Collaborative Environment Visualization Platform - An Effective Technology for Knowledge Transfer between Scientists and Local Farmers

Abstract

The aim of this research is to provide a collaborative environmental visualization (CVE) platform to transfer knowledge between scientists and local farmers, in order to assist farmers to manage their properties effectively based on scientists' knowledge. The CVE is linked to a couple of specific databases, including a farmland information database and a scientists' knowledge database, through which the scientists are able to diagnose problems or predict the future condition of remote farmland. According to the requirements of the local farmers and the scientists, some specific features have been developed inside the CVE, including simulation of the current condition of the farmland and prediction of the future, photography exchange, and a solution that allows users to view multiple scenarios of the same area. Besides describing the design of the CVE, the paper also briefly introduces a plan of an experiment to test the practicality of the CVE.