Written by the Web Team
Oryza Online, a web-based user interface for the ORYZA2000 predictive crop growth software, which was developed by PhilRice Information Systems Division, placed second as Best Research Optimization App in the Bigas2Hack developer event conducted by Smart Communications Inc. and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
Oryza Online makes it easier for ORYZA2000 to be used online so users do not have to install the application.
“The current setup in using the program is difficult that trainings are conducted to teach how to use it,” said Nehemiah Caballong of PhilRice Team Hackanalyst said. Caballong`s co-developers include Abraham Darius Allave, Steve Belarmino, and Henry Cayaban.
Caballong said that the user-interface was developed out of the “challenge to create a user-friendly online tool that calls for the potential run function of ORYZA2000, which provides basic information such as crop year, day of sowing, day of transplanting and variety. This will serve as a handy tool for researchers in assessing crop performance.”
ORYZA2000 is a growth simulation model developed by IRRI and Wagenhagen University and Research Centre. Its first version, which was eventually developed, was released in 2001.
The software is used to identify and evaluate the water and nitrogen fertilizer management options in rice production systems, provide researchers information on the yield of a rice crop under a non-stressed environment, and a tool in assessing the effects of drought tolerance traits on rice production, among others.
“The web tool is a freeware available to any interested individual,” Caballong said.
Bigas2Hack is a nationwide event that aims to inspire innovations to help improve livelihoods of rice farmers. It is driven by IRRI’s mission to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure that rice production is environmentally sustainable.
There were two kinds of challenges during the competition: short-term; and long-term. For the short-term challenge, developers worked on their project during the event time frame, which is two days. Those who took part in the long-term challenge, on the other hand, started working on the project immediately upon registration.
Other Bigas2Hack winning applications were Butil, RiceCalc, Visitors Kiosk App, Weather-on-the-Go, and HarBestDeal.
Butil, an automated digital phenotyping system that uses a camera that monitors plant development in the screen house for analysis of images, and assists in phenotyping and monitoring, bested OryzaOnline as the Best Research Optimization App.
RiceCalc is an online tool that helps farmers with decision-making and features a variety seed selector and calculators to determine profitability, moisture loss, milling quality and others, was dubbed as the Best Farmer App under the short-term challenge.
Visitors Kiosk App, a web-based tool that visitors can use to view IRRI’s Riceworld Museum, was the Best Consumer App, also under the short-term challenge.
Winning as the Best Innovation App was Weather-on-the-Go, an application that notifies users of weather forecasts and changes via SMS and a web-based app module, followed by HarBestDeal, a platform that establishes communication among farmers, traders, and IRRI.
