Digital Agritechnology: Robotics and Systems for Agriculture and Livestock Production

Front Cover
Digital Agritechnology
Digital Agritechnology: Robotics and Systems for Agriculture and Livestock Production
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
List of contributors
About the editor
Foreword
Preface
1 - An introduction to digital agritechnology
	Background
		First agricultural revolution (1700 onwards)
		Second agricultural revolution (1914–1980s)
		Third agricultural revolution (1920s–present)
		Fourth agricultural revolution (1970s onwards)
	Basic technologies for digital agritechnology
		Microchips
		Electronic identification (EID or RFID)
		Silicon sensors
		Global positioning systems
		Meteorological information
		Digital imaging
		Communications systems
		Internet protocols
		Databases
	How this book is organised
	References
2 - From data to information
	Introduction
	The future
	Why data?
	Data in context
		DIKW model
		Applications
	Data representation
	Data encoding
	Number bases
	Character encoding
	Data types
		Primitive or simple data types
			Integer types
			Real numbers
				Floating point numbers
				Floating point numbers
				Issues surrounding numbers
				Issues surrounding numbers
					Overflows and underflows
					Overflows and underflows
					Divide by zero
					Divide by zero
					Not a number
					Not a number
					Real number comparison
					Real number comparison
				Unum
				Unum
			Character types
			Boolean
		Complex or composite data types
			String
				Array
				Array
				Lists
				Lists
				Record
				Record
				Object
				Object
			Other data types
				Other collections
				Other collections
				Pointer
				Pointer
				Sub-ranges
				Sub-ranges
				Enumerations
				Enumerations
				Sets
				Sets
				Null
				Null
				Dates and times
				Dates and times
	Data validation and verification
	Data operations
	Data processing
	Data storage
		Devices
		The internet of things
		The cloud and data centres
		Files-based systems
		Databases
		Enterprise service bus
		Data compression
	Data transmission
		The internet
		The world wide web
		Services
		Application programming interface
		Data formats and messaging
	Rendering
		Transformations
		Web scraping
		Data visualisation
	Data classification
	Data management
	Security
		Attackers
		Threat modelling
		CIA triad
		Regulation
		Politics
	Data trends
	Challenges
	References
3 - ISOBUS – standards and uses for data from farm machinery
	Introduction
	Short history of ISOBUS
		ISO 11783 based on CAN bus
	Components and network
		ISOBUS system overview
		Connectors
			Implement bus breakaway connector (Fig. 3.3)
			Diagnostic connector (Fig. 3.4)
			In-cab connector (Fig. 3.5)
	ISOBUS functionalities
		Universal Terminal (UT)
		Auxiliary Controls (AUX-O and AUX-N)
		Task Controller (TC)
		Tractor ECU (TECU)
		Tractor Implement Management (TIM)
	ISOBUS Shortcut button (ISB)
	File Server (FS)
	Compatibility between ISOBUS systems
		Conformance Testing and Certification to guarantee compatibility
	AEF recognised test laboratories
	AEF ISOBUS Database
	AEF Plugfest
	Future developments on ISOBUS
		High-Speed ISOBUS (HSI) including future network architecture
		Wireless In-field communication (WIC)
		Connectivity between platforms
4 - Field robotics for harvesting: A review of field robotics approaches for harvesting
	Introduction
		Field robotics for harvesting
		Achieving impact: faster, cheaper and safer harvesting
			Faster harvesting
			Cheaper harvesting
			Safer harvesting
			Increased sustainability
	The reality of harvesting
		Challenges
	Current state of the art
		Mechanisms and manipulation
			Blades
			Waterknife
			Suction
			In-hand manipulation
		Vision and learning
			Harvest localisation and classification
			Crop monitoring
			Post-harvest and quality control
		Field tests and measuring success
	Translation from research to commercialisation
	Case studies
		Vegebot: iceberg lettuce harvesting
			System architecture
			Vision and learning
			End effector design
			Field tests
			Experimental results
	The future
		Future technologies
			Data-driven approaches and machine learning
			Soft robotics and tactile sensing
			Genetic engineering and bio-hybrid systems
		New approaches to harvesting
			Single plant tending and harvesting
			24h harvesting
			Human-in-the loop
			Transparency
			Structuring the environment
	References
5 - Capturing agricultural data using AgriRover for smart farming
	Introduction
	SmartFarm: a holistic philosophy for UK–China Agritech collaboration philosophy
		Benefits of adopting the SmartFarm philosophy
	Design methodology for a mobile data collection platform
		AgriRover design
		Mechatronic approach with a focus on energy consumption of the systems
	Overview of navigation algorithms and autonomous field vehicle platforms
		Overview of navigation systems
		A review of navigation algorithm
		Energy-focused mechatronic modelling
	UK–China SmartFarm data flow diagram
		Path planning
		Power data capture in field studies
	Conclusions and future work
	References
6 - Health and welfare monitoring of dairy cows
	Introduction
		Why automated health management?
