The ISObus standard has substantially facilitated communications between different brands of machines; however, there has been a lack of additional standards to ensure the reliable exchange of data between agricultural machinery and agricultural software applications by various manufacturers. The DKE agrirouter offered by Lemken offers a solution to this problem by providing an internet-based platform for the exchange of data across manufacturers that now puts the benefits of digitalisation within the reach of everybody working in agriculture.
Lemken and other renowned manufacturers of agricultural machinery have developed the agrirouter to simplify the exchange of data and reduce the number of communications interfaces. Data is encrypted and therefore transmitted absolutely securely to other applications and partners. These may include machines, farm management systems, apps and their developers, farmers, consultants, contract farmers, fertiliser manufacturers and other members of the value chain. Most importantly, data will be merely transmitted and not stored permanently.
The new agrirouter allows farmers and contractors to work with optimising solutions by a wide range of manufacturers, which ensures that they can work more effectively and quickly and make time for other things. Many transfers can be automated, and basic settings facilitate operations. This new solution additionally allows farmers to future-proof their businesses, as they are able to meet legal requirements regarding food safety, burdens of proof and checks more easily by using networked processes in their work.
The fundamental prerequisite for developing the agrirouter was that the data hub and its interfaces would be open to all manufacturers of agricultural technology and app developers. The agrirouter consortium is generally happy to accept new members. The data exchange platform is developed and distributed by DKE-Data GmbH & Co. KG, and the agrirouter software is supplied by SAP. By creating a solution that supports the transition from numerous stand-alone products towards one independent, shared solution, the initiators of the project wanted to promote the widest possible acceptance. DKE was awarded a Silver Medal in last year’s DLG Innovation Awards at Agritechnica for this major step towards digitisation.
The agrirouter itself is free of charge for users, who ultimately only pay for their individual internet access, for the apps they use, and for mobile data transfers between the hub and agricultural machinery. Each user puts together their own personal agrirouter and defines rules about who exchanges which data with whom to what extent. Famers therefore always determine what happens with their data.
For more information visit: www.lemken.com.
