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Tools for Oil Palm Estate Management
Oil palm management has become more resource and cost-critical during the last decade. Tools that provide rapid and comprehensive data analysis become more and more the industry standard in efficient, well-organized estates.
The Oil palm Management Programme (OMP) was developed to support plantation managers with a comprehensive information system to improve strategic and day-to-day decision making.
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Successful managers must use the best decision support tools to avoid costly decisions and to manage estates in a profitable, economically sound and socially and environmentally sustainable way.
Immediate and easy access to all relevant field data for an estate, historic records over the whole planting cycle, powerful data processing and analysis tools to generate meaningful information and reports for different user levels, site-specific relevance and accuracy and spatial visualization of data analysis results are the key features for an efficient estate information system.
Key components for efficient field management in Oil Palm Estates
- MIS management information and decision support, agronomy data analysis, field monitoring, reporting, historic documentation;
- GIS spatial data analysis and visualization;
- GPS estate mapping and data collection;
- Satellite images and remote sensing;
- HRD human resources development, training, support;
- BMP best management practices and ISO certification.
Read more: Integrated MIS for oil palm agronomy and management ...
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OMP Overview OMP is a site-specific information system for agronomy and field data management in oil palm estates. It handles data that influence the performance, efficiency and proftability of the estate.
OMP covers all relevant field data (over 200 data items) on the following topics.:
- general estate characteristics (e.g. block size, soil type, topography, planting material, planting date and density, previous land use, land clearing method)
- on-going field maintenance (e.g. erosion, drainage, soil conservation, pruning)
- monthly yield and harvesting figures (yield, bunch weight and number, harvester man-days)
- climate and rainfall data (rainfall, rain days, water deficit, sunshine hours, temperature)
- fertilizer recommendation, application and nutrition records (from organic and inorganic sources)
- leaf and rachis data analysis results, visual nutrient deficiency symptoms, vegetative growth parameters
- soil analysis results for the palm circle and the inter row area (frond stack)
- pests and disease incidents
- tree census results.
OMP is a powerful tool to assist agronomists with the analysis of all relevant field data, and to provide the managers with fast, reliable, well-structured and useful information on production, productivity and agronomic background.
The program provides a complete suite of tools to filter out specific data, to do on-screen data analysis, and to produce reports and charts to support decision making and field management tasks. Users can select exactly what they want to examine by using in built OMP queries and filter options.
Read more: where does OMP fit into the MIS concept ...
How OMP is set-up for estates
OMP is normally set-up for a single estate or a group of estates with similar characteristics, normally located in the same area and organized under the same management structure.
The programme organizes data (records) on a per block and year basis (also called field or management unit).
OMP allows the storage of historic data for two consecutive planting cycles within a single data set (e.g. data for the current planting plus one replanting period). This allows you to keep and analyze field records for a period of up to 50 years in a single database. All details, e.g. on monthly yield, climate, nutrition, field management are available for every single block and year and can be directly accessed by any authorized user.
However, if you have reasons to decide to split the database into different historic phases, OMP allows you as well to maintain the respective information in separate MIS databases.
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Site-specific characteristics
Each estate and location normally has different site-specific characteristics.
OMP is set-up according to the requirements and conditions for each estate, using definitions which represent the actual factors and classifications for that estate.
For example:
Soil type and land classification to define specific yield profiles, or management classifications for erosion, ground cover, topography etc., are defined individually for each OMP estate.
Users can also enter their own research values to define critical leaf levels for different age groups, nutrient removal in fruit bunches, nutrient contents in EFB and POME, etc.
Data can then be analysed according to site-specific criteria, and parameters such as manuring and fertilizer programs, planting materials, planting density, soil type, erosion status, soil conservation can be compared to provide information about their impact on yield and productivity.
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Data entry procedures
The OMP program is based on easy-to-use menus and command options. In-depth computer knowledge is not necessary to use the program.
Data entry is straight forward and based on actual field data. OMP uses standard oil palm estate data, and no extraordinary data collection is required. Data entry control procedures are established to minimize data entry errors. Database maintenance is supported by data validity checks and by the use of drop down menus and pick-up lists to input data.
Specific data processing functions are implemented to generate extended information from basic input data. During data entry, meaningful and comparable information is generated on the input forms.
This information is immediately available in block display forms, data analysis forms and print reports, up to the date of the last month entered. It also assists operators to detect data errors or anomalies.
Complete block record sets for a new year can be generated automatically, based on existing block data. No repetitive data entry of general block information is necessary.
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Data import and export options
OMP comes with a set of powerful and easy to use menu driven interface modules, which allow the import and export of literally every bit of information that is stored in OMP.
This allows companies, which already use other information systems to avoid double data entry.
Examples for data import procedures, which are already implemented in existing installations, include the import of monthly yield data from payroll systems, the import of leaf and soil analysis results from laboratorium spreadsheets, and the import of field survey data from GPS data loggers.
The data export options are highly appreciated by agronomists and scientists. They allow the definition of filter conditions and the selection of the specific data fields to be exported, to prepare exacly the data source that is required.
Data export is used to prepare data sets for hand-held PC's or to use the data normally in combination with other survey results for intense statistical analysis in SPSS or comparable statistical software.
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Features
OMP has open data processing characteristics with the option to adjust data categories, fertilizer programs and values used in calculations. OMP7 can be set up to work exactly according to the user's site-specific requirements.
OMP has easy-to-use filter definitions and on-screen data analysis forms to monitor the performance of the plantation, to identify problem areas, and to generate, report, chart or map particular information and task specific data on demand.
OMP has an easy-to-use reporting system to enable users to prepare block and unit reports. Print options can be used to prepare booklets to be taken to the field for a comprehensive reference on block information, at a glance, on the spot. OMP can link to digital estate maps to produce high quality maps of specific field information.
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Using GIS for spatial data analysis
OMP data can be linked directly to all Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software that follow industry standards. This provides the user with a dynamic tool to view spatial data analysis for all OMP field management parameters. OMP-GIS provides you with the tools to develop the specific precision agriculture approach that is best suited to your estate.
OMP is the most powerful "back-end" database solution for GIS applications in oil palm estates on the market.
go to the OMP-GIS section
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Improving productivity of the estate
Using OMP, estate management decisions and field maintenance activities can be based on detailed data analysis results.
Managers have immediate access to comprehensive information for every palm block, via a user friendly 'point and click' interface.
Problem areas in the estate are easily identified.
By implementing OMP, an extensive technical database is set up on estate level. A single data source is maintained for the estate and this is used to provide specific field information on demand. Current data for the present year and historic views starting from the first yielding year can be accessed instantly.
OMP-GIS reduces office costs and time required for generating management reports. OMP data analysis and reporting features are immediately available to generate printed reports or maps. No more late nights spent with a pocket calculator to produce management reports or 'one off' analyses! |
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