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What do we do with “Big Data”
Proprietary issues are just one of the questions circling “Big Data”. Data editor for The Economist Ken Cukier says as technology advances farmers are able to monitor their farms more efficiently and effectively.
But the question remains – should farmers be sharing that data? “If you’ve got a tractor and there is GPS with it and the equipment provider is monitoring it to provide it as a service to you – there’s not much you can do to withhold it or you’re less productive,” he says. “Likewise your seed company is also able to plant this with this type of fertilizer at this time of year specifically because of the data.”
On the other hand, Cukier tells Brownfield farmers should want to hold on to the information – because of what he calls “Lock-in”. “These companies are your friend,” he says. “They are there to make you more efficient. But the problem is it is hard for you to switch providers. Because if you have 10 years of buying seed from one seed supplier and they know all about your fields and how to make you more efficient, another seed supplier might not be able to and they might want to come in with a more competitive product.”
And because we’re at the early stages of setting the rules of “Big Data”, he says we need to be careful so we don’t cause unintended consequences later down the road.
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