New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts
Orchard 2000--a decision support system
for New Zealand's orchard industries
M. R. LAURENSON
The Horticulture and Food Research Institute
of New Zealand
Batchelar Research Centre
Private Bag 11030
Palmerston North, New Zealand
J. G. BUWALDA
The Horticulture and Food Research Institute
of New Zealand
Ruakura Research Centre
Private Bag 3123
Hamilton, New Zealand
J. T. S. WALKER
The Horticulture and Food Research Institute
of New Zealand
Havelock North Research Centre
Private Bag 1401
Havelock North, New Zealand
Abstract To compete in world markets, New Zealand's
horticultural industries must meet increasingly stringent quality standards and
market preferences, and continue to offer new and innovative products. Their
ability to do this depends on the continual transfer of new orchard management
technologies from discipline-based research programmes. "Orchard 2000" is a
computerised decision support system designed to provide a standard framework
for the encapsulation of horticultural science into decision support "tools"
for orchardists. These decision support tools provide information which helps
decision makers with specific management decisions. The framework incorporates
an orchard database which stores details of orchard layout, weather,
production, operation, and finances. The decision support tools share this
database rather than having their own files, so data are stored in an easily
accessible and non-redundant form. These tools also have a consistent graphical
user interface, reducing the learning time for new tools. Prototype decision
support tools for orchardists have been tested by trial groups of apple and
kiwifruit growers, consultants, and agribusiness. The prototyping approach for
tool development implies continued iterative refinement. An "open" software
standard has been adopted to encourage third party development of decision
support tools.
Keywords decision support; computer models; orchard
industries
New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticulrural Science, 1994, Vol. 22:
239-250
0114-0671/94/2203-0239 $2.50/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand
1994
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (4254K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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