scholarly journals Monitoring Cropping Systems: From Data Collection to Cloud Database Storage Using Open Source Software

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
Ioanna Panagea ◽  
Dangol Anuja ◽  
Marc Olijslagers ◽  
Jan Diels ◽  
Guido Wyseure
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Web Application ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Query Languages ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Raw Data ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Study Sites

Agricultural cropping systems and experiments include complex interactions of processes and various management practices and/or treatments under a wide range of environmental and climatic conditions. The use of standardized formats to monitor and document these systems and experiments can help researchers and stakeholders to efficiently exchange data, promote interdisciplinary collaborations, and simplify modelling and analysis procedures. In the scope of the SoilCare Horizon 2020 project monitoring and assessment work package, an integrated scheme to collect, validate, store, and access cropping system information and experimental data from 16 study sites, was created. The aim of the scheme is to make the data readily available in a way that the information is useful, easy to access and download, and safe, relying only on open source software. The database design considers data and metadata required to properly and easily monitor, process, and analyse cropping systems and/or agricultural experiments. The scheme allows for the storage of data and metadata regarding the experimental set-up, associated people and institutions, information about field management operations and experimental procedures which are clearly separated for making analysis procedures faster, links between system components, and information about the environmental and climatic conditions. Raw data are entered by the users into a structured spreadsheet. The quality is checked before storing the data into the database. Providing raw data allows processing and analysing as each other user needs. A desktop import application has been created to upload the information from spreadsheet to database, which includes automated error checks of relationship tables, data types, data constraints, etc. The final component of the scheme is the database web application interface, which enables users to access and query the database across the study sites without the knowledge of query languages and to download the required data. For this system design, PostgreSQL is used for storing the data, pgAdmin 4 for database management administration, MongoDB for user management and authentication, Python for the development of the import application, Angular and Node.js/Express for the web application and spreadsheets compatible with LibreOffice Calc. The system is currently tested with data provided by the SoilCare study sites. Preliminary testing indicated that extended quality control of the spreadsheets was required from the system’s administrator to meet the standards and restrictions of the import application. Initial comments from the users indicate that the database scheme, even if it initially seems complicated, includes all the variables and details required for a complete monitoring and modelling of an agricultural cropping system.

An open-source R-package and web application for high-quality probabilistic predictions in hydrology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Hunter ◽  
Mark Thyer ◽  
Dmitri Kavetski ◽  
David McInerney
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Web Application ◽  
R Package ◽  
Error Model ◽  
Objective Functions ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Probabilistic Error

<p>Probabilistic predictions provide crucial information regarding the uncertainty of hydrological predictions, which are a key input for risk-based decision-making. However, they are often excluded from hydrological modelling applications because suitable probabilistic error models can be both challenging to construct and interpret, and the quality of results are often reliant on the objective function used to calibrate the hydrological model.</p><p>We present an open-source R-package and an online web application that achieves the following two aims. Firstly, these resources are easy-to-use and accessible, so that users need not have specialised knowledge in probabilistic modelling to apply them. Secondly, the probabilistic error model that we describe provides high-quality probabilistic predictions for a wide range of commonly-used hydrological objective functions, which it is only able to do by including a new innovation that resolves a long-standing issue relating to model assumptions that previously prevented this broad application.  </p><p>We demonstrate our methods by comparing our new probabilistic error model with an existing reference error model in an empirical case study that uses 54 perennial Australian catchments, the hydrological model GR4J, 8 common objective functions and 4 performance metrics (reliability, precision, volumetric bias and errors in the flow duration curve). The existing reference error model introduces additional flow dependencies into the residual error structure when it is used with most of the study objective functions, which in turn leads to poor-quality probabilistic predictions. In contrast, the new probabilistic error model achieves high-quality probabilistic predictions for all objective functions used in this case study.</p><p>The new probabilistic error model and the open-source software and web application aims to facilitate the adoption of probabilistic predictions in the hydrological modelling community, and to improve the quality of predictions and decisions that are made using those predictions. In particular, our methods can be used to achieve high-quality probabilistic predictions from hydrological models that are calibrated with a wide range of common objective functions.</p>

scholarly journals Variation in Occurrence and Aflatoxigenicity of Aspergillus flavus from Two Climatically Varied Regions in Kenya

Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ethel Monda ◽  
Joel Masanga ◽  
Amos Alakonya
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Aspergillus Flavus ◽  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Aflatoxin Contamination ◽  
Maize Cultivation ◽  
Bacillus Spp ◽  
Study Sites

