by Evan Pennisi

While cloud computing provides benefits to many technical areas of business, cloud storage technology is also being used for forecasting methods in the agriculture industry. In a time when water sources are being depleted faster than they can be renewed, farmers need to find processes designed to conserve valuable water supplies. Cloud computing technology has allowed them to do just this.

Over-watering an area has huge costs so farmers have turned to cloud computing and the internet to predict when to water and when to turn the water supply off. To do this, farmers place solar-powered probes in large fields with buried soil moisture sensors and mobile phone antennas attached to the top. The mobile phone transmits data gathered from the soil sensors to servers using cloud storage. The results are held in the cloud and displayed on a console accessible from any online computer or smartphone. Farmers can then use this data to make decisions regarding when to water their plants and when to stop. The cloud service system also sends alerts by email or text message when irrigation should next take place as it factors in future weather patterns. Additionally, farmers can use the technology to efficiently plan the usage of fertilizer and pesticides.

The impacts of using cloud based technology in the agriculture industry have been profound thus far. Many agricultural businesses have saved huge amounts of money and have increased their output as a result of using the cloud. Farmers now have more precision and accuracy when it comes to decision making and implementing plans. Cloud computing has aided farmers not only in decision making but has also helped conserve water which is very beneficial to the environment as well. The use of the cloud in agriculture is a great example of the potential of cloud based technology and its impact on future business operations.

If cloud computing can be applied to agricultural processes, applications in other industries or businesses will soon follow. Business managers might find the cloud useful for planning budgets with readily accessible data from prior periods. Suppliers may use the cloud to store up-to-date information about their customer needs. Whatever the case may be, cloud technology can help businesses improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase productivity down the road. Whether or not that road is taken is a choice for businesses to make.

( Vivian )12 Jul,2012

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