After my last article on emerging trends and linkages with technology, I thought that a further discussion addressing more specific ways in which modern advances could be used to drive competiveness was warranted.
This thought was partly fuelled by some of the current opinions and commentary in the media that as a country we must do more, now, to pull back some of the economic slippage that is anticipated in 2012 and even 2013. While some of these suggestions have implementation time lines that are longer-term than others, the point is that we can begin to take the proverbial first step even if the journey is one of a thousand steps.
Our tourism industry is our bread and butter and all of the functionaries and commentators active in the industry constantly refer to the high cost of promoting and advertising the island. Now, I am a strong advocate for the use of new media and the Internet is the most powerful tool of all. While I know the Barbados Tourism Authority has a Web presence – or several, I should say – an interesting “tool” that recently came to my attention was a streaming webcam feed from one of the islands in the Greek archipelago.
For those who may be interested you can check out www.livestream.com and look for the Mykonos stream. From wherever you may be in the world (think potential tourist), you can see the wonderful scenery there. The camera automatically changes to different views and even zooms. It is truly interesting and a powerful visual medium, as you can see fishing boats, waterside restaurants and even people casting fishing rods off a jetty.
Some searching revealed we have some webcam feeds available locally, from Port St Charles and Mullins Beach, for example, although one of those did not want to cooperate or was not functioning. How about more such streaming cams featuring scenery such as our stunning East Coast or Oistins at its height on a Friday? A quick look on the BTA’s European website does have a YouTube clip on sea turtle hatchlings on the beach, but really there is much more of the island that could and should be on show to the world in real-time!
Islands such as those in the Greek archipelago are vying for the same European tourist dollar that we are, so let’s fight toe to toe.
Another very potent medium is the cellular network and this is not just because we can make calls from a remote location like on the beach. An increasingly prevalent use for mobile cellular technology combined with radio frequency telemetry is the remote control of various systems over the cellular network.
An example that is in actual use is the control of irrigation for crops. Devices implanted in the soil monitor soil moisture, temperature and humidity and transmit these parameters via radio frequency telemetry to receiving devices that can then transmit this information via the cellular network to the farmer on his mobile. Should the crops need irrigation, the same communication pathway can be used to initiate the turning on of irrigation systems. Furthermore, the irrigation system is shut down when soil moisture and other set criteria are met.
The farmer need not necessarily be present and moreover, the instrumentation determines the need for water and so optimizes the use of a precious resource, water. This type of system is currently employed both in outdoor environments and in indoor climate-controlled crop greenhouses.
The benefits are easy to see.
For outdoor situations, in addition to efficient use of the water resource is the added resilience to variable weather conditions, such as temperature and rainfall, enabled by better control with ready access to information on the crop’s growing environment and conditions. For greenhouse crop growing, the range, type and period of crops can be customized and managed independent of the outdoor climate.
Of course these kind of systems also mean less manual labour input and so too less overhead.
It seems clear to me that since truly large-scale agriculture is not entirely practical in Barbados, we must approach the problem of improving agricultural productivity and lowering food cost from a different angle. Last but not least, the advent of climate change with its increased weather variability provides another strong reason to look into the use of tools and systems such as remote monitoring and automated control via over-the-air networks.
New mobile network architecture such as the recent fourth-generation one, 4G, will only make this even more feasible and effective.
Discussing competitiveness and cost in the economy invariably must include a discussion on energy. Much has been said and written on this topic for at least the last two years and rightfully so. Perhaps the single most important initiative towards bringing energy costs down is the use of natural gas as the primary fuel for the generation of electrical power.
In addition, the use of natural gas in transport and in manufacturing is also highly desirable. As an energy source it is currently anywhere from 20 per cent to 30 per cent, less costly than liquid fossil fuel. Those are significant numbers; however, the unfortunate reality is that transporting this fuel in the commercial quantities necessary for those key sectors of transport and power generation presents significant technical challenges along with the attendant costs. So, too, are the unique demands associated with storage of this fuel.
Nevertheless, it all can be done. So, we must determine how best we can implement it for our context and purposes. Like the size of the challenges, its potential to transform the Barbados economy is considerable.
Thinking differently, doing things differently, utilizing all of the advances and initiatives and much more is called for. This is how we can begin to address the difficulties and challenges that lie ahead.
• Andre Alleyne is an engineer.