Orange Business Services (News - Alert) will be working with sensor manufacturer Dacom to optimize farm yields by investing in machine to machine (M2M) technology. Orange will be creating a scalable communications infrastructure that Dacom will use to connect thousands of agriculture devices in greater than 30 countries across the globe.
Orange plans to connect and then transmit data from sensors attached to an array of devices. This includes weather stations and soil moisture sensors, both of which provide information necessary for farmers to manage their crops well. With more accurate information and increased access to information should come increased yields, and Orange will be creating that access with its infrastructure, an international M2M communications network. Janneke Hadders, managing director at Dacom, spoke about the partnership between the two companies.
“The M2M communications infrastructure provided by Orange Business Services is key to Dacom’s go-to-market strategy as the customers are requiring global support and connectivity,” Hadders said.
The global support network will allow weather stations and other agriculture tech to communicate within a cloud network that farmers can access via the Internet. Farmers can then use the knowledge gained from their data collections to make intelligent decisions about how to manage their production processes throughout the entire growing season. They will be able to better predict which raw materials they will need throughout the season and repond to ailing or thriving crops with increased nutrients, fertilizers, chemicals, pesticides, or other support systems that can revive or keep plants healthy.
Orange's network will also scale to meet the demands of livestock producers and any customers who wish to track their agriculture machinery. Orange Smart Cities and Territories is reaching out to all agriculture businesses and agri-food companies by helping them apply digital solutions for their everyday experiences. Nathalie Leboucher, head of Orange Smart Cities & Territories, said, “We believe that by combining our solutions with the solutions created by Dacom, we can help farmers enable digital services usage and support them in their day-to-day decision making.”
As more farmers become aware of the technology available to them, crop and livestock management should become simpler and more efficient. M2M technology should also create better interfaces that support shipping control with respect to agriculture machinery.
Edited by Rachel Ramsey