GIS Anchored Integrated Plantation Management : Tea

GIS Anchored Integrated Plantation Management : Tea

Objective:
The objective of this proposed work is summarized below:

To develop a GIS anchored web enabled Decision Support System (DSS) for Tea Enterprises.
Introduction of the concept of Precision farming.
User-friendly IT Framework for collection of reliable spatio-temporal data.
Efficient and smart ERP package for decision support at all levels for better management & profitability.

Description:
In order to make Indian Tea globally competitive, the need for proper planning and timely monitoring of Plantation-related data is a must. The estate managers should be able to see every corner of the field with all associated data for better productivity and to achieve consistent quality.

In this proposed work, we would like to emphasize the need of collection of reliable and timely Plantation-related data and to put them into state-of-the-art GIS & ERP framework for analysis and planning.

Data collection from the field with the help of field sensors and integration of these data to GIS and ERP package will lead to effective and efficient planning for better management.

The following areas will be addressed in this project :

Generation of Digital Map of the Estate:
A digital map of the entire estate will be prepared from existing available paper maps and documents. Latest high resolution Satellite image will be used during this map generation to include up to date information of the estate.
Land use & Land cover map :
The map is then classified in terms of land use and land cover.
The percentage of tea crop cover is a major indicator for crop yield. Therefore crop cover percentage is considered for land use categorization.
Generation of DEM or topography :
Based on the existing contour maps and/or stereo Satellite image, a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the entire terrain will be generated. From the generated DEM, slope and aspect maps will then be generated.
The Topographic factors, i.e., slope, elevation and aspect are having enormous importance to tea plants and also to soil conditions.
Hence, these DEM, slope and aspect maps will help the managers in decision-making.
Generation of Soil map :
A classified soil and fertility map will be generated on the basis of existing soil survey data. Some sample soil data from specific field points will be collected and tested at Laboratory for crosschecking of the data.
Generation of drainage map :
The existing drainage and stream network map of the Tea estate will be prepared. This is very important in terms of irrigation and for draining of excess rainwater. Water logging is very harmful for the tea plants. This drainage map when analyzed in conjunction with the elevation map will give an idea about that. Modifications of the drainage system, if required, can then be planned for the betterment of the situation.
Collection of other important attribute data :
Other important attribute data like average daily relative humidity, average daily sunshine hours and average daily temperature maps for the estate will be prepared. Tea plantation parameters concerning acreage, variety (clone), planting density, soil cover by the canopy, pruning cycle, planting date and yield will be collected.
Socio-economic and other environmental data :
Socio-economic data of the area and other environmental data like soil erosion, deforestation, ground & surface water quality, etc. will be collected and mapped. Soil data like moisture content and pH value of soil will be measured periodically through sophisticated handheld instruments.
ERP Integration :
All relevant attribute information will be stored in a database for ERP planning. All sorts of plantation information, scheduling information etc. will be stored in a centralized location, which would help the management to take effective managerial decisions. The web interface module will also help the officials to remotely monitor about the status of estate and take decisions remotely.
Customisation of field instrumentation :
Proper interface electronics will be designed to collect and store data into Palm-top computers from the field instrumentation sensors.

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