Integrating data to drive decision making on a farm

Growers need good data on a timely basis to support effective decision making. At present, growers get data from many sources in incompatible forms, delivered through multiple routes. That makes it difficult to make good use of that information when running a business.

The Mallee Regional Innovation Centre is running a project with the SuniTAFE Smart Farm to improve decision making on-farm.

This initiative will integrate that complex mix of data sources into a single platform to support core business decisions. Deliverables will include:

• Decision making: with a dashboard at different scales to drive task management
• Reporting: to third parties including investors, and accreditation for regulators (for example - spray diaries)
• Projections: using AI (artificial intelligence) from big data analysis to support projections on yields
• Automation: of integrated devices such as irrigation controls or robotic weeding

We will deliver this by working with a specialist software company, Sensand Technologies, to further develop and adapt software to match the needs of horticulture. The SuniTAFE Smart Farm will be used as a trial site.

The first stage of the project will test the approach and provide a ‘proof of concept’, targeting a priority segment of the Farm’s activities.

We are proposing regional businesses join the project to sponsor this ‘proof of concept’. This will ground the project in the Mallee region and allow a fit for purpose tool to be tested, with a view that uptake and adoption of such a new technology will be quicker.

The project is looking to begin in August to September this year and is expected to take six months to completion.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for the project, or would like further information or to expression interest, please contact us via email mric-info@unimelb.edu.au