New technologies are being developed to aid in data
collection. Handheld devices already exist that combine spatial data (GPS
locations) and traditional data collection (specific non-spatial information).
These data are entered into the device and downloaded into the database at the
end of each day or week.
Ongoing initiatives open the way for on-line
querying, information access, and mapping projects in other agricultural areas
and sectors, not only in Latin America but also elsewhere, for example in
Africa. And also for products as cocoa, cashew nuts, or bananas to name a
few…
In the area of authentication - proving that a
coffee or a product actually comes from a specific area or source - technologies
such as smart tags are also being developed. Such tiny computerized tags,
attached to each bag or container, can contain any set of information required
to meet the market's authentication requirements, and could even be tracked by
satellite if such control was necessary.
Remote sensing and spatial mapping today provide
information on natural vegetation, watersheds, land-cover, land-use, forestry
and other crop areas, etc. But of course the benefits are not limited to
agriculture. The same technologies assist with urban development and town
planning, infrastructure verification, protection of wetlands, mapping of
informal settlements: the list is almost endless and covers matters of interest
to developed and developing countries alike.
As an example see www.geospace.co.za. For more information, a search
on Google using the words Geographic Information Forum produces a lengthy list
of relevant websites like, for example, www.ppgis.net - the Open Forum on Participatory
Geographic Information Systems and Technologies. Advanced users of mapping
technology and related subjects will find http://registry.gsdi.org/index.php of interest.