Decision Support Systems in Agriculture

Teaching objective: passing knowledge on information systems used for agricultural farm management. The lecture part addresses the issue of implementation and operation of systems supporting management in agriculture. During the first part of lectures the problems connected with technical equipment on farms will be discussed. In classes students will learn a practical operation of selected applications and prepare individual projects.

Lectures (10 hrs.)

1. Design methods in miro and macro scale;

2. Optimization of agro enterprise production system, machinery park management, planning of production technology, reporting, objectives and tasks of designing in agricultural technology;

3. Information systems in management, basic terms, definitions, characteristics. Implementation of information systems in agriculture;

4. Systems supporting management in agriculture and agri-food industry, application specificity, computer in agro enterprise, application of information systems in agriculture;

5. Safety of information systems in an enterprise, data protection. Information in agricultural technology, collection, storage and processing of information, information supply for farmers.

Design classes (20hrs.)

Project title: Designing technical equipment of a farm

1. Adopting project assumptions

2. Feeding farm data into computer according to the accepted assumptions

3. Analysis of different variants, project optimization – selection of the best solution

4. Justification of the choice and discussion on the obtained results

5. Completion of the project, justification of the decisions made

Subject statistic

1. Number of hours and ECTS credits - compulsory subject Hours: -; ECTS: -

2. Number of hours and ECTS credits - facultative subject Hours: 75; ECTS: 3

3. Total number of hours and ECTS credits, a student must earn by direct contact with academics (lectures, classes, seminars....) Hours: 30; ECTS: 1,2

4. Total number of hours and ECTS credits, a student earns in the course of a practical nature, such as laboratory, field trips and design classes Hours: 20; ECTS: 0,8

5. Expected personal workload (without or with academics participation during consultations) necessary for realization of subject objectives. Hours: 45; ECTS: 1,8

CIGR Handbook of Agricultural Engineering. Vol. VI Information Technology. CIGR 2006, ISBN 1-892769-54-9

Knowledge: the student who has completed the course possess knowledge about information systems used for management.

Skills: the student who completed the course can operate selected computer applications supporting management process. Can analyse cause and effect relationships in an ago enterprises and draw conclusions to make proper decisions. The student is able to justify the decisions.

Student formulates opinions about the software designed to support management. He is able to justify the choice of software for a given enterprise and its needs.

Completion of the project and discussion about its.

Test for the lecture part.

Grade E (2.0) < 51%

Grade D (3.0) 51%

Grade C (3.5) 61%

Grade B (4.0) 71%

Grade B+ (4.5) 81%

Grade A (5.0) 91%