Vertical farming promises a balance between demand and supply

The global population has attained a burst. With the rising number of people, there is an increased competition for land space to stay on, and to nurture resources for mankind’s sustenance. Just like every other, the Agriculture and Food market faces the challenge of decreasing availability of terrestrial space for the set-up of farms and its subsidiaries. In fact, when the demand for feed for the growing population is rising, the area for farming the produce is reducing as a sacrifice for shelter.

Space-saving architectures of buildings include multistoried structures. When we humans sensed the low availability of space, we started to convert individual apartments to flats over flats. So, now that agricultural land is on a decline, what do we do?

Yes, we stack up layers! To obtain high crop yields in the less space available to conventional agriculture, farms are rather constructed indoors as vertically inclined and integrated structures. This kind of farming is referred to as vertical farming and is looked up as a solution to feed the population despite the lack of space caused by urbanization. 

Can vertical farming take the place of conventional methods?

 

The vertical farming market is seen as capable of generating produce all-round the year through the controlled environments that are maintained. This can be much more fruitful than the traditional sow and reap cycles. What’s more?

·        There is no possibility of the pesticides or herbicides used to seep into nature and take a toll on our health

·        It saves water. Vertical farmers have devised ways to recycle water by fish farming. The water from the plants are directed to fish tanks and the waste from fish is used to nourish the crops.

·        Not just water, every other nutrient required can be supplied only in the required amounts.

·        Moreover, no heavy machinery is required to maintain the plants. So, costs are cut-down and the resources that go into their manufacture are saved.

·        Profitability is raised. The crops are less prone to extremities of climatic conditions. Artificially stimulated conditions can further optimize their growth

·        And most importantly, vertical farms save space! 

So, is vertical farming an ideal solution?

 

While vertical farms do guarantee a more sustainable solution, market research reports don’t unanimously see it as an ideal solution. After all, every new method has its pros and cons. The downsides to vertical farming include

•         High-cost involvement

                1.      To find an appropriate indoor setting in today’s urban environment is costly  
                2.      The costs of constantly maintaining an artificial environment can be prohibitive

•       Not all traditional crops are suited for vertical farming. This includes staples like wheat and potato

•       It is difficult to find an area for production that also has a good market for your crop. The high-cost involvement doesn’t allow a lot of investment in transport and logistics.

Since the positives of vertical farming are many, through extensive research, solutions can be devised for the existing challenges. This will highly increase the efficiency and productivity of the agriculture and food market.

Will China soon be a global power supplier?

The situation in discussion

Laos lies almost entirely within the lower Mekong river basin. And, companies in China have contracted the building of multiple large-scale hydropower dams on this river. These big dams have big drawbacks.

Leaving aside the steep social and environmental costs, Chinese-built dams on the Mekong river have left the nation of Laos with an abundance of electricity; so much that it needs a quick implementation of a profitable distribution plan. Xie Quiye, the current president of the Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute has been given the charge of developing one.

With this responsibility being charged on Xie, he has put forth a proposal of Laos transporting its electricity to nations embarked in the entire of the continent’s south-east. According to him, being a regional power hub, not only will Laos be freed from its glut, but this initiative will also be a profitable marriage between the various power markets in the world.

However, energy and power industry analysts claim that the overburdened situation of Laos is being aggravated by additional companies stepping in to compete for more dam contracts. Will Xie’s plan stand this challenge?

Testing Xie’s concept

It’s feasibility

To be transporting electricity to the distances aimed at, at the first glance, it may not seem economical. But China’s ultra-high voltage cable (UHV) technology has enabled it to transport heavy energy loads with assured safety standards at affordable prices.

It is about a decade old technology that is capable of matching generation to consumption demands effectively and also reducing transmission losses. This was developed as a solution to the great distance between the energy resources and load centers. While hydropower was majorly generated in the west, its demand was the highest in the east. Scaling up the same technology, China expects to be able to transmit power as far as Germany.

Will it be profitable?

With China eyeing a role as the world’s major power supplier, it is interesting to analyze if the devised temporary solution can actually profit the industry in the long-run. Surprisingly, it can!

Marketresearch says that, much like the situation of the neighbors Laos and China, the entire world is faced with a situation where domestic markets are not big enough for producing regions and mega-projects in various countries face a lack of energy supplies. This means that China’s global power grid investments will come with good returns. There will be a better allocation of the power surplus.

Is there another side to this story?

China is known for its sleek moves. This initiative may be more than economic; it may be strategic. The robust commercial expansion of China-based institutions into the energy and power sector may be a signal for China trying to attain a monopoly in a sector that forms an integral part of our everyday lives.

Over the past years, Chinese companies have been noticed to invest big money overseas in projects running with mammoth forces like America and Europe. China’s push for interconnectivity is thus being questioned for its true ambitions.

