Dina was initiated in 1991 when the Internet was still an exotic
phenomenon in Denmark. But IT technologies were developing rapidly,
and there was a growing need for advancing computer science methods in
the agricultural sector. The purpose of Dina was to form a network
connecting universities, research institutions, advisory services and
companies in order to promote all types of collaboration to apply
informatics - that is, computer science, statistics, mathematics - and
information technology in agriculture, taken in a broad sense.
It is our conviction that the initial vision behind Dina has proved
valid and durable. Starting with 3 member institutions (two of which
later merged into one), Dina today includes a total of 7 members. In
the first years, funding came from the Ministry of Agriculture and the
National Danish Research Councils (through the PIFT
programme). Already in 1993-94 there was an international evaluation
of the PIFT programme, which gave Dina a most favourable mention. The
member institutions have found Dina so useful that they have taken
over the funding responsibility. In Oct. 1999 the board of Dina
recommended to the members that the network be kept up at least until
2002.
The success of Dina is based on collaboration spanning from basic
science over applied research to advisory services; on the research
school activities where new ground has been broken in the area of
Danish PhD courses; and on the local benefits with respect to
scientific development and infrastucture.
Dina will still be needed far into the 21st century, even if its
method of work may be modified. It is true that tangible results from
applying IT and informatics will gradually become integrated as part
of other sciences and activities, but these sciences will also
repeatedly find themselves in need of new advanced methods, of
developing specific IT facilities, and of interdisciplinary
cooperation.
Agricultural production is based on living organisms - on plants and
animals. Decisions therefore have to be made on very complicated
matters, taking into regard the biological phenomena and the highly
varied way in which they manifest themselves. In this connection IT
and informatics represent great potentials. However, agricultural
problems are frequently difficult to structure, and they cannot once
and for all be stated and clearly specified to the IT developer. In
most cases, good agricultural IT applications are therefore the result
from combining up to date knowledge in both informatics and
agriculture, that is, a joint effort of different scientific
disciplines has to be made.
Dina can procure this for agriculture. When new achievements in
informatics and new demands in agriculture are combined in
cooperation, they present a vast potential which has been, and shall
be through Dina in the future, detected and explored in
time. Agriculture will benefit directly, and so will the basic
informatics sciences in that they are taken into an area of
challenging applications.
Present efforts in Dina fall into three main types of activity:
The recommendations in the report pertaining to each of these three
can be summarised as follows.
The network function should be kept up at the same level as now, or be
slightly expanded. Visible initiatives include: Workshops and thematic
days; participation in EFITA; and other international cooperation and
exchange. But equally important is the more invisible activity and
results stemming from the very fact that there exists a forum in
Denmark for cooperation between agriculture and informatics, a place
where people can get in contact with experts from other fields whose
help or collaboration they need. - In order to set a priority and to
select the tasks where chances are highest for a profitable outcome of
the effort, Dina has in later years centered most of its network
activities around a number of priority research areas and has
appointed respective IT-coordinators to look after these areas, as
described in more detail below.
Dina's contribution in the area of research education should be
expanded as far as the availability of professional expertise and
economical resources will allow. The two main aspects of this activity
are the work in individual projects at the member institutions, the
'Dina nodes' (frequently involving a cooperation between two or more
nodes); and the workshops and summer schools arranged by Dina Research
School. It is difficult to estimate the value - with respect to
research education - of the body of project work, but we maintain that
in a large majority of the Dina related projects, students have been
working with enthusiasm and have acquired a considerable professional
outcome. There is also evidence that the Research School functions
well. Participants have given enthusiastic evaluations of the
workshops and summer schools.
The third role of Dina, as administrator of specific research
projects, has during later years been toned down to apply merely to
large projects financed by EU or similar sources. This was judged
sensible since, as a rule, individual projects are based most
naturally at one or a few of the member institutions. It is suggested
that this practice be maintained so that in the future Dina will only
in exceptional cases act as project administrator.
The vision for the future of Dina is to focus on the further
development of the Dina Research School based on a simple but
effective network organisation; to develop the Nordic, European and
international dimension; and to maintain the yearly general workshops
/ seminars as an attractive meeting point for scientists from the
involved disciplines. The basic funding principle - that all
activities be visible in the budget and that each member institution
commit itself to co-finance Dina - should be preserved.
As a supplement to research and research education, Dina might
consider taking up new tasks related to education at master and
bachelor level, and to presenting IT to a broader agricultural
audience. Such activities are much needed and in any case they must be
based on research collaboration between the Dina member institutions.
Throughout its short history, Dina has met some difficulties from
dealing with 'Informatics in agriculture' - which is not a scientific
discipline, just a meeting point for collaboration or transfer of
knowledge between disciplines, with a great potential of synergy. As
such it is important, but the quality of research depends heavily on
the participants being active and recognized in their respective
disciplines, be they agriculture or informatics; thus in the first
years rather few Dina related papers were published in international
journals. But the situation is fast improving; and Dina seniors in
general have a fine record of refereed publications.
This report first presents Dina's initial principles and their
implementation; then focuses on the three main activities: network;
PhD programme/Research School; and research and application
projects. A concluding section presents our evaluation of the past and
the visions for the future.
One of the objectives of the report is to introduce people not
familiar with Dina to the basic ideas, achievements and future plans
for the network.