Excerpt from a paper presented at the 2005 ISP Oil Palm Conference in Johor Baru, Malaysia:

The Need to Increase Profitability in Oil Palm Plantations:
Matching Crop and Nutrient Management Principles with Evolving Strategies

Case study: Agronomic Management Information System (AMIS)

An Agronomic Management Information System (AMIS) was set up at PT Asiatic Persada, Jambi, comprising an agronomic database system (OMP 8, www.agrisoft-systems.de), a GIS application (MapInfo, www.mapinfo.com), and a data collector with GPS (Trimble GeoExplorer, www.trimble.com).

The consistency, accuracy and reliability of data collected in the field were greatly enhanced by using a GPS instrument equipped with a data dictionary customized to suit each particular survey (Figure 4). GPS operators were provided with clear guidelines and training before starting survey work. Data were directly imported in the agronomic database OMP 8, which includes standard settings for the direct portrayal of data in the GIS application using MapInfo.

Block boundaries were delineated as a first step in the preparation of the plantation GIS. The boundary of each block was surveyed using GPS and block base maps that contain block identification labels and the area of the block calculated from the GIS data were constructed using the GIS application. Plantation infrastructure (main roads, harvest roads, bridges, culverts) were then surveyed and added to the GIS. Rivers, creeks, drainage canals and large field drains were surveyed and added to the GIS as a separate layer. Additional layers were then added to show the location of mills, housing, schools, and the boundaries of conservation zones and buffer strips, which were then added as separate layers. Thus, a basic plantation map was developed showing each block’s identification with mature, immature and new plantings displayed in different colors (Figure 5).

Figure 4. Data dictionary for collecting data on nutrient deficiency symptoms at LSU palm point locations. The data dictionary is set up on a personal computer (left) and then transferred to the GPS system (right). A system for surveying nutrient deficiency symptoms is described by Fairhurst et al (2005).

Figure 5. Map showing Sako Dekemang Division, Kandang Estate, in PT Asiatic Persada, Jambi (Griffiths, unpublished).

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