World Economic Forum to use drones to enhance info on agriculture in India

The Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR). an initiative by the World Economic Forum (WEF), is all set to kick off its projects in India by the end of the year. Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, C4IR India will be based in Mumbai.

C4IR, a global hub created by WEF to improve the adoption of new technologies in a sustainable, responsible and collaborative manner, has its other centres in San Francisco, Tokyo and Beijing. Its over 45 global corporate partners and members include Reliance Industries, Salesforce, Wipro, ABB and SAP. 

For India, C4IR has chosen to support and guide the use of drones, artificial intelligence and blockchain. Business Standard has been able to get the details of these projects which will be implemented in collaboration with various departments of central and state governments. For instance, C4IR is partnering with Maharashtra to launch a project on “drones and tomorrow’s airspace”.

Here is how the project will work: While drones can be used for mapping any area, C4IR’s project will start with a focus on the agriculture sector. 

Maharashtra will use drones to enhance the information it receives on agriculture data. Currently, the status of farms is captured by satellite images and crop-cutting experiments. These images help farmers and other players in the agricultural sector such as buyers, procurement agencies, insurance companies and fertiliser companies to anticipate the quality and quantity of crops that will be ready for harvest. This information, backed by samples collected from the ground, is used to assess and predict the seasonal output. 

C4IR will work with Maharashtra to use drones for the same agri data. These drones will fly lower and capture better images of the crops. They will be connected to a database and software where the information will be collected and swiftly analysed. What’s more, sensors embedded in the soil will complement the information collected by the drones on soil nutrients, moisture and general conditions. 

The agri information so gathered will not just be of higher quality, but will be available in real time. The collected data will help improve crop productivity, crop disease surveillance, agriculture prediction and help farmers with better advice on appropriate farming practices.

There are plans for C4IR to collaborate with various stakeholders like government departments, private sector and civil society groups, including farmer organisations. The objective is to design a platform where data can be used and analysed to increase efficiencies and improve crop yields. The project will be launched in select districts in Maharashtra. 

The insights obtained through the project is expected to help the central and the state government understand the processes that need to be improved or changed for higher efficiency. Importantly, the government will also learn the practical aspects of flying drones over public areas. This project will coincide with India’s new drones policy coming into effect on December 1, 2018, and will showcase how drones can be used in different sectors. 

Apart from drones, the approach for projects in AI and blockchain is also on building new ecosystems. C4IR is working with Niti Aayog on expanding access to data and accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence in sectors such as health care, education, smart cities and infrastructure, and smart mobility and transportation. The Centre will support the creation of a National Data Marketplace for India through which available data across these different sectors can be collected and integrated for targeted decision-making and analysed using artificial intelligence.  

In each of these sectors the information about various dimensions is fragmented across diverse bodies that capture and store data. At present, there is virtually no protocol or framework where this data can be annotated, pooled and analysed. In fact, government and private bodies in India rarely work together to share data and find solutions. C4IR will help bring all relevant stakeholders together to create governance frameworks, systems and processes that will allow government bodies, private sector and individuals to pool data and be incentivised for their contribution. 

For example, in the health care sector, information about diseases, prevention efforts and clinical trials is distributed across various agencies like private hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and government clinics. For smart data analysis, all health care data should be created, curated and stored under a common protocol. 

The third focus of C4IR will be blockchain. The Centre will help assess the use of smart contracts on blockchain together with Niti Aayog and other government agencies. Contract enforceability is a critical challenge in India with downstream effects that lead to uncertain cash flows for businesses, higher transaction costs, breakdown of a large number of deals, black market prices, intermediaries, information asymmetry, tax leakages, and non-uniform asset distribution. The government has been undertaking regulatory reforms and legal changes, but there’s much more that needs to be done. 

Shailesh Sharda, head of the C4IR in India, says, “Across all its different projects and focus areas, the focus of C4IR India will be to develop actionable pilots that can inform policymaking on these emerging technologies in a faster, more agile manner.” Based on the outcomes, the C4IR will use the models as reference points for new projects not just across India, but globally too.