Amazon gears up for a battle against Walmart

After Walmart acquired a controlling stake of 77% from India’s online retailer Flipkart, it’s neck-to-neck competitor, Amazon, has made its next move. It is being speculated that the e-commerce giant is seeking a stake in the Indian conglomerate, Future Group making it evident that the company is looking forward to establishing a physical presence as strong as its virtual one. With Walmart having failed to succeed with any of its incepted 21 stores, analysts are dubious about its prospects in India.

Will Walmart’s Flipkart acquisition give it a competitive advantage or will Amazon’s latest decision sustain it ahead?

India as the new battleground

There has been a long-known rivalry for a position in the future of the retail market in the United States of America where Walmart is a venerable chain of discount stores and Amazon, the king of E-commerce.

Walmart has a really strong hold on the markets of the US. The American retail giant, however, chose to expand into India through the Bangalore-based company Flipkart who is also in a drag-out clash with Amazon for the Indian market. Walmart’s first initiatives to become a trusted brick-and-mortar retail chain in India failed. There continues to be a strict regulation of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in this country. So, this newer strategy is seen as an exploitation of the growing online presence of today’s customers. Flipkart, as a firm, is registered in Singapore but currently has a sturdy ground in the Indian sectors of online fashion and electronics. An extensive analysis would thus elucidate the thought process behind Walmart’s Flipkart acquisition. These two companies have now teamed up against Amazon with a bigger money at disposal now.

Given this situation, would Amazon’s investment in the Future group give a boost to its firepower?

The potential impact of Amazon’s investment in Future Group

Renowned business analysts claimed from a detailed market research that Walmart’s 200 billion-dollar investment in Flipkart could be a futile effort from the perspective of this competition. This is because they believe that the latter will continue to remain the face of the business and will also further benefit from the advanced infrastructure that the former is capable of providing it with.

Amazon has stepped into physical retail to fend off Walmart’s entry to India. Its multichannel approach will surely benefit it in the competition although the investment in Future Retail’s e-commerce will not directly lead to a great monetary influx. Amazon will be capable of expanding its consumer base by entering the grocery segment through Future Group. Future group will in turn benefit from Amazon’s existing consumer base and sourcing operations.

Are there any short-term benefits?

The clash between the retail titans has no end in sight. The immediate benefits land in the homes of the consumer. Not only will the market have more choices than ever, many of these will also not become more accessible and affordable. At this point, there is no specific basis to claim which company will more likely edge the other one out, but it is a common opinion that most small players and start-ups will be wiped away.

The employability of drone technology in various sectors

Evolving with newer capabilities at every instant, the current day unmanned aerial vehicle technology can even give you an ultimate bird’s-eye view of the land. These completely ground controlled vehicles are commonly referred to as the drones. Their use has already become mainstream in a lot of fields but they are under constant development.

Some of the recent advancements in the global drone market include:

Serving the needs of remote areas

Drone-based delivery

The ability to surpass higher altitudes, damaged roads or even flooded areas with ease have made drones a good delivery system. This is particularly helpful in remote areas where people do not have an easy access to medical supplies. A California based start-up, Zipline, is an epitome of solutions in this case. They have been using drones to deliver on-demand for the past two years. They’re in the spotlight recently for having built the fastest delivery drone that can fly at a velocity of 121kmph. The other specs of this vehicle include its potential of traversing 160 km in a single round-trip and carrying up to 1.75 kg.

Amazon has also gained good attention in the technology market to have patented a science that can help drones recognize and respond to human instructions through voice and gestures. This means that, in the future, you might even be able to call-out to a drone or help it with instructions to reach its destination!

A conduit for internet

Free space optical communications technology is on the rise as a potentially superior alternative for cabled delivery of internet. Drones are expected to serve remote places on the globe with this technology. They would supposedly use laser to deliver broadbands and these signals will be received on the ground through set-up receivers. The success of this concept has been tried and tested positive by Facebook in Yuma, Arizona.

Drones as a clean energy technology?

That surely doesn’t appear like a distant future.

Although drones are currently not being employed directly in the production of clean energy, they have definitely been viewed as capable of maintenance of structures that do so. For instance, wind turbines used to generate electricity in colder areas often tend to accumulate snow on their blades altering their properties. This reduces the efficiency of the system greatly. In systems that are devoid of a de-icing arrangement, cleaning is an expensive and labor-intensive process. Drones for such maintenance are still in the R&D phase but are expected to be a cheaper and more efficient alternative.

This technology will be able to serve all industry operations that occur at taller points from the ground like the aforementioned. These processes also include storage, job site monitoring, etc. They have also been employed to check commercial jets for dents or scratches.

Drones for research

Drones have also proved important for the behavioral study of various living organisms. With the evolving threat of Zika, mosquitoes that spread them are being targeted for identification through drones. This will allow researchers to define and study their breeding spots so they can alert health officials about it.

Studying animals like whales that reside in regions like the oceans and seas has also been aided by drones. Their behavior is recorded and tracked by drones hovering over the water bodies and studied by researchers in distant labs around the globe. This will also reduce threats to animals in the course of studies and their natural behavior can be noted without hindrance.

