ARVALIS-Institut Du Végétal
ARVALIS-Institut Du Végétal
Rugged, Reliable WORKABOUT PRO Handheld Computers Help Advance Innovations in Agriculture
ARVALIS-Institut du Végétal is a leader in applied research for agriculture. Funded and managed by farmers and food producers, the association has 35 sites in France and employs 400 people, including 300 engineers and technicians working on innovations in plant biotechnology, fertilization and crop protection, precision farming, harvesting, storage and processing, as well as studying market drivers, agriculture economics and environmental factors.
The Challenge:
- ARVALIS conducts large-scale in-field experiments at 35 locations spread throughout France. The scope of its activities covers 80% of France’s primary crops—cereals, maize, sorghum, protein, potatoes and fodder.
- ARVALIS technicians needed to capture and store data in the field. Working in all weather conditions—humidity, intense sun, dust, wind and rain—in rugged terrain, their equipment needs to be as robust and reliable.
The Solution:
- ARVALIS equipped its field technicians with Psion Teklogix’ WORKABOUT PRO handheld computer
- Using a software application designed by EZOS, technicians enter field data on the touch screen and can link their handheld computers to industrial scales and harvesters to perform calculations.
The Benefits:
The WORKABOUT PRO provides ARVALIS technicians with flexibility and improved productivity:
- Full VGA colour - touch display provides improved graphics capability in all lighting conditions and allows technicians to enter data without using a keyboard or stylus—essential for those who wear gloves.
- Every finding, measurement, description and count can be entered into predefined fields, allowing technicians to concentrate on visual inspection of plants and soil conditions.
- The WORKABOUT PRO is easy to carry through fields of crops and can withstand all weather conditions found in the field
