Intelligent informatics platform for nano-agriculture

The application of nanotechnology in the agricultural sector is likely to facilitate and frame the next stage of development of genetically modified crops, precision farming techniques (remote and local sensing), remediation (water treatment plants, pesticide removal from ground water), nano-sensors, nano-agricultural chemicals and most importantly designing smart delivery systems for nutrients and pesticides[1]. Although most of these applications are still in their infancy, they have a great potential to revolutionalize the entire agricultural value chain [2]. The wide spectrum of applications has resulted into emergence of multiple stakeholders such as nano-agriculture researchers, practitioners (agriculturists/ farmers), manufacturers and regulatory bodies. They would be seeking and using knowledge in this nascent area from different perspectives such as research and technology, consumer safety, environmental impact and ethical, legal and social implications. No informatics platform exists to cater to the knowledge needs of various stakeholders in this field. To address this gap, we have developed an intelligent Nano-Agriculture Informatics System (NAIS), wherein these stakeholders can carry out multiple activities of their interest. NAIS incorporates a collaborative and semantically guided process to facilitate knowledge-based activities.