Modern farming is switching to a data-driven approach. A multitude of digital solutions, e.g. software systems, sensors, or other agricultural equipment is already available and used by farmers, and farmers have good reasons to use a specific tool. However, the interconnection of multiple tools, i.e. the exchange of data between these tools, can be very cumbersome due to the lack of interoperability. Connectivity and interoperability of systems and equipment used in agriculture are crucial factors in the digital transformation of the sector. The adaption of the most advanced digital technology in agriculture is the key for a more sustainable and productive food production, ensuring the supply of food and simultaneously reducing the environmental impact.
The overall objective of ATLAS is the development of an open interoperability network for agricultural applications based on services, and to build up a sustainable ecosystem for innovative data-driven agriculture using this network. The solutions developed in ATLAS will provide the means to interconnect agricultural software systems, agricultural machines, sensor systems and data analysis tools to establish the flow of data between them. ATLAS follows the approach of making well established and specialized tools interoperable, providing the possibility to decide which tool to use to the end-user. The development of the ATLAS Interoperability Network is a bottom-up initiative involving stakeholders from all important agricultural domains, focusing on a technical interoperability which enables the exchange of information between different existing systems. As each of these participating systems is independent and built upon its own technical infrastructure, this leads to a distributed, non-centralized network of systems. In a nutshell, the ATLAS Interoperability Network will provide the means to interconnect different agricultural software systems and equipment and to establish the flow of data between them.
