DSS tool for the implementation and operation of an umbilical system applying organic fertiliser

The production of biogas from animal, crops, or urban waste benefits environmental-friendly energy production, and it is also beneficial for sustainable agricultural production through the use of liquid organic fertiliser as a source of organic matter. A number of systems are available for the transportation and application of the liquid organic fertiliser but detailed in-field operations planning tools are necessary to establish safe conclusions on the advantages and disadvantages of each application system. Here, an algorithmic approach for the operational planning of liquid organic fertiliser application using the umbilical system is developed and presented. The approach provides all the key operational parameters necessary for the evaluation of a selected operational scenario, together with the relative significance of the various part operations involved, taking into account attributes of the operating environment. The whole system has been built as a web-based decision support system tool. A set of results demonstrated the use of the tool for supporting decisions on the adoption of the umbilical system as an operational system for the application of the organic fertiliser. A second set of results demonstrated the use of the tool for comparing an umbilical system in terms of cost and time with a tanker system. The comparison between these two systems quantified the benefit of such field operation models to accurately simulate in-field machine activities and provide precise case-based data rather than average norm based evaluations of selected field operation systems. © 2012 IAgrE.