{"id":26004,"date":"2020-03-12T09:00:26","date_gmt":"2020-03-12T08:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-gb\/industry\/blog\/?p=26004"},"modified":"2020-03-12T09:59:04","modified_gmt":"2020-03-12T08:59:04","slug":"interconnected-data-for-an-interconnected-planet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-gb\/industry\/blog\/cross-industry\/2020\/03\/12\/interconnected-data-for-an-interconnected-planet\/","title":{"rendered":"Interconnected data for an interconnected planet"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SeniorThere\u2019s a limited amount of data and metrics surrounding the way we produce, supply, and consume food. Unfortunately, much of this information is fragmented. Until recently it\u2019s been impossible to bring that data together in a meaningful way.<\/p>\n

We set up Agrimetrics<\/a> to help address challenges in the food system using new technology and data to remedy the situation. We highlight how a range of technologies can tackle complexity in the food system and make it more resilient.<\/p>\n

Untangling a complex system<\/h2>\n

While it\u2019s clear that technology is powerful \u2013 the challenge is creating effective business models that support solving these problems.<\/p>\n

I get excited about the idea that sharing and connecting data can yield insights that would not be possible without the latest technologies. However, it requires a connection to data that is hard to build in a sustainable way.\u00a0And quite often, people don\u2019t share data without a value exchange. Also, organisations have to weigh the risk vs. value equation in sharing that data \u2013 because we all know that data can be misused.<\/p>\n

In my previous role as Director of the Centre for Food Security, one of the emerging themes was the complexity of the food system. The lack of sharing data has made the food system inherently unpredictable and vulnerable.<\/p>\n

The food system is dependent on factors beyond human control like the weather. Add on to that the fact that food is at the heart of human existence, and issues in the system can have far reaching consequences. The food system is global. It\u2019s not inconceivable that a drought in one part of the world could impact food shortages elsewhere.<\/p>\n

\"Portrait<\/p>\n

Serendipitously, I came upon the opportunity to bid for funding to create a Centre for Agri-Informatics and Metrics of Sustainable Intensification. I jumped at the chance. A colleague and I started to discuss how we could use data to reduce complexity. In particular, we wanted to tackle the challenge of reconnecting the farmed, natural, and human ecosystems. These have tended to be managed independently of one another.<\/p>\n

These are of course one ecosystem. By building close connections between the ecosystem and its digital representation through data, we can fix this disconnect.<\/p>\n

Innovating the industry by combining science and technology<\/h2>\n

Agrimetrics is a company that is truly at the intersection of science and technology companies. This relationship has always existed, but now it is going beyond the core technical aspects into creating something bigger. We will discuss what this means in practice, and some of the technologies that have changed the way we can build on data.<\/p>\n

We are essentially the food and farming sector’s Data Marketplace: a place to find, manage and monetise agri-food data. Our mission is to accelerate the sector’s ability to maximise the value of its data. We want to see a sector where the sharing of data powers the next generation of innovation.<\/p>\n

Connecting fragmented data<\/h2>\n

Making the most of the data in agriculture is harder than in many industries because of its fragmentation. At a much more practical level, we are using technology to provide an infrastructure that supports an agri-food data marketplace.<\/p>\n

The key requirements for a data marketplace include:<\/p>\n