Aflatoxins are carcinogenic chemical metabolites produced by Aspergillus spp. of the section Flavi. In Kenya, Aspergillus flavus is the most prevalent and has been associated with several acute and chronic aflatoxin outbreaks in the past. In this study, we evaluated the occurrence of A. flavus in soils from two agro-ecological regions with contrasting climatic conditions, aflatoxin contamination histories and cropping systems. Aspergillus spp. were first isolated from soils before the identification and determination of their aflatoxigenicity. Further, we determined the occurrence of Pseudomonas and Bacillus spp. in soils from the two regions. These bacterial species have long been associated with biological control of several plant pathogens including Aspergillus spp. Our results show that A. flavus occurred widely and produced comparatively higher total aflatoxin levels in all (100%) study sites from the eastern to the western regions of Kenya. For the western region, A. flavus was detected in 4 locations (66.7%) that were previously under maize cultivation with the isolates showing low aflatoxigenicity. A. flavus was not isolated from soils under sugarcane cultivation. Distribution of the two bacterial species varied across the regions but we detected a weak relationship between occurrence of bacterial species and A. flavus. We discuss these findings in the context of the influence of climate, microbial profiles, cropping systems and applicability in the deployment of biological control remedies against aflatoxin contamination.

scholarly journals Advances in Agronomic Management of Indian Mustard (Brassica juncea(L.) Czernj. Cosson): An Overview

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kapila Shekhawat ◽  
S. S. Rathore ◽  
O. P. Premi ◽  
B. K. Kandpal ◽  
J. S. Chauhan
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Indian Mustard ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Agronomic Management ◽  
Management Techniques ◽  
Seedbed Preparation ◽  
Crop Geometry

India is the fourth largest oilseed economy in the world. Among the seven edible oilseeds cultivated in India, rapeseed-mustard contributes 28.6% in the total oilseeds production and ranks second after groundnut sharing 27.8% in the India’s oilseed economy. The mustard growing areas in India are experiencing the vast diversity in the agro climatic conditions and different species of rapeseed-mustard are grown in some or other part of the country. Under marginal resource situation, cultivation of rapeseed-mustard becomes less remunerative to the farmers. This results in a big gap between requirement and production of mustard in India. Therefore site-specific nutrient management through soil-test recommendation based should be adopted to improve upon the existing yield levels obtained at farmers field. Effective management of natural resources, integrated approach to plant-water, nutrient and pest management and extension of rapeseed-mustard cultivation to newer areas under different cropping systems will play a key role in further increasing and stabilizing the productivity and production of rapeseed-mustard. The paper reviews the advances in proper land and seedbed preparation, optimum seed and sowing, planting technique, crop geometry, plant canopy, appropriate cropping system, integrated nutrient management and so forth to meet the ever growing demand of oil in the country and to realize the goal of production of 24 million tonnes of oilseed by 2020 AD through these advanced management techniques.

Development of a web application for water resources based on open source software

2014 ◽  
Vol 62 ◽  
pp. 35-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blagoj Delipetrev ◽  
Andreja Jonoski ◽  
Dimitri P. Solomatine
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Web Application

scholarly journals Open Digital Shoreline Analysis System: ODSAS v1.0

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Alejandro Gómez-Pazo ◽  
Andres Payo ◽  
María Victoria Paz-Delgado ◽  
Miguel A. Delgadillo-Calzadilla
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Baseline Method ◽  
Free Open Source Software ◽  
Digital Shoreline Analysis System ◽  
Analysis System ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Single Baseline ◽  
The One ◽  
Free Open Source

In this study, we propose a new baseline and transect method, the open-source digital shoreline analysis system (ODSAS), which is specifically designed to deal with very irregular coastlines. We have compared the ODSAS results with those obtained using the digital shoreline analysis system (DSAS). Like DSAS, our proposed method uses a single baseline parallel to the shoreline and offers the user different smoothing and spacing options to generate the transects. Our method differs from DSAS in the way that the transects’ starting points and orientation are delineated by combining raster and vector objects. ODSAS uses SAGA GIS and R, which are both free open-source software programs. In this paper, we delineate the ODSAS workflow, apply it to ten study sites along the very irregular Galician coastline (NW Iberian Peninsula), and compare it with the one obtained using DSAS. We show how ODSAS produces similar values of coastline changes in terms of the most common indicators at the aggregated level (i.e., using all transects), but the values differ when compared at the transect-by-transect level. We argue herein that explicitly requesting the user to define a minimum resolution is important to reduce the subjectivity of the transect and baseline method.

scholarly journals Free and Open Source Software for Computational Chemistry Education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susi Lehtola ◽  
Antti Karttunen
Keyword(s):  
Computational Chemistry ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Density Functional ◽  
Chemistry Education ◽  
Tight Binding ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Bring Your Own Device ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Masses

