Centralizing Agricultural Data Management for Policy Development

Perhaps the biggest questions that arise when both individuals and institutions contact government agricultural agencies for specific information, whether spatial or otherwise, are where is the data, and with whom do I communicate to get it? The answers to these apparently straightforward questions are often well hidden within agency bureaucracy and institutional structure. A data management system, full of incompatible software frequently developed in-house, does not produce industry-standard data formats and was never designed initially to hold data in a spatial context. 1-

The answer is facilitated by a compatible set of industry-standard software tools that work individually but, when combined, provide a complete and professional solution. The ESRI product family, including ArcGIS 8.x, ArcGIS Server, delivers just such a scalable solution and brings with it a pedigree of software developed for governmental applications.

It must be accepted that the majority of agricultural commissioners, ministries, and departments are both made up of regional offices and generate large volumes of agricultural data. Using the ESRI enterprise solution, these offices are able to fulfill their existing responsibilities while updating a centralized data catalog via an Intranet or even the Internet. Decision support for both routine and emergency operations benefits from the seamless transfer of data that the solution provides. Internet access of the cataloged data holdings means that both farmers and agricultural government employees can more fully assist in both regional and local agricultural management strategies.