Market research shows that although the innovation has driven ire from a good proportion of the population for the breach of privacy, the drone continues to float in the air. In fact, the market is burgeoning at a rate which is hastening the revolutionization of the world.

Technology Market Research Solutions

Safe IOT Practices

To keep up in pace with the growing world, businesses are expected to deploy modern technology-based solutions. While this may bring some benefits, their security is a huge responsibility. Any compromise on the safekeeping of a company’s data is sufficient to mark its downfall.

The IOT technology builds a circuitry to connect multiple devices that can exchange information over the internet on request. Potential uses of this science are many. But, the use of linked devices is luring to cybercriminals and hackers and thus requires great caution.

What security threats does IOT pose?

Although the technology market is constantly innovated, successful cyber-attacks have also increased. The major risks that require consideration with the use of this technology are:

1)     Insecure interfaces

•        Web interface
•        Network services
•        Cloud interface
•       Mobile interface

Data loss and corruption, both, stem from insecure interfaces. There might also be a complete device takeover. This may lead to denial of access and a compromise on the accountability of the entire data consolidation. All data stored could be modified or accessed. Compromised network services can result in a denial of service condition of devices and the user may no longer be able to access them. Moreover, it can also be employed to facilitate attacks on other devices.

The impact also extends to consumers whose personal data can be accessed if the hacker is able to gain control over your devices.

2)     Lack of authentication

Lack of authentication refers to weak or poorly protected credentials and an insecure mode of their recovery. Cybercriminals can employ these to gain easy access to all the data and steal or modify them.

3)     Insufficient transport encryption

A transmission of data from one device to another is the essence of IOT. There needs to be a secure path for this transport of information, failing in which the attacker may be able to view user data when in transit over a local network.

Mitigation of the threats

Global market research reports suggest that while IOT is set to transform lives, web developers and cyber security service providers should be equipped to mitigate the increasing threats accompanying the use of IOT.

During the initial setup of devices, default credentials should be reset. The new ones should not be weak and shouldn’t be exposed to internal or external traffic. Automatic lockout should be set-up for a specific number of failed login attempts and a two-factor authentication method can be used wherever possible.

Only necessary ports should be exposed and transit protocols must be encrypted using TLS or SSL or other standard techniques.

Only data that is crucial for the functioning of the device should be collected and this should be accessible to authorised users only. This means that there should be a strict distinction between administrative users and the regular ones. The data must also be protected and should have a retention limit.

Data-driven decisions to boost your business value

The advent of data science has made us capable of revolutionizing the businessservices market. The popular concept is, however, faced with very low understanding. The most misfortunate of interpretations is the one concerned with the suitability of data science for various businesses.

This may be because ‘Big data’, the phrase in buzz, is quite misleading. It does not require you to be an established firm generating huge amounts of data to be able to incorporate data science. Even smaller companies and start-ups generate enough information to get useful insights. The sector you work for is not a restriction either. Nevertheless, to attain the required boost in your business value, it is essential to know what kind of information can drive your decisions.  

The context of ‘Big Data’

What mankind usually talks about is the availability of technology for easy access to information. But what is undermined is the increasing rate at which the amount of information itself is growing.  In the present scenario, data is not regarded as useless post the achievement of the purpose for which it was collected. It, in fact, has great economic value even after that. The consolidation of all structured and unstructured information from the various processes of a business is what is referred to as Big data. This may be from

•         Market analysis using the available databases (of companies and the government)
•         Analysis of routine procedures in the business to automate them
•         Scouting for staff and clients
•         Customer feedback

The segment of your business it can help

To realize the importance of incorporating data analytics into your decision-making process, it is essential to look back at the developments in the market over the past few years. Artificial intelligence is increasingly gaining a better knowledge of the world and software industry has disrupted a number of traditional business models. But global market research reports also reflect a number of interesting and promising opportunities that modernization of the world has created.

It is, thus, a wise choice to spend on business analysts. They are a crucial aid to your business because the data they bring will serve not one but all your business segments.

·       Marketing research

With the right minds and tools, big data can be used to visualize trends and patterns in the industry.  A data-driven predictive analysis can help you make well-informed decisions. Data mining techniques for companies that hold a large amount of consumer data can also be utilized for consumer segmentation. Big data is also an integral part of risk managing strategies.

·       Setting business goals and formulating strategies

Once what big data means to you is strategically defined, you can leverage the information to map practical business goals. These may be in terms of growth of the company, an increased market share or an expansion of clientele.

·       Re-developing your product

Big data can also be translated to customer intelligence. Constant feedback and information about their activities can provide actionable insights. You can modify your product or service according to the contemporary needs.

·       Creating new revenue streams

Data monetization is a compelling new business opportunity. Selling non-personalized trend data to other companies functioning in your vertical might be able to generate a good amount of revenue for you.

If used efficiently, big data can prove to be of great value to any firm. It is important to exploit the available technologies to reap these benefits.