NECTEC AND SERICULTURE AGENCY DEVELOP TAMIS APPLICATION TO ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY, QUALITY OF LIFE FOR 110,000 FARMING HOUSEHOLDS
TO IMPROVE productivity and the quality of life of Thai silk farmers, the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) has worked with The Queen Sirikit Department of Sericulture to develop a mobile information system for the provision of key data to those in the sector nationwide.
TAMIS ( the Thailand Agriculture Mobile Information System) is an Android tablet application that allows government officers to register sericulturists via their smart ID cards, said Nectec executive director Sarun Sumriddetchkajorn.
The app is able to access and monitor a map of a farm via the global positioning system (GPS) and Google Maps.
The system also enables users to access information in real time, anytime, anywhere, which will benefit officials and agriculturists in terms of arranging and managing an agricultural zoning system for plantations and farms.
Agriculturists entering the system need only a smart ID card to get them in. The system will then show a picture of the farmer and information including the area of the farm, thus enabling them to check the mulberry trees and situation on their property via Google Maps.
This will in turn enable the government agency to analyse farming information and create benefits for silk farmers on when and where to plant their trees, which will allow them to enhance productivity on their plantations and farms, he said.
“TAMIS will allow government officers very easily to manage agriculturist information via smart devices, and to input information both offline and online with high security, accuracy and in an easy-to-use way,” said the executive director.
Somying Chuprayoon, a silk- farming expert at The Queen Sirikit Department of Sericulture, which falls under the Agriculture Ministry, said the system would benefit government agencies, the private sector and sericulturists alike, since they would be able to access crucial information in the system.
They will be able to compare the quality of their silk over the system and be in direct contact with the private sector whenever a business wants to purchase their silk via the online network, she said.
Moreover, the agency will be able to provide knowledge and information in order to transfer know-how directly to agriculturists via the Internet.
“I think TAMIS will be able to create added value for agriculturists as a whole, and that we can invite the next generation of agriculturists to participate in the project and develop their future products for the market, since they will be able to utilise information from the database to enhance productivity and increase the value of their product,” said the expert.
Saridiporn Chuprayoon, deputy director-general of The Queen Sirikit Department of Sericulture, said the system would not only register agriculturists, but in the near future also allow the private sector to purchase Thai silk directly from farmers.
E-market place
The agency will also provide an e-market place to support silk farmers, so that they can provide their quality products online, thus supporting the digital-economy trend, said the official.
The Kingdom has more than 110,000 sericulture households across 56 provinces. The system has to date registered more than 700 of them via cloud computing, said Saridiporn.
Phensri Kunsuwan, leader of the Srisumlan sericulture community in Chaiyaphum province, said the community currently had 16 members, whom the TAMIS system would benefit by enabling them to access information from government agencies via the online network. Moreover, it will help farmers enter new markets, which will increase the level of business done by the community and the private sector, and enable farmers to improve productivity and incomes – as well as the quality of Thai silk, since the system allows producers to check quality in real time, she said.