ASABE Technical Library - Abstract

Abstract. Farming has become data-driven: technology enables previously impossible levels of precision, but also burdens the grower. Data volume and complexity require the grower to spend more time processing, transforming, and understanding their operation. Further, relying on data to manage ever-larger operations amplifies the risks of bad-data-mediated errors. Growers thus need tools than can integrate the data and transform it into useful information, shifting the data management burden away from the grower and onto the software. Building these tools currently requires knowledge of agricultural operations, as well as integrating with a myriad file formats, APIs, and manufacturer-specific conventions.

Data exchange standards can serve many purposes; two are particularly relevant here. First, standards facilitate broader (i.e., more technologies) and more comprehensive (i.e., greater level of detail and precision) systems integration. This is achieved by reducing development and maintenance costs for data handling systems. Second, standards promote reliable system interoperation: standards-compliant tools are expected to work together; the end-user benefits by having confidence that two products from difference sources will work together as expected.

The PAIL project chartered by AgGateway (a non-profit consortium dedicated to the implementation of open standards for eAgriculture) seeks to propose an open standard for irrigation data exchange (ASABE Project# X632). This paper provides an overview of PAIL deliverables. We begin by describing PAIL's overall scope. We then provide an overview of: the draft standard's division into parts; a series of business processes; core documents that support them; a set of core concepts (e.g., identity, time, reference, setup and configuration data); the relationships among those concepts; a data exchange schema; and some beta-testing conclusions. We conclude with a discussion of PAIL's impact and future direction.