Building Web-based Farm Information System Using 3D Visualization Technology: A Case Study of Jigawa State
Chapter One
Aim and Objectives of the Thesis
The aim is to:
Accesses farm information to farmers over a network through the application of 3D visualization technology, with the help of geographic information system (GIS) and digital globes (Google Earth) technology.
The objectives are to:
- Develop web based farm information system using 3D visualization
- Import created 3D models on Google
- Associate Google earth with Geographic Information System (GIS).
- Assess information dissemination results of the 3D system side-by-side those of the 2D system
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
Most of the business today in globe has profited from the arrival and world spread of the Internet, agriculture is one of them. Farmers can exchange ideas, connect with one another and other experts on agriculture using several forums and social networking sites. They can also acquire knowledge base on disseminating of information on large agricultural activities, while this makes rural digital divide to be reduce to an extent. For example farmer can easily seek out and connect with an agriculturalist and expert on agriculture where information such as farming system, price for grain and livestock, pest information and weather information in any part of the world is exactly available on one’s hand.
The information on farming system can have opportunity to communicate through the application of 3D visualization technology. The thesis focused on how plant information can be displayed through 3D visualization to enable farmers to make better decisions on crop to grow. 3D representation is nothing but the ability to make virtual worlds, using 3D computer models to give people a feeling of reality in the imaginary world. The use of GIS makes the work more inform for farming system. Zhu et al (2012) views that, the Web has become a new medium which can display geographical information in rich forms and offer user-friendly interfaces. One of the promising trends in current Geographic Information System (GIS) is the use of Web 3D technology.
3D form of Visualization
WikiEcho (2012)compare 3D and 2D as follows: 3D refers to the actual dimensions in a computer’s workspace. 2D is ‘flat’, using the X and Y (horizontal and vertical) axis’, the image has only two dimensions and if turned to the side becomes a line. 3D adds the ‘Z’ dimension. This third dimension allows for rotation and depth. It’s essentially the difference between a painting and a sculpture.
In his dissertation, Tory (2004) compared 2D and 3D views as, A 2D view is a representation of an object or data set that provides information about only two spatial dimensions. A slice or orthographic front/back, right/left or top/bottom projection. While 3D view is any representation of an object or data set that directly provides information about 3D spatial structure (depth information). A 3D view is typically a perspective or orthographic projection of an object from a viewing angle other than front/back, right/left, or top/bottom. 3D views include, but are not limited to, stereo projections of objects.
3D techniques are initially applied in game design. It has many advantages
3D makes well-organized use of space compare to 2D Tory (2004). One of the major problems addressed in graph visualization is the size of the The size of the graph can make a normally good layout algorithm completely unusable. There are systems that can deal effectively with thousands of nodes. When the scale of software increases, the visibility, usability, and discernibility of the graph visualization accordingly experience dramatic drops. Also, the density of the layout makes the interaction, navigation, and query about particular nodes very difficult and even impossible. 3D has one more extra dimension that can be used to encode some knowledge compared to 2D (Tory, 2004). It works better for high dimensional data than 2D views. 3D has much greater working volume and has more flexibility to represent and organize the information. The efficient use of a 3D space for visualization is proposed as a solution to overcome the limitation of available exploration space and the problem of link crossing.
CHAPTER THREE
DESIGN OF WEB BASED FARM INFORMATION SYSTEM.
Introduction
Information technology has succeeded in used of computers for effectivedissemination of information. Designing of farmer‟s three dimensional visualization technologies will make significant information for decision-making in Agriculture, which results in developing a model of Web based farming system.
For better improved and higher productivity of Agriculture, the use of 3D technology lies in bringing about an overall qualitative improvement in Agricultural activities. Access to information makes successful development of Agriculture and technologies which are making their best efforts to raise the benefits of farming to rural farmers.
Empowering farmers with relevant timely information about different plant varieties, including details about their ability to withstand biotic stresses (e.g. drought, salinity, nutrient deficient and growing conditions) can significantly reduce farming risk (Seyedand Seyed, 2012). New Information technologies, including Geographic Information System (GIS) can make such information available more widely in rural farming. This chapter outlines the research plan and the processes on the architecture of the farmers‟ 3D visualization technology as well as the design of 3D model.
System Requirement
The requirement of the system for the designing of farmer‟s 3D visualization technology is that, there is need for Google Earth Pro installed on computer, desktop GIS currently popularly known ArcGIS of ESRI also installed for the designing of the maps and installed sketchup or Google sketchup and Ruby programming language 2.0.
