Vol. 111 (1998): Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society
Citrus

DISC MAKES PROGRESS WITH INFORMATION INTEGRATION

Published 1998-12-01

Keywords

  • knowledge integration,
  • decision making,
  • weather,
  • citrus production information,
  • expert systems,
  • knowledge engineering
  • ...More
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Abstract

Information flow is growing at an increasing rate. An attractive way to deal with this flow is a decision- making tool that proposes to reduce the stream to a tolerable rate. Industry representatives on the DISC [Decision Information System for Citrus] development team play a crucial role in the development of the tool by identifying and/or verifying the rules. If this relationship between the developers works as anticipated, users of the system will have adopted the system during the development process. A flat structure in which all participants enjoy the same rank has resulted in a team effort that numbers forty five named participants and numerous interested potential participants. The team includes both scientists and industry representatives. Responsibility for the integration of the system components and modules seems to fall primarily on the industry representatives. Current configuration of DISC is documented and the industry representatives are encouraged to continue, if not intensify, their efforts to integrate the various elements into a singular system. Ownership results from such investment. Funding for two years of DISC development by the Florida Citrus Production Research Advisory Council suggests that the Industry is investing in the concept.