ISOBUS in Precision Agriculture: At Long Last, Strangers Can Communicate and Understand Each Other!
The invention and adoption of precision agriculture have evolved with advancements in concepts and technology. Recently, while addressing a forum on precision agriculture and its emerging trends, I happened to mention the word “ISOBUS” which caused a buzz and a debate.
Electronic systems are currently the key driver of innovation in agricultural technology. However, progress is slowed by the lack of compatibility between proprietary solutions developed by different manufacturers, which often do not interact with systems from other manufacturers.
When the industry first started, some companies made products that would only communicate with other products made by the same company. The lack of compatibility between machinery from different manufacturers leads to frustration among users/farmers. Today, all modern precision agriculture and agricultural machinery manufacturers are making inroads toward this common goal of compatibility.Â
ISOBUS is the term usually used to refer to the ISO standard 11783 the general standard for mobile data communication for the agricultural and forestry equipment industries
ISOBUS in Precision Agriculture: Finally Strangers Can Communicate & Understand Each Other Perfectly!
Equipment that is ISOBUS compliant communicates seamlessly (i.e., plug and play) with other equipment to form systems of machines and implements that can be flexibly configured to meet user or farmer needs.
ISOBUS is the reason why a farmer can use his Johndeere tractor fitted with an FJ Dynamics Auto Steer System and monitor his Massey Ferguson 8-row precision planter seamlessly. That is the power of ISOBUS protocol in machine/equipment data exchange and communication.
By Eng. Alfred