		Issues in automated animal monitoring
			Classification of disease
			Sub-clinical diagnoses
		Cow identity: the essential first component
	Types of sensor systems
		Wearables
		Image capture
		Thermal imaging
		Biosensors
	Monitoring cow health
		Parturition (calving) monitoring
			Technologies for monitoring calving
		Mastitis
			Conductivity
			Somatic cell counting
			Acute phase proteins
		Metabolic disorders
			Rumen telemetry
			In-line milk sensing of nutritional parameters
			Weight, body condition and body morphology
		Mobility and lameness
			Walkover weigh cells
			Individual foot load analysis
			Kinetics – tri-axial accelerometers
			Kinematics – imaging systems
			Time of passage measurement
		Integrated monitoring
	Animal welfare
	Conclusions
	References
	Further reading
7 - Fertility monitoring of cattle
	Introduction
	Importance of fertility monitoring
		Culling
	Longevity
		Climate change and dairy cow fertility
	Biology of dairy reproduction
		The oestrous cycle
		Post-insemination: pregnancy detection methods
	Systems of dairy cow fertility management
		Natural service
		Conventional AI
		Synchronisation with hormones
		Contracted systems (arm systems)
	Digital systems for fertility management
		Mount detectors
		Early Oestrus Technology
		Pedometers
		Olfactory sensing
		Milk temperature
		Milk yield
		Skin temperature
	Combined measurements
	Measuring hormones in milk
		Progesterone assay
			Biochemistry of hormone analysis
		Well cow
		Herd navigator
		Milkalyser
		RePro
		Combining activity and progesterone analysis
	Discussion: towards a system to improve fertility management
	Appendix 1 dictionary of terms in fertility of dairy cows
	Appendix 2 Definitions of Accuracy
	References
	Further reading
8 - Resilient food infrastructure and location-based categorisation of urban farms
	Introduction
	Urban agriculture and categorisation of structures
		Growing over the ground
			Green roofs or rooftop gardens
			Community gardens
			Brownfields, derelict lands and vacant buildings
			Vertical growing and green walls
				Indoor vertical growing
				Indoor vertical growing
				Integrated Rooftop greenhouse (iRTG)
				Integrated Rooftop greenhouse (iRTG)
				Outdoor vertical growing I
				Outdoor vertical growing I
		Growing Underground
			Walipini and Sunken green houses
			Underground spaces under cities and urban environments
				Bomb shelters under ground
				Bomb shelters under ground
				Metro farms in subway tunnels
				Metro farms in subway tunnels
				Underground basements of commercial buildings
				Underground basements of commercial buildings
				Underground car parks
				Underground car parks
			Underground spaces far from cities under deserts and mountains
				Bunkers under deserts
				Bunkers under deserts
				Coal mines and tunnels through mountains
				Coal mines and tunnels through mountains
	Discussion and conclusion
	References
9 - Critical review of smart agri-technology solutions for urban food growing
	Introduction
	COVID-19 and food security issues in cities
	Macro scale: smart food growing technologies
		Big data, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, smart sensors and citizen science
		Sensors, IoT, irrigation and remote water control
	Planting and survey technologies: drones and remote sensing
		Drones definition, technologies and applications
		Drone-imaging, GPS and crop mapping software
		Nature conservation, environmental reporting and monitoring
		Environmental impacts
	Micro scale: food growing technologies for homes
		Growing devices
		Composting devices
		Smart food storage devices
	Discussion and conclusion
	References
10 - Agriculture 4.0: data platforms in food supply
	Introduction
		The evolution of agriculture 4.0
	Data—who owns and sells it
		Creating data transparency—blockchain methods
		Examples of blockchain in farming
	Agriculture 4.0 market models
		Model 1: closed business system
		Model 2: participatory markets
		The impact of government policies on supply chains
		European union veterinary data market
	Exemplar: the livestock production chain
		Virtual vet system for recording treatments
	Agriculture 4.0 technologies in the value chain
		Agri tech vendors, nodes in the embryonic participatory model
	How to improve supply chain provenance
	An embryonic blockchain platform—veterinary medicine surveillance
	Discussion and conclusions
	References
	Further reading
11 - Risk assessment of introducing Digital-Agritech
	Introduction
		Aims of digital agri-technology
		Failures in risk management in genetic agri-technology
	Design risks
		Risks in machine learning or artificial intelligence
		Software incompatibility
		Limited interface specifications for new developers
		Digital control in animal management
		Environmental control
		Animal welfare monitoring
	Generics
		Data security risks
		Product liability
		Legislative risk
		Position navigation timing failure
		Labour availability risk
		Skilled labour shortage
		Rural internet bandwidth and speed
		Alienation and the death of farming culture
	Discussion and conclusions
	References
Index
	A
	B
	C
	D
	E
	F
	G
	H
	I
	K
	L
	M
	N
	O
	P
	Q
	R
	S
	T
	U
	V
	W
	Z
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