An Information System for a Small Agricultural Company Built on the Google Maps Platform

Abstract

Planning crop production is a key factor in small agricultural companies or cooperatives. The company’s arable land usually consists of a number of partial plots. It is essential that agronomists keep track of what is being grown in each plot and of the state of the plot.  In addition, agronomists also need to be aware of the ongoing work activities of agricultural employees. Keeping a record of what has been and is being grown in plots and across the company’s land is a complex problem. Existing software solutions are not suitable for small companies and the cost of the software and associated fees is also an important factor. Information systems have received considerable attention in recent years, and Google Maps Platform appears to be a suitable tool to solve the problem of crop production planning. Google Maps Platform is often discussed in scientific articles and has already been used in many areas to solve problems related to soil, land, maps, routing, to name a few. Although there are other solutions such as geographic information systems or cadastral maps, for example, Google Maps Platform can provide crucial information and it can be used also in mobile applications. We analysed the market for information systems designed for agricultural enterprises and contacted selected agricultural enterprises. The problem domain was identified by evaluating responses in a survey. In this article, Google Maps Platform and its current use is first introduced. The article draws on a set of scientific publications referring to Google Maps Platform. Considering the results of our survey in small agricultural companies, we solve the problem using Google Maps Platform and present a proposal for an information system. The design is illustrated by several diagrams. Finally, we discuss and show how Google Maps Platform can help solve the identified problem of crop production planning in small agricultural companies. Our information system provides managerial reports and it can be easily extended with a mobile application.