Abstract Long in the making, computational chemistry for the masses [J. Chem. Educ. 1996, 73, 104] is finally here. Our brief review on various free and open source software (FOSS) quantum chemistry packages points out the existence of software offering a wide range of functionality, all the way from approximate semiempirical calculations with tight-binding density functional theory to sophisticated ab initio wave function methods such as coupled-cluster theory, both for molecular and for solid-state systems. Combined with the remarkable increase in the computing power of personal devices, which now rivals that of the fastest supercomputers in the world of the 1990s, we demonstrate that a decentralized model for teaching computational chemistry is now possible thanks to FOSS computational chemistry packages, enabling students to perform reasonable modeling on their own computing devices, in the bring your own device (BYOD) scheme. FOSS software can be made trivially simple to install and keep up to date, eliminating the need for departmental support, and also enables comprehensive teaching strategies, as various algorithms' actual implementations can be used in teaching. We exemplify what kinds of calculations are feasible with four FOSS electronic structure programs, assuming only extremely modest computational resources, to illustrate how FOSS packages enable decentralized approaches to computational chemistry education within the BYOD scheme. FOSS also has further benefits: the open access to the source code of FOSS packages democratizes the science of computational chemistry, and FOSS packages can be used without limitation also beyond education, in academic and industrial applications, for example. For these reasons, we believe FOSS will become ever more pervasive in computational chemistry.

FRAME-Sim: A Free-Software, Multibody-Based, Pilot in the Loop Rotorcraft Flight Simulator

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Zanoni ◽  
Luca Conti ◽  
Pierangelo Masarati
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Free Software ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Careful Planning ◽  
Modern Approach ◽  
Handling Qualities ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Representative Model

In the context of a modern approach to the design of rotocraft, handling qualities should be the result of careful planning, rather than the output of a multitude of other choices, made primarily focusing on more immediate constraints. For a wide range of flight conditions and mission task elements, the test pilot feedback is the essential measure upon which the design choices are made. Thus, it is becoming of fundamental importance to be able to simulate a representative model of the vehicle in a pilot-in-the-loop environment as early as possible in the design stage. This work is intended to document the development process of one such system currently being realized at the facilities belonging to the Aerospace Science and Technology Department of Politecnico di Milano. Particular attention is given to the software architecture, based on the free and open-source multibody solver MBDyn. The development of a module specifically designed to exploit the environment visualization capabilities of FlightGear, also a free and open-source software, is presented.

Cyber Attacks and How to Buy Time

ITNOW ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 40-41
Author(s):  
Christian Folini
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Web Application ◽  
Cyber Attacks ◽  
Rule Set

Abstract Author of the ModSecurity Handbook and co-lead of the OWASP ModSecurity Core Rule Set project, Christian Folini explains why open source software is the most e ective way to add security to web application services

A Longitudinal Study of Fan-In and Fan-Out Coupling in Open-Source Systems

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asma Mubarak ◽  
Steve Counsell ◽  
Robert M. Hierons
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Large Classes ◽  
Future Problem ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Type Classes ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Open Source Systems ◽  
Maintenance Problem

Excessive coupling between object-oriented classes is widely acknowledged as a maintenance problem that can result in a higher propensity for faults in systems and a ‘stored up’ future problem. This paper explores the relationship between ‘fan-in’ and ‘fan-out’ coupling metrics over multiple versions of open-source software. More specifically, the relationship between the two metrics is explored to determine patterns of growth in each over the course of time. The JHawk tool was used to extract the two metrics from five open-source systems. Results show a wide range of traits in the classes to explain both high and low levels of fan-in and fan-out. Evidence was also found of certain ‘key’ classes (with both high fan-in and fan-out) and ‘client’ and ‘server’-type classes with high fan-out and fan-in, respectively. This paper provides an explanation of the composition and existence of such classes as well as for disproportionate increases in each of the two metrics over time. Finally, it was found that high fan-in class values tended to be associated with small classes; classes with high fan-out on the other hand tended to be relatively large classes.

MOSQITO: an open-source and free toolbox for sound quality metrics in the industry and education

2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (5) ◽  
pp. 1164-1175
Author(s):  
Roberto San Millán-Castillo ◽  
Eduardo Latorre-Iglesias ◽  
Martin Glesser ◽  
Salomé Wanty ◽  
Daniel Jiménez-Caminero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Programming Languages ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Objective Assessment ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Quality Metrics ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Efficient Learning ◽  
High Level

Sound quality metrics provide an objective assessment of the psychoacoustics of sounds. A wide range of metrics has been already standardised while others remain as active research topics. Calculation algorithms are available in commercial equipment or Matlab scripts. However, they may not present available data on general documentation and validation procedures. Moreover, the use of these tools might be unaffordable for some students and independent researchers. In recent years, the scientific and technical community has been developing uncountable open-source software projects in several knowledge fields. The permission to use, study, modify, improve and distribute open-source software make it extremely valuable. It encourages collaboration and sharing, and thus transparency and continuous improvement of the coding. Modular Sound Quality Integrated Toolbox (MOSQITO) project relies on one of the most popular high-level and free programming languages: Python. The main objective of MOSQITO is to provide a unified and modular framework of key sound quality and psychoacoustics metrics, free and open-source, which supports reproducible testing. Moreover, open-source projects can be efficient learning tools at University degrees. This paper presents the current structure of the toolbox from a technical point of view. Besides, it discusses open-source development contributions to graduates training.

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