1. Utilizing Databases to Manage Precision Ag Data Candice Johnson BAE 4213 Spring 2004

2. Candice Johnson BAE 4213 Spring 2004 Precision Agriculture = Information Precision ag at any level generates vast amount of information and data The goal of precision ag is to improve management practices and increase profit In order to accomplish this the information must be analyzed to determine trends

3. Candice Johnson BAE 4213 Spring 2004 What is a database? A database is an organized collection of data used for a specific purpose. IE: A way to store and process large amounts of data to draw conclusions

4. Candice Johnson BAE 4213 Spring 2004 Why use a database? Spreadsheet Isolates data in multiple files Tends to result in duplication of data Duplication leads to errors over time Difficult to update Database Redundancy of data reduced Improves data integrity Added complexity of software

5. Candice Johnson BAE 4213 Spring 2004 GIS Packages Are Databases The majority of the GIS packages available are a database managers themselves. The various packages allow differing levels of data manipulation to the user. Some of the packages allow connectivity with higher powered database programs such as Microsoft Access and Oracle

6. Candice Johnson BAE 4213 Spring 2004 Our Situation Currently manipulate data in multiple spreadsheets and GIS software packages. Most apparent problem was the difficulty tracking grain and generating bills. The area for the greatest impact resulted from the majority of the data still in notebooks preventing any quick analysis.

7. Candice Johnson BAE 4213 Spring 2004 How the database works User inputs data from binders into tables similar to previous spreadsheets, however, information is only entered once. The database links the information and performs all the calculations using queries. A report is then produced combining the desired information.

8. Candice Johnson BAE 4213 Spring 2004 Data Entry

9. Candice Johnson BAE 4213 Spring 2004 Resulting Reports

10. Candice Johnson BAE 4213 Spring 2004 Expanded Capabilities Allows calculations determining both spatial and temporal variability between fields and different years. Provides a record for billing and insurance purposes with land owners and seed companies.

11. Questions