Autogrow is calling for more public APIs (Application Programming Interface), giving increased access for growers to their own data, and fostering faster innovation in the Controlled Environment Agriculture industry.
“To date, large industry players have not publicly published APIs’, but our argument is that it’s your data - you should be able to do what you want with it,” says Chief Technology Officer Jonathan Morgan.
“There can be a protectionist approach to development to dissuade people from building their own versions or integrating other products. But you will never keep up with all the customer requests or in the same timeframe as the 15 other companies working on the same improvements in the market. Access equals innovation - simple as that.”
Autogrow's FarmRoad has launched their public API on a new Developer Portal which is product agnostic and welcomes all industry players. This will allow growers to use the platform to build a ‘best of breed’ solution for their operation, no matter what their current technology providers are.
“You don’t have to rip and replace your existing technology. You just need to use an API to connect it to FarmRoad and then see all your information in one place. You can also give third parties secure access to specific areas of your information – keeping control of what you want them to see.”
“As innovation accelerates it creates a unique challenge of being able to centralize all of your data in one place – regardless of the source. We’ve been offering public APIs for over three years and are certainly the leaders when it comes to cloud technology,” notes Mr. Morgan.
Initially, the FarmRoad Developer Portal will give access to:
- Measurements: Over 39 different measurement data types related to the environment and crop registration.
- Events: Capturing key events or notes for example pest detection or spray regimes.
- Farms/compartments/sectors: Get the full picture from different areas of the farm. Giving comparative studies, trends or with permission-based access.
“This is just the beginning for what FarmRoad will be able to offer. With API availability, growers will be able to create their own custom applications alongside the work we are doing. It’s a great developer community which can evolve and scale as businesses and the industry changes.”
- For more information on the FarmRoad Developer Portal - https://farmroad.io/developer
- For more information on the API documentation - https://developer.farmroad.io/
- For more information on Yield Prediction by FarmRoad - https://www.farmroad.io/