WO2008010234A2

WO2008010234A2 - Method for on-site analysis

Info

Publication number: WO2008010234A2
Application number: PCT/IN2007/000292
Authority: WO
Inventors: Krishna Reddy Polepalli
Original assignee: MEDIA LAB ASIA; International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad
Current assignee: MEDIA LAB ASIA; International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad
Priority date: 2006-07-17
Filing date: 2007-07-17
Publication date: 2008-01-24
Anticipated expiration: 2009-01-17
Also published as: WO2008010234A3

Abstract

eSagu is a tool for IT-based personalized Agro-Advisory system. ('Sagu'means cultivation in Telugu language). It aims to improve farm productivity by delivering high quality personalized (farm-specific) agro-expert advice in a timely and continuous manner to each farm at the farmer's doorsteps without farmer asking a question. the expert advice is a provided at regular intervals to each farm from pre-sowing stage to post-harvesting stage.

Description

FORM 2

THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39 of 1970)

& The Patent Rules, 2003

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(See section 10 and rule 13)

TITLE OF THE INVENTION METHOD FOR ON - SITE ANALYSIS

APPLICANTS): International Institute of Information Technology

Gachibowli, Hyderabad - 500 032 Andhra Pradesh, INDIA.

AND Media Labs Asia

No.2, 4^th Floor, Samruddhi Venture Park

Central MIDC Road, Andheri (East), Mumbai - 400 093,

Maharashtra, India.

The following Complete Specification describes the nature of the invention and the

manner, in which it is to be performed. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method and system for analyzing and evaluating at least one agricultural product or at least one horticultural product or at least one of the farm animals and fisheries at single or multiple geographic regions or areas and applications thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method of analyzing at least one agricultural product or at least one horticultural product or at least one of the farm animals and fisheries at single or multiple geographic regions or areas.

The present invention also relates to a cost - effective method of identifying, characterizing and/ or evaluating the pathological conditions and the performance parameters of the agricultural product, horticultural product, farm animals or fisheries at single or multiple locations and transmission of the prophylactic measures in a digital form.

Further, the present invention relates to a personalized method and system of evaluating substrate performance by characterization of the impact of variables from different geographic regions or areas. The status of the substrate is examined and input information is transmitted using online or offline means of communication and/ or transportation. This input information is processed and a prescription is made available for the end user at different geographic regions or areas consistent with the obtained input information.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various patent documents describe methods of analysis of agricultural products, horticultural products, fisheries and animal husbandry such as CN. Patent No. 1 ,409,251 discloses an information management system for agriculture and aquaculture for gathering data from producers; CN. Patent No. 1 ,302,033 discloses method for field culture information collecting, processing and analyzing; U.S. Patent No. 6,995,675 discloses a method and system for agricultural data collection and management and U.S. Patent No. 6,751 ,576 discloses a method of characterizing an agricultural product at a location and analysis system.

Throughout the agricultural, horticultural, aqua cultural and animal husbandry growth, production and processing cycle, there is a need for simultaneous personalized tracking and addressal of problems faced by the end user so as to aid in an increased yield and efficiency by efficient utilization of resources. This would also lead to establishment of validated as well as standardized systems of agriculture, horticulture, aqua culture and animal husbandry where accurate information, about the history and the value of each variable is easily available. Producers or growers can benefit by improving their substrate performance and realizing greater returns with performance based compensation.

The end user's typical objective is to increase yield as fast as possible, while keeping the substrates healthy and free of disease. On the other hand, end users are typically not aware of the problems of their substrates. Also the problems faced by the end users are multifarious and individualistic in nature due to the difference in variables at different geographical locations, and varying past histories of the substrates as well as farms, fields, pastures and the like. In order to support these objectives, and establish a queryless system, the input information from each end user is recorded. This input information is evaluated and characterized by plant and/or animal experts and an output information consistent with the data is transmitted digitally at single or multiple geographic regions or areas.