CHAPTER FOUR
IMPLEMENTATION AND DISCUSSIONS
Introduction
This chapter explains the implementation and discussion of the result. Firstly, the main features and the implementation of this tools and platform wilbe discussed. The second part will elaborate on the implementation of 3D visualization technology of the system that has been developed. The third part of this chapter will talk about the testing of the model while the fourth and the last part discuss the result of the work.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary
The thesis is entitled“a web-based 3D farm information system for Enhanced information dissemination”. It examined how to disseminate information to farmers through 3D visualization technology. The thesis was based on the motivation that, the computer is changing every day and the people living in local areas received some changing over a year or some years after. Considering the current changes in game application which is still running on the world of computer as three dimension work, so the thesis focuses on three-dimension to display the plant of local areas in 3D model. The thesis aims at developing a plant and farm model of the Jigawa state major crops produced in the state communities through GIS and Google Earth 3D technologies in order to allow farmers and other rural families view the virtual world of the farm for better decision in choosing the appropriate crop toward valuable farming activities.
Traditionally, two dimensional design is less viewable, since it is much of x and y dimension, and it is a picture like view object. But, 3D designs is always shown and reach in x, y and z dimension which can rotate and move in such a way people will feel like a real life world. The plants are in 3D design, so it can be viewed as real life plants. 3D plant model was preferred because of its interactive ability to disseminate information to farmers and other people. Its interactive ability will help in developing and enriching agricultural product as well as well- being of the farmers. It will also help in reducing the global hunger in rural community.
In its richest form in computer, GIS as collective component of computer and other described earth‟s surface data, helps in better performance of disseminating information to farmers. This is because the thesis considers it as the most developing desktop software for mapping 3D model of the research area, while physical farmers through it can import to Google earth. With Google earth, the users can view any part of the world including Jigawa state. Google earth as a three dimensional representation of the earth over the internet to access the satellite and aerial imagery can quickly allow locating the local government areas in the research for viewing the 3D model farms when combined with KML.
This thesis presents the conceptual architecture of the farmers using three dimensional visualization application which consists of three layers via: interface, GIS map and data layer. The layers combined together to form a clear and interactive vision of 3D model for reliable accessing of information by farmers to generate high Agricultural productivity.
Conclusion
The contribution of digital globe towards dissemination of information on Agriculture is very essential compare to other way of sending information. This work discovered that the role of Google earth as digital globe in farming makes enhanced and qualitative information dissemination on internet. Then there is need to develop more information dissemination on Agricultural activities to internet at appropriate time in a place its needed where farmer can get well farm product.
The research purposes was to deliver enhanced communication of farm information to farmers through the application of 3D visualization technology, with the help of geographic information system (GIS) and digital globes technology. It is also aimed to provide web based Agricultural information dissemination to farmers and to effectively use Google earth in accessing Agricultural information.
There are several phases in Agricultural practices where the advanced technologies are inevitable for providing highly productive Agriculture. Digital globe technology is a key factor in this age of computer technology for disseminating Agricultural information in order to provide best farming product. The work looks at the previous work done related to the thesis, but none is digital globe enabled toward effective information dissemination.
The constraints issue to use of Web-based 3D for disseminating Agricultural information, based on the research views that, poor Communication of information are the technical constraints influencing dissemination of Agricultural information. The work also indicated that if hardware and software are user-friendly, it might be work for successful decision in plants needs to grow for good farming yield.
Recommendation
Information dissemination through GIS and Google earth technology to farmers for better productive Agriculture in the area of the study recommends the following:
- Government and private providers of information need to work together with farmers to find precise needs of information that would assist them to develop a better farming product and to find more operative communication channels in which to access better
- There is the need to look at phases like education, farming experience and women farmers when disseminating This will consider illiterate farmers, local farmers and women farmers when spreading information.
- The farmers should participate in other information and communication technology, so that they will improve in day to day activities of internet toward retrieval of modern way of information concerning
- Digital information technology is key factor in this time of computer technology, where many Agricultural activities are expected to yield valuable agricultural This form of digitizing should be well understood by farmers.
- Indication of uses of internet in the world Agriculture is huge. However, Jigawa state should be able to expose Information dissemination technology in its Agricultural activities which is already on process. With this, the technology should be
- Internet is difficult to get to most of the farmers. Then establishment of internet centers in most rural areas is the easiest way to eliminate the digital divide between rural farmers and urban farmers along with this, there is need for government to establish centers for alighting farmers and training them on new farming technology and the accessing of information through internet.
- There is no good environmental condition in most of the rural areas of the state, in which material needed for internet accessibility such as internet services of mobile phones, electricity poles, cables. Considering this condition, the collaboration with authorities like GSM service providers and electricity suppliers is needed in order to make concrete arrangement so that information dissemination could made easy to access.
Future Work.
The thesis uses 3D visualization to directly disseminate Agricultural information to farmers. However, the section will outline the number of further improvement for delivery of better Agricultural information.
- In the thesis, scripting language known as Ruby was used to extend the capability of the sketchup, therefore optional software that allows users to automate tasks and add capabilities to Sketch Up, can either be written using language like C++ or
- In future, the design of 3D can also be done using Extensible three dimensional (X3D) graphics
- The research covers Jigawa state area and then in future it can cover the North-East geo political
- Virtual Animal farming and environmental information can be considered in the future work for Agricultural information dissemination.
- Building a more sophisticated Internet GIS application using Google Earth, in future it will considerWeb GIS in disseminating information to farmers.
References.
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