content must not be sacrificed to automation. Simple, less costly, systems that combine with agriculture expertise and deep subject matter are better. Don’t assume that bigger and faster is always better when it comes to data capture and reporting. Direct, real-time data capture is usually necessary in some situations. Don’t think that data collection requires an active Internet link. Direct offline collection is more practical and accurate, with upload later to online system.
Just because you think (that) you might want (the) data, don’t think (that) you have to collect it. Basic data, including PIDC, is always needed and collected for a complete and effective system; additional, enhanced data can be archived, but there is a need to prioritize all data collected. Data clean up and conversions are often tougher than they appear. Interfacing the growing number of systems is difficult but necessary; offline, locally resident systems are subject to data loss and corruption.
ScoringAg.com and its traceback and traceup system for agriculture products, featuring Site-Specific Recordkeeping™ and PIDC location code, is one of the many divisions of ScoringSystem, Inc. Located in Sarasota, Florida USA, the company specializes in providing solutions with mobile data, via wireless PDAs, laptops, and Semacode-programmed Nokia, Siemens, and Sony Ericsson cell phones. Whether using RFID or barcodes for traceup and traceback of livestock, from birth through the packing plants and on to the consumer; or tracking transport containers or perishable meats and other food consumer goods, www.ScoringAg.com makes managing data easier -- and does it in an extremely cost effective manner from “Field-to-Fork.”
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