To eliminate duplicate treatments to subjects of a particular group of substrates, a cluster based approach is used in which the input information is collected, transferred and shared in a substrate oriented, subject oriented, event - oriented, transactional and row-oriented structure with columns. The input information is segregated in the form of different fields or events with gradations indicating severity of the pathological condition of each subject from a group of substrates. The output information is provided in the same event - oriented, transactional and row-oriented structure with columns. This helps in establishing a faster and cost- effective means of delivery of output information wherein the output information for one subject can be used for one or more subjects from the same group of substrates having the same degree of severity of the pathological condition.

Many of the genetic and/ or environmental factors can be controlled or managed to improve both quality and economic return on investment if accurate historical information is available throughout the production cycle. There is a growing concern about quality assurance in the agricultural, horticultural, aqua cultural and animal husbandry growth, production and processing cycle by the producers and processors who want to establish that quality assurance to improve their compensation. The agricultural, horticultural, aqua cultural and livestock industry has recognized that certain livestock species, breeds ahd/or plant varieties outperform other species during growth, production and processing. There is an increasing recognition across these industry segments, however, that for both quality assurance reasons and for the improvement of the industry in general, it is desirable to have a reliable and improved system of data collection and data management. An object of the present invention is to provide improved system of data collection, management and feedback. The relevant arts have used data collection systems and statistical analysis of data in order to identify higher performance and yields. There is a need to extend this data collection so that individual growers or producers can make informed decisions about individual substrates in order to further improve their yields. ^•

There is a need, for both economic and quality assurance reasons, for an efficient and cost-effective personalized method for immediate identifying, tracking, monitoring and timely delivery of expert advice for agricultural practices, horticultural practices, aquaculture and animal husbandry. Hence, the development of a cost - effective and economically viable method for the on - site analysis of agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and animal husbandry which is easy to operate and the use of which yields high productivity per unit time as described in context of the present invention . - _ ^. Basic differences between other agricultural extension systems and eSagu (IT based Agro-advisory) January 2007

About existing agricultural extension or information delivery systems:

The existing agricultural extension systems or information delivery systems include print media, electronic media, radio, telephone, field visits, farmers meetings, farmers visiting agricultural research stations etc. The agricultural information is disseminated in a generalized manner by considering that entire region (district or state) is facing the same problem. The information disseminated is not actionable as the farmer is unable to match his/her farm situation with the information provided. In the another method called "Farmer's Call Centers", the agri-experts provide answers to farmers' problems received through telephone, but the system is not scalable. Moreover, it is difficult for the agri-expert to comprehend the problem if solely based on farmer's description. Also, it is not possible to cover all the farmers by solving individual problems in a continuous manner.

About the proposed system or eSagu:

eSagu is a tool for IT-based personalized Agro-Advisory system. ("Sagu" means cultivation in Telugu language). It aims to improve farm productivity by delivering high quality personalized (farm-specific) agro-expert advice in a timely and continuous manner to each farm at the farmer's door-steps without farmer asking a question. The advice is provided on a regular basis (typically once a week) from sowing to harvesting which reduces the cost of cultivation and increases the farm productivity as well as quality of agri- commodities. In eSagu, the developments in IT such as (database, Internet, and digital photography) are extended to improve the performance of agricultural extension services. The eSagu system offers the next generation agro-advisory tool.

The differences between the eSagu and the other agricultural extension systems are as follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a substrate evaluation system in which input information is transmitted via a means of communication and/ or transportation to obtain the output information for the user.

Fig. 2 is one embodiment of a method for evaluating the performance of a substrate in accordance with the invention.

eSagu architecture:

Operation of eSagu:

In e-Sagu, rather than visiting the crop in person, the agricultural scientist -delivers the expert advice by getting the crop status in the form of digital photographs and other information. The description of eSagu is as follows (Figure 1): The farmers are the end users of the system and can be illiterate. A coordinator is an educated and experienced farmer who is stationed in the village. Each coordinator is attached to eSagu local center which contains few computers and a computer operator. Agricultural Experts possess a university degree in agriculture and are qualified to provide expert advice. Agricultural Information System is a computer based information system that contains all the related data. Communication system is a mechanism to transmit information from farms to agricultural experts and vice versa. If enough bandwidth is not available, photographs from the village to the main system can be transmitted through courier service. However, the advices (text) can be transmitted from the main system to the local center through dial-up Internet connection.

