Archives

Vol. 1 No. 8
April 16-30, 2000
Info made available in real time through IT
by Rita T. dela Cruz

The Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), in cooperation with the SEAMEO Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), organized a seminar on the latest trends in Information Technology (IT) on 14-15 April 2000 at the BAR-CERDAF Conference Room. Decision-makers of different R&D institutions attended the event. The participants learned of technologies learned in the market, and what suits their needs. Also, interaction with the resource speakers enabled the participants to know what structure to implement to connect them with other agencies.

The two-day activity is in connection with the expanded mandate of BAR I initiate moves to encourage sharing of information among R&D units, and disseminate information and technology to its intended users. Moreover the Bureau will be in charge of establishing the R&D National Information Network (NIN). NIN aims to link all offices and levels of the Department of Agriculture (DA) with other research institutions and local users, providing them easy access to information and marketing services related to agriculture and fisheries.

The first day of the seminar kicked off with five presentations giving an overview of the latest information technologies available in the market. The resource speakers were from IT vendor-companies, namely Cabletron Philippines, Tetra technologies Distribution Inc., Silicon Valley, Banawe Computer Square,a nd Teledata Com.

On the second day, there presentations were made: Dir Roberto Villa of ITCAF on Agriculture and Fisheries National Information Network; Ms. Ana Abejuela of SEARCA on Knowledge Management Project; and Dir. Eliseo R. Ponce of BAR on the Principles of Partnership, and its Proposed Institutional Responsibilities and Conditionalities.

Other than getting to know the latest technologies, participants were able to view and handle computers during IT exhibits. Participants toured of the exhibit, and interacted with the vendors. Taking part in this activity were participants from State Colleges and Universities, DA-Attached Agencies and DA-Staff Bureaus.

Establishing a Partnership
BAR NIN envisions that R&D information is made available and accessible to all through IT. To achieve this, BAR will confer with R&D institutions on a framework of partnership that will cover the scope, financial scheme and appointment of IT teams that will work hand in hand with BAR. And that with this partnership, these R&D institutions will pledge to share the cost of acquiring infrastructure needed to manage intra-agency and interagency information-sharing.

BAR shall act as the gateway of the "national reference center" of the R&D NIN, while the R&D institutions shall serve as "information producers and consumers". In terms of cost-sharing between BAR and R&D Institutions, the ratio would be 1:2. BAR will also provide technical assistance in terms of acquiring the hardware and technologies through its IT Division (ITD). Another premise in the said partnership is to ensure that each institution shall appoint an IT counterpart team (minimum of three full-time staff) with one licensed Electronic Communication Engineer. This team will be responsible for assessing the needed resources in the institution; form part of the core team to do infrastructure design and plan; implement the plan; be responsible for operating and maintaining the Local Area Network and other facilities.

Emphasizing more on this aspect of partnership, Dr. Ponce stressed that, "productivity should increase tremendously!" According to him, IT will allow us to do that by sharing knowledge with other institutions to bolster information capacity and connect to other R&D institutions. Furthermore, he pointed out that through easy access to information within and outside the institution, BAR will be able to improve the capability and productivity of the people as well as improve the quality of service.

Issues and Concerns
In the hope of establishing, in the next five years, an R&D NIN which connects 52 R&D institutions, we must address several issues and concerns. The issues and concerns raised during the two-day activities were:

• Configuration and availability of these technologies to the market;
  
• Limitations and interference of these technologies;
  
• Distance, topography, peripheral devices and ither considerations on the installation;
  
• Licensing;
  
• Ensure a knowledge management within institution before info-sharing with other agencies;
  
• Item position for IT personnel;
  Computerization not only of IT R&D NIN but the whole
• system as well (payroll, accounting, library, supplies, finance, administrative, properties, etc.);
  
• Basic requirements of the staff for the IT position.

The next step is to convene all the heads of different R&D Institutions to set up an IT counterpart team as well as determine a cost-sharing scheme among the institutions in the partnership.

April 16-30 2000 Articles:

:: R&D agencies reorient to increase effectiveness
:: Info made available in real time through IT
:: Decrease in paddy soil: a threat to food security
:: Biotechnology strives to gain popularity, social acceptance
:: Severe water scarcity to strike one-third of world's population by 2025
:: Natural remedy for prostate disorders threatened to extinction
:: Rockefeller okay's biotech, but...

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