Agriculture & Agri-Food

The land that farmers and agriculture workers use to produce food and crops often comes into close contact with waterways and other areas that are under the stewardship of watershed management associations. When agriculture workers and watershed managers collaborate, they can contribute to improving ecosystems.

In Applied Internet of Things (IoT), students will develop an understanding of the practical implementation of IoT in different market segments by analyzing current real-world case studies.  Each case study will discuss the gap that IoT is filling, the key benefits to implementing this application and some of the challenges inherent in adopting this new technology.  Case studies are chosen to demonstrate innovative and cutting-edge applications of IoT.  In exploring these new applications, students will develop an appreciation for the creative solutions offered by IoT. IMPORTANT: Please contact [email protected] for more information and to register. If you do not have a BCIT student ID number and would like to take this microcredential please create one first before emailing the IoT department with your registration request. Create one by clicking here: secure.bcit.ca/sis/reg/ Key market segments covered in the course include: transportation, utilities, Smart City, and health. The case studies will touch on applications that help improve safety, increase efficiency, and provide better solutions to common issues.  Examples of what students will learn include ‘robot sniffers’ that detect gaseous contaminants or how 5G hospital clinicians, with the aid of a VR headset, are able to visualize exactly what the paramedic sees in the ambulance and remotely direct the paramedic, with a joystick, in real-time to perform any necessary procedures.  They will also learn how IoT can help protect and sustain our fragile world by collecting valuable information about ocean pollution, climate change, and biodiversity. The course is open to anyone interested in learning how IoT can be utilized in key market segments. It is geared toward people who wish to explore career opportunities, upskill, or want to increase their understanding of digital transformation. It is also an excellent course for executives and decision-makers who are called upon to evaluate and implement IoT solutions in a wide range of sectors – public and private. With better data available and new ways to use data, IoT is providing innovative ways to creatively solve new challenges and address and fix old problems.  This course shines a light on how IoT is changing the way we work and live.

Greenhouse gases (GHGs), including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), absorb radiation from the sun and trap heat in the atmosphere, effectively acting like a greenhouse or a layer of insulation for Earth. In Canada, 10% of GHG emissions are from crop and livestock production, excluding emissions from the use of fossil fuels or from fertilizer production. In Prince Edward Island, this number increases to 23% of GHG emissions. Of these emissions, crop production represents the primary source of GHG emissions, largely from nitrous oxide emissions arising from the use of synthetic fertilizers, and CO2 release from tillage operations. While crop production is a source of GHG emissions, there are effective strategies to reduce emissions without adversely impacting farm profits. Furthermore, cropland is a potential sink for carbon dioxide, in the form of soil organic matter. Prerequisite (Recommended): ClimateSmart Agriculture: Fundamentals Microcredentials in this series: ClimateSmart Agriculture: Fundamentals ClimateSmart Agriculture: Cropping Systems ClimateSmart Agriculture: Livestock Systems ClimateSmart Agriculture: Data Management & Information System

Data management and analysis are key in allowing the agriculture sector to facilitate change when transitioning to a low-carbon economy and meeting net-zero targets. Using farm-level data will ensure farmers and farm workers are positioned to make decisions to optimize yields and outputs for their specific situation. Digitization of agriculture data is a key factor for the sector going forward and how that data is used and interpreted will affect productivity, competitiveness, profitability, traceability and application of inputs Microcredentials in this series: ClimateSmart Agriculture: Fundamentals ClimateSmart Agriculture: Cropping Systems ClimateSmart Agriculture: Livestock Systems ClimateSmart Agriculture: Data Management & Information System

Greenhouse gases (GHGs), including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), absorb radiation from the sun and trap heat in the atmosphere, effectively acting like a greenhouse or a layer of insulation for Earth.  In Canada, 10% of GHG emissions are from crop and livestock production, excluding emissions from the use of fossil fuels or from fertilizer production. In Prince Edward Island, this number increases to 23% of greenhouse gas emissions. Microcredentials in this series: ClimateSmart Agriculture: Fundamentals ClimateSmart Agriculture: Cropping Systems ClimateSmart Agriculture: Livestock Systems ClimateSmart Agriculture: Data Management & Information System

Greenhouse gases (GHGs), including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), absorb radiation from the sun and trap heat in the atmosphere, effectively acting like a greenhouse or a layer of insulation for Earth. In Canada, 10% of GHG emissions are from crop and livestock production, excluding emissions from the use of fossil fuels or from fertilizer production. In Prince Edward Island, this number increases to 23% of GHG emissions.  Of these emissions, livestock production represents a considerable source of GHG emissions; from enteric methane, to methane from liquid manure storages, to the GHG emissions from livestock feed production (grains and forages).  However, animal agriculture can have a positive impact on the environment and the climate, depending on management practices. Prerequisite (Recommended): ClimateSmart Agriculture: Fundamentals Microcredentials in this series: ClimateSmart Agriculture: Fundamentals ClimateSmart Agriculture: Cropping Systems ClimateSmart Agriculture: Livestock Systems ClimateSmart Agriculture: Data Management & Information System

There are eight microcredentials within the Precision Farming series and they can be taken in any order or on their own. Venturing into data analysis can be daunting. However, much of the analysis required for agriculture operations may be less complex. For example, regression analysis can provide insight into production levels based on single focus items such as rainfall for the year. However, to analyze combinations of factors such as rainfall, soil condition, hours of sunlight, seed density and fertilizer application rates, requires machine learning (ML)/AI to provide a more in-depth picture of what is happening. This microcredential introduces participants to analyzing data and format approaches, algorithms for decision-making, and interpreting the results of compiled data. Microcredentials in this series: Farming Using Smart Technology IoT and Other Sensors in Agriculture Machine Monitoring and Maintenance Scheduling Drones in Agriculture Software for Agriculture Data Analysis Sensors for Agriculture IoT Data Acquisition and Storage Data Analysis and Answering the What-if Questions

There are eight microcredentials within the Precision Farming series and they can be taken in any order or on their own. Precision farming is a management concept that observes, measures, and responds to field variability in crops. Do this, precision farming uses the latest techniques and technologies to address the carbon footprint, clean technologies, and the environmental impact of farming. This microcredential explores the types of drones used in agricultural applications and discusses topics such as drone imaging to assist field analysis. Microcredentials in this series: Farming Using Smart Technology IoT and Other Sensors in Agriculture Machine Monitoring and Maintenance Scheduling Drones in Agriculture Software for Agriculture Data Analysis Sensors for Agriculture IoT Data Acquisition and Storage Data Analysis and Answering the What-if Questions

There are eight microcredentials within the Precision Farming series and they can be taken in any order or on their own. Precision farming is a management concept that observes, measures, and responds to field variability in crops. Do this, precision farming uses the latest techniques and technologies to address the carbon footprint, clean technologies, and the environmental impact of farming. With the use of technology and the Internet of Things (IoT), the farmer can make decisions regarding practices such as land management, maintenance schedules, seeding, and others by using real-time data. The effect is a reduction in the use of sprays, fertilizers, carbon emissions, and the reduction of greenhouse gases. This microcredential investigates current legal status covering equipment owner access to data, provides descriptions of the types of analysis available and how to use it, and explores how the data from ‘smart’ equipment combined with analysis can be used to make future decisions to increase productivity, decrease emissions, reduce the carbon footprint, and to inform farming practices. Microcredentials in this series: Farming Using Smart Technology IoT and Other Sensors in Agriculture Machine Monitoring and Maintenance Scheduling Drones in Agriculture Software for Agriculture Data Analysis Sensors for Agriculture IoT Data Acquisition and Storage Data Analysis and Answering the What-if Questions