The operation of eSagu is as follows, A team of agriculture experts work at the eSagu (main) lab (normally in a city) supported by agricultural information system. One eSagu local center (few computers and one computer operator) is established for a group of about ten villages. Educated and experienced farmers (who are from the villages) work as coordinators. Depending on the crop, each coordinator is assigned with a fixed number of farms. The coordinator collects the registration details of the farms under him including soil data, water resources, and capital availability and sends the information to the main eSagu system. Every day, the coordinator visits a fixed number of farms and takes four to five photographs for each farm. A CD is prepared with the photographs and other information and transported to the main system by a regular courier service. The Agricultural experts, with diverse background (Entomology, Pathology, Agronomy...) at the eSagu (main) lab analyze the crop situation with respect to soil, weather and other agronomic practices and prepare a farm specific advice. At the local eSagu center, the advice is downloaded electronically through a dial-up Internet connection. The coordinator collects the advice prints out and delivers it to the concerned farmer. In this way each farm gets the proactive advice at regular intervals starting from pre-sowing operations to post-harvest precautions. Flow chart of the operations:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the context of the present invention, substrate refers to at least one agricultural product or at least one horticultural product or at least one of the farm animals and fisheries.

In the context of the present invention, input information refers to the data pertaining to the status of substrate comprising of identification information of the substrate, information relating to variables influencing the substrate yield and/ or performance, photographs of the substrate, feedback information pertaining to compliance or non compliance with the prophylactic measures and the like.

In the context of the present invention, output information refers to the ^'data pertaining to the prophylactic measure being transmitted after evaluation of the input information.

In the context of the present invention, variables influencing the substrate yjeld such as agricultural products and/oLhorticultural products include but are not limited to past history of the farm, soil type and characteristics, water content of the soil, pH of the soil, rainfall, humidity, ^• temperature, time of sowing and/ or time of planting, time of harvesting, chemical application information, availability of capital with the end user and the like.

In the context of the present invention, variables influencing the substrate yield such as aqua cultural products and/or animal husbandry include but are not limited to oxygen content of water, pH of water, humidity, temperature, performance of various pastures, weight of the animal, tracking the genetic history of each animal, animals with a good calving history, evaluating the performance of calves from particular animals, the weaning date and weaning weight of each animal, calf birth date and birth weight statistics, medications, treatments, time and interval between vaccinations, availability of capital with the end user and the like.

In the context of the present invention, end user refers to an individual or a legal entity having possession of the substrate.

In an embodiment, analysis and examination of the substrate can be done by digital transmission of data pertaining to the status of substrate comprising of identification information of the substrate, information relating to variables influencing the substrate yield and/ or performance, photographs of the substrate, feedback information pertaining to compliance or non compliance with the prophylactic measures and the like, wherein the transmission of the input information is carried out using online or offline means of communication and/ or transportation.

In another embodiment, the status of the substrate is transmitted from single or multiple geographic regions or areas in a digital form to single or multiple locations, where the pathological condition and/ or performance parameter of the substrate is characterized and evaluated and the prophylactic measure is transmitted in a digital form.

In yet another embodiment, analysis and examination of the substrate is performed by digital transmission of the input information relating to the substrate. This information is transmitted to single or multiple locations whereby plant and/ or animal experts access the input information. The data in the input information is evaluated and characterized and an output information consistent with the data is transmitted digitally at single or multiple geographic regions or areas. Various online and offline means of communication and/or transmission of input information and output information can be used. These include but are not limited to internet, multi media messaging service, short messaging service, text messaging, storage and transport of the data using and offline means of communication and/ or transport and the like. The data may optionally be stored in a data storage device and transmitted and/ or transported.

