Friday, 24 April 2020 10:57

The power of digital systems during crisis

Written by  Pam Tipa
TracMap is classed as an essential service. TracMap is classed as an essential service.

Digital systems will come into their own with COVID-19 restrictions, says James Watson of TracMap.

“It will change the way people practice day to day business and the way processes are conducted in the primary sector,” Watson told Dairy News.

One beauty of TracMap is that contractors can run their business from home. 

All farmers need to do is place the order on the phone.

“The contractor can remotely come, do the job. The farmer can be sent a notification to say the contractor is on site, when they have completed the job and all the information can be sent back to one place.

“There is no that human contact. You can control and have the traceability but remotely for farmers.”

Classed as an essential service TracMap is all hands on deck.

“In day to day practices we have solutions that allow people to work remotely. They don’t have to be face to face.

“That can all be done from the comfort of your own home or the comfort of your cab and not have to worry about anything else.”

TracMap is a GPS and cloud based job management solution for all kinds of jobs in agriculture, horticulture and viticulture.

“The biggest piece of the puzzle is we will allow you to get the guidance and efficiencies from using GPS and proof knowing where you are putting products.

 “You can make sure you are getting the bigger return on investment for your product use.  Along with that is being able collect the data in one place which is becoming a lot more prevalent for the primary industry. Our systems give farmers the facility to be recording what they are putting on where, at what time and at what rates and being able to compile it all in one place for auditing purposes.

“You have real time data, you have real-time reporting of where you are putting effluent, all your end usage where you are putting your sprays.

“It is moving away from the paper based model in keeping everything all in one online cloud based portal for management purposes so.”

TracMap began partnering with Amazon Web Services late last year which now hosts all the TracMap software services on line.

 “We are really fortunate to be working with such a high profile provider globally. That gives us the best support possible outcomes; being able to have numerous customers on our systems and having the best and most robust infrastructure possible.

“It certainly provides us with sustainability for growth in products and more people using TracMap online in the future.”

Watson says 75% of fertiliser applied in New Zealand is now tracked through TracMap.

“We have been able to evolve from just having GPS guidance to be able to unveil and create TracMap online which is our cloud-based portals for recording all the data  on farm whether it is from spreaders, sprayers, mowers or cultivation implements. 

“Farmers can have a unit in the cab and not have to worry about the recording because they are linked back to the cloud-based portals.”

Many farmers are using it because it is two-pronged for them. After recording all the data from their in-cab GPS system they can store it all in one place. It can be used for easier pasture management, GPS guidance for spreaders and sprayers and for K-Line and Sprinkler irrigation. 

In all areas less time is needed for the job, whether by tractor, truck or helicopter.

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