Systems engineering approach to smart computing: From farmer empowerment to achieving sustainable development goals

Abstract

Smart Computing aims to combine advances in Information and Communication Technologies to create smart systems to make human life better thus, providing a new approach to address many complex and challenging problems faced today by humanity. The study developed a solution to one such problem, uncoordinated agriculture production using Smart Computing which otherwise will lead to wide fluctuation of market prices, waste and farmers getting trapped into a poverty cycle. This was done using a bottom up approach. Using systems thinking in Systems Engineering and the insights gained from the bottom up approach the study derived a top-down approach as a way of guiding the process to solve other similar humanitarian challenges. The evolved top-down process consist of 3 broad steps; a) Root Cause analysis and development of a conceptual solution drawing on learnings from multiple disciplines, b) Development of an artefact based on Smart Computing technologies to implement the conceptual solution, and c) Development of a Closed Loop Control system to continuously monitor and manage the inputs identified in the conceptual solution using the artefact developed to achieve the desired outputs.