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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - GATES (Applying GAming TEchnologies for training professionals in Smart Farming)

Teaser

Summary

â€œSmart Farming Technology (SFT)â€ refers to marketable, affordable, reliable and time-saving technologies drawing from research in farm management information systems, precision farming and agricultural automation and robotics.
SFT can contribute to the wider goal of meeting the increasing demand for food, feed, and raw materials, while ensuring the sustainability of primary production. The benefits SFT, and of GATES in extend as a tutoring tool, are related to more efficient application of inputs (seeds, fertilizers, chemicals, water, fuel and labour), increased work speed and comfort and enhanced flexibility on-farm. GATES developed a near-to-market (TRL7) serious game-based training platform that, through the use of a range of gaming technologies (scenarios, interactive storytelling, modelling) can train professionals and other stakeholders in the value chain in the use of Smart Farming technology.

The specific objectives of GATES was to:
1. Gather potential customers and end-users needs and develop the game mechanics
2. Develop tools, functionalities and contents tailored to the needs of potential customers and end-users
3. Evolve a current game prototype (TRL4) into a serious game platform (TRL7) with significant market potential
4. Validate the serious game platform through the implementation of three â€œvalidated learningâ€ cycles and integrate the end-users feedback into the development loop
5. Characterise the market and develop the most appropriate business model for the serious game platform aiming at product-market fit shortly after project implementation

The main value proposition of GATES is that it provides a serious game-based training platform, making use of different gaming technologies, in order to train professionals across the agricultural value chain on the use of Smart Farming Technology, thus allowing deploying its full economic and environmental potential in European agriculture. As for its main benefits, GATES offers a convenient online way for agricultural stakeholders to obtain knowledge related to the latest developments in smart farming technologies. Thus, this concept is effectively turning GATES into a repository of information regarding SFTs and a one-stop-shop for interactive learning about their positive impacts on agricultural production. In this respect, GATES offers its platform as an appealing and fast interface needed to browse through a variety of SFT solutions and find the most suiting one.

Work performed

The GATES gaming platform will be marketed as a white-label app within 1-2 years of projectâ€™s end (June 2019), with the possibility of being customized according to the needs of paying customer (SFT companies, universities and extension services /agricultural consultants). It will function either as a stand-alone or as a complementary tool to traditional training methods, covering a wide range of agricultural settings in order to cater for the needs of different professionals in the SFT value chain.

During the implementation of GATES project, 3 iterations of the game have been produced and evaluated, for developing the final game. To reach this point, significant work has been performed by all of the partners according to the planned activities/steps. These activities/steps were:
1. Analysis of User Requirements
2. Development of the mechanisms for personalized learning opportunities
3. Development of GATES algorithms for simulating the agricultural environment
4. Development of the design principles of the game
5. Creation of GATES storytelling
6. Definition of the validated learning approach
7. Production of the 3 iterations of the game
8. Completion of 3 different validation cycles, through 9 different workshops with over 500 participants and over 2000 beta testers
9. Extensive market research, focusing in 8 EU countries.
10. Development of GATES back-end infrastructure.
11. Development of GATES library
12. Production of GATES final game
13. Extensive exploitation and dissemination of the game to over 10.000 people
14. GATES project was selected from EUâ€™s innovation radar which goal is to identify innovations in EU-funded research and innovation projects with the highest maturity
15. GATES project was disseminated in popular media (e.g. Euronews)

Final results

GATES clearly goes beyond the state of the art in the use of gaming technologies for SFT training, providing to the end-users a modern game with a significant number of capabilities giving them a pleasant experience and an advanced gameplay in the SFT sector. GATES is a cross-platform game, with cloud support providing multiple challenges and environments to the players. Compared to other serious games, it provides enhanced authentication system for projecting content and challenges related to the usersâ€™ skills (farmer, advisor, student, industry professional) increasing the learning capabilities and usage of the game, while through its various game modes, it provides to the players different set of goals and gameplays. One of GATES most important innovative features, is the usage of real set of past years agricultural data from different parts of Europe (weather data, yield data, soil data, pest infestation data, etc.) that is used for modelling the real agricultural environment through game mechanics, giving the players the opportunity to test their skills and knowledge on SFT, in near real-life conditions, increasing their confidence in adopting and using SFT. Moreover, for increasing its training impact, GATES provides an enhanced library for allowing trainees to increase their knowledge related to SFT sector. Finally, a â€œwhite-labelâ€ model was implemented for allowing industrial sponsors to customize the game for providing it to their customers for increasing their product promotion and added value.

Overall outcomes of GATES for agriculture, entrepreneurship and society is:
1. Strengthening of the position of European SMEs in the SFT market worldwide
2. Narrow down adoption gap of SFT
3. Reduction of the adoption divide of SFT across EU countries
4. Reduction of environmental impact of agriculture
5. Increased resilience of agriculture towards climate change-related weather events
6. Loyalty among customers, channel partners and other stakeholders
7. Engagement of end-users and internal staff in innovation processes â€“ increase innovation literacy of end-users
8. Creativity & innovation (create new uses for existing SFT and design innovative SFT equipment based on real needs)
9. Collaborative behaviours (e.g. association of users for purchase and exploitation of SFT)
10. Create new business models for SFT use, based on the re-design of the value chain through association of local actors