MSI00P3349 | |
Ng Kee Kwong, R. Autrey, L. J. C. | |
Decision-making for research and development in the Mauritian sugar industry: the role of information science and technology | |
Periodical article | |
1999 | |
IAALD Quarterly Bull. | |
1019-9926 | |
44(1/2): 39-43 | |
En | |
En Fr Es | |
Sugar cane occupies 93 per cent (78,000 ha) of the total cultivated land area in Mauritius. The Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute (MSIRI) is mandated to promote by means of research and development the technical progress of the sugar industry. The main research themes cover plant productivity; production systems (for cane and selected other crops) that give profitable yields without adversely affecting the environment; and technical and engineering options for improving the efficiency of processing. Information science and technology are fundamental for efficient R and D and extension work. The MSIRI has a well established Library and Scientific Information Service which ensures a regular flow of information amongst researchers and practitioners. A database of agricultural land (LANDINDEX), which incorporates spatial and attribute data using GIS technology, is being used for land-suitability studies. Multimedia techniques are employed to disseminate information to growers including the user-friendly computer system SIRITELL on cane varieties and cultivation techniques. A Small Planters Desk has been established to ensure technology transfer to this category of grower and pictorial recommendation sheets have been developed using GIS. Casde studies that illustrate the use of information science and technology in decision-making are described. | |
Information Research Decision-making Databases Information transfer | |
Mauritius | |
Information | |
2000-03-10 | |
En | |
MSIRI | |
Lib | |
CAT | |
Lib |