A new Smartphone app has been designed to help farmers and seed exporters get their product to market faster.
The app, developed by Seed Services Australia and UniSA information technology students, will make it easier and faster for clients to receive field inspection and seed testing results.
Seed Services Australia, the commercial seed testing and certification business of PIRSA division Rural Solutions SA, is widely recognised as the premier seed testing and certification provider to Australia’s commercial seed industry.
Rural Solutions Executive Director Daniel Casement said the development of the app stemmed from a collaboration between Seed Services Australia and the university’s School of Information Technology and Mathematical Sciences.
"We are always looking for innovative ways to better serve stakeholders, who told us that a faster turnaround would improve their business efficiency," Mr Casement said.
"South Australia produces about 10,000 tonnes of certified pasture seed per annum and exports about 70 per cent of that.
"The commercial seed market is highly competitive. Gaining access to valuable international seed markets is directly linked to certified confirmation of seed quality, so the sooner an exporter can get confirmation of seed quality the better."
Mr Casement said although Seed Services Australia had world-class facilities, the business and its clients had found that the manual data collection methods used in the field were limiting turn-around time.
"With the help of UniSA, we have developed a great Android Smartphone tool that enables us to deliver field inspection results to clients faster than ever, reducing the time it takes to get valuable seed to market," he said.
"The app is a perfect example of what can be achieved when industry, government and community come together to maximise opportunity and mutual benefit in creative and innovative ways.
"PIRSA has a number of collaborative projects with South Australian universities. Our recently established internship program will provide even more opportunities for university students to gain valuable industry experience and help us identify fresh talent in the primary industries and technology sectors."
Adjunct UniSA lecturer Phil Lock recognised an opportunity to provide students with a practical, real-world IT experience that could position them well for future employment.
Students Colin Kinnaird, Alyssa Wishart and Brandon Kemp were challenged to devise a mobile application which would improve the speed of data exchange as their final-year industry project.
The app is available to clients from Rural Solutions.
