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Information Technology and its affect on improving water use efficiency on 13 July 2003,MAF UAE. The seminar was presented by Dr. Ian McCann, irrigation and water management specialist, University of Delaware, USA. The seminar was attended by more than 25 researchers and scientists from the ministries, municipalities, universities and other agricultural institutes in the UAE.  |
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The use of the internet has expanded rapidly in recent years, and it is now a primary means of delivering information. However, there are a wide variety of users with differing requirements. In the field of agricultural water use, potential users include large and small farms, extension services, municipalities, researchers, and private companies and consultants, each with different needs and capabilities to use the information. One of the uses is in irrigation management. Crop water use is driven by the weather, which can vary significantly from day to day. ICARDA and the countries of the Arabian Peninsula have initiated a network of automatic weather stations from which data can be retrieved by telephone and processed to estimate water requirements on an up-to-date daily basis. Computer models can then use this data to generate estimates and predictions of the amount of water is in the soil and how much is needed for irrigation. This information is technically complex, and so has to be further processed to provide it to the end user in a simple, easily understandable form. For example, the University of Delaware is developing a system in which users log on, and are automatically identified so that information specific to their individual needs and location can be delivered in a graphical form. Farmers, as one example of a group of users, will receive information on soil water content in the form of a gauge similar to fuel gauges used in cars. The technology is however only one component of the system. In order to be successful, participation by end users and extension services in the development is essential, so that appropriate “information tools” can be produced. Maintenance of hardware and software, and on-site calibration and validation, is also a requirement if the data is to be useful in improving water use efficiency. Also important is cooperation and sharing of data and information between different groups or institutions.
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