The input information can be by collected and shared by any technique known to persons skilled in the art of data management such as but not limited to tabular form of data sharing, pictorial representations of data, spreadsheets, bar charts, frequency distribution charts, Venn diagrams and the like.

In an embodiment, the input information is collected, transferred and shared in a substrate oriented, subject oriented, event - oriented, transactional and row-oriented structure with columns. The input information is segregated in the form of different fields or events with gradations indicating severity of the pathological condition of the subject. The output information is provided in the same event - oriented, transactional and row-oriented structure with columns.

In another embodiment, the output information which is provided in the substrate oriented, subject oriented, event - oriented, transactional and row- oriented structure with columns is used for addressing multiple inputs from single or multiple geographic regions or areas. The same output information is applicable for same subjects from a group of substrates having the same degree of severity of the pathological condition, (e.g. tomato plants suffering from mild blight disease can be treated in same manner).

Having described this invention and its operating parameters, variations may be achieved without departing from the spirit and scope hereof.

The following examples will further illustrate certain aspects and embodiments of the invention in greater detail and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. EXAMPLES

Example 1 - Transmission of input data and obtaining output data

Fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram for substrate evaluation system in which input information was transmitted via a means of communication and/ or transportation to obtain the output information for the user. In this case, identification parameters of the individual plant or animal were recorded on a log sheet and coded. The data relating to weather, climatic and other physical variables as described in the invention was also recorded. Digital photographs of various plants or animals (subjects) from a group of substrates were recorded (e.g. cotton plants formed single subject from Kharif crops which was a substrate group of agricultural plants). These photographs and data details were recorded on a compact disc and transported to agricultural and/ or animal experts. The plant and/ or animal experts characterized and evaluated the information and prescribed a suitable prophylactic advice for the input.information. This output information from the plant and/ or animal expert was retrieved via an online internet connection and delivered to the end user.

Example 2 - A paper based embodiment

Fig. 2 illustrates a paper-based embodiment for evaluating the performance of a substrate. In this case, the subject was visually observed and the pathological condition was identified. The pathological condition on the basis of its severity of occurance was graded on a log sheet which had substrate oriented- subject oriented, event - oriented, transactional and row- oriented structure with columns. The gradation of the degree of severity of the pathological condition was indicated against the particular subject as either low, medium or high degree of occurance. Same subjects from a group of substrates having similar degree of severity of pathological condition were given same grading. This input information was recorded on a compact disc and transported to agricultural and/ or animal experts. The plant and/ or animal experts characterized and evaluated the input information. Different prophylactic measures for different degrees of severity of the pathological condition were provided by the plant and/ or animal experts. This output information from the plant and/ or animal expert was retrieved via an online internet connection. The output information obtained for a subject from a group of substrates for a particular degree of severity of pathological condition was applied to all subjects having same degree of severity of pathological condition within the same group of substrates.

Claims

Claims:

1. A method of identification and problem solving in the agriculture by adopting a novel process of communication and integration of related data to improve the efficiency of farming or cultivation comprising; a. Registration of the field or farm details with the center b. Coordinator collecting all the data of the fields c. Visiting the crop fields at regular intervals and recording the status d. Data collected is transferred to the main center through electronic devices e. Experts will prepare the advise and send back to the coordinator f. Whereby coordinator deliver the advice to the farmer for appropriate cultivation methods to adopt

2. A method of identification and problem solving in the agriculture according to claim 1 , wherein the data is collected through the digital cameras.

3. A method of identification and problem solving in the agriculture according to claim 1 , wherein the data is transferred through electronic communication preferably but not limited to e-mail, transfer of images through internet, GPRS communications.

4. A method of identification and problem solving in the agriculture according to claim 1 , wherein the experts will analyze the problem at the center depending on the data available on the crops, weather conditions, crop age, soil data.

5. A method of identification and problem solving in the agriculture according to claim 1, wherein upon receiving the advice of the experts farmer uses the appropriate methods for the problem solving.