1.1 About Drought Knowledge Center
Knowledge Center for knowledge acquisition, representation and use in drought monitoring
The objective of the “Knowledge Center” is to develop an online platform that provides accessible, objective and well-researched information on drought monitoring worldwide for use in the eastern part of the Netherlands.
As part of the drought project, we are developing a 'WiKi knowledge portal' to engage with farmers and contractors (knowledge acquisition, representation and use) in drought monitoring. "Knowledge Center" is designed and created with a collection of knowledge through Q&A (as well as articles/news/reports/deliverables).
What the “Knowledge Centre portal” offers:
to ensure that the information, products, resources, and best practices are readily available in order to meet the challenges posed by the drought.
to find information about the specific management tasks. It can provide tailor-made advice on how to deal with the consequences of drought, as well as advice on access to alternative solutions.
to collect various local expert knowledge. The farmers and related parties can add inventory comments and upload a document/photo, ensuring the information is always valid.
to share valuable knowledge on climate change effects such as drought.
knowledge items: Interactive features such as the project blog and wiki containing images, maps, pictures, reports, Q&A, and articles, It is used to visualize the processed data in relevant parameters, such as maps regarding land use and management zones, and receive feedback.
to promote effective collaboration and information exchange with groups of farmers in order to find tips and experiences from other farmers.
to offer fast searching for resources on a variety of topics (eg, Category and #Knowledge keywords or Tags (specific for each news item)).
to compare different products. When different products (such as seeds, planting date, type of fertilizer; what, when, where, and how much) are compared, there is a lot of disagreement between them. Thus, in the available knowledge base, you can store and retrieve a qualified answer to improve management decision-making under new climate change variabilities (alternative crops/seeds, less water consumptive and more drought-resilient crops, yield).
to raise drought awareness and drought risks in the Twente region by containing certified blog posts, pages and links.
Why use the “Knowledge Centre”: … knowledge base
inventory of all management decisions, then for each question → specific action & quality (expected benefits and risks) of action(s).
With a given user utility function we can assist the user in optimising expected utility over a number of possible decisions.
As utility functions can be both monetary as well as social we support responsible decision-making on the bases of knowledge and satellite data.
Attractive market opportunity and customer engagement: the customer is primary and we have to communicate with clients to find out the information benefits. We are keen on operational questions, what are the management decisions they make; Information quality & Information benefits.
This platform helps farmers, contractors, and advisors find each other.
The Knowledge Portal is relevant for:
Farmers (to make informed decisions).
Agricultural contractors (to advise their customers/farmers).
Environmental organizations and NGOs.
Public authorities (local and regional).
Students and Interns.
Farming is an important aspect of food security in any society. Recent changes in climate have affected land and water capacity in the Netherlands. For example, KNMI expects that droughts will increase in frequency, especially in the interior due to increased evaporation. However, with the development of new technologies in the recent decade, innovative solutions could address these challenges.
Technology always has been a part of agriculture, from primitive tools to advanced machinery of 21the century. A combination of new technologies, expert knowledge and farming skills have the potential to resolve some of the challenges in farming regarding climate change and land management in the Netherlands [or Europe]. Based on various research and previous experience, the use of data collected from various sources (e.g. satellite and drone imagery, IoT, field measurement and farmers’ expert knowledge) could enhance the process of decision-making while facing these challenges. Collaboration of farmers and professionals in related fields, such as precision farming, water management, drought monitoring, and geo-information, around the country (especially in the eastern part of the country) to share and improve farm management with the combination of innovative data analysis techniques, for instance, data modelling, and model-based image analysis.
The main objective of this platform is to assist farmers and their advisors. This platform incorporates data from remote sensing and geographic information systems and would represent the analysis of the data over time and space. The development of this platform started with gathering required information and study of user requirements. This platform has a participatory approach that involves farmers and contractors as strategic partners for the development of a WiKi knowledge portal to address various challenges in the farming industry based on a collaborative knowledge-sharing approach.
For more info see the AgriWatch page.