溫室決策支援資訊系統介紹

Abstract

溫室是由許多相關組件所組合的一複雜系統，其實體組件包括建築結構、作物生長設施、物料運搬設備、環境調節設備、環境監控儀器及資料處理設備等；其操作組件則包括涉及的勞力、環控的策略，以至於設計、分析與管理上相關的各種作業。是否能夠將此一複雜體內各相關組件作一良好的整合以因應外來的需求與刺激譬若天候、市場、社會、經濟、政策等，將是此企業成敗的關鍵。新科技的引進使每一組件均有更多的可行選擇，組件間的相互關係也更形複雜，譬若新的結構資材、先進的環控技術與策略、改良的作物栽培方式、省工的運搬系統、省空間的內部配置方式等，引進某項新的實體組件或採行某種新的操作組件將連帶影響整個溫室系統。溫室，這一複雜體，從設計、規劃、運作到管理，每一層面的工作均充滿著挑戰，管理者不斷的要面對不同的大小問題，就像打仗一般，其涉及的決策問題鉅細靡遺，包括每日、每週工作中涉及的近程（操作上的，OPERATIONAL)決策，每月、每季工作中涉及的中程（戰術上的，TACTICAL) 決策，以及每年甚至數年之內涉及的遠程（戰略上的，STRATEGICAL）決策。傳統上決策者所依循的是個人的經驗與智慧以針對各種不同的個案來作決定。在邁向二十一世紀、電腦大肆普及的今日，經驗與智慧仍是最重要的。借助電腦的大量記憶空間與快速的運算能力，決策支援資訊系統的建立就像是提供給決策者一個工具箱以協助決策者行資料蒐集、數據運算並進而分析、歸納，將資料與數據轉化為可用之知識以支援決策者作出合宜的決定。本文的主旨在介紹作者於過去數年內發展的溫室決策支援資訊系統。此系統以模組化的方式整合，可大分成五大方向：一、結構及環控，二、作物生產，三、內部配置與物料運搬，四、勞力使用與其它資源配置，五、工程經濟。本文將依此五大方向簡介各相關模組的功能及其內涵，模組間的互動關係以及組合部份模組以因應各不同個案的〞問題導向〞觀念。 A greenhouse is a system integrating a number of interrelated hardware and software components. Some of them are the structure, the environment within the structure, the crop growing facility, the materials handling equipment, the environmental control apparatus and strategies, the information processing devices, and the management and labor forces. The ability to integrate environment, plant culture, and man/machine system is essential to a successful greenhouse operation. Recent technological advancements have brought new possibilities for commercial greenhouse production systems. New greenhouse construction materials and methods with advanced environmental control techniques, together with enhanced crop culturing systems enable the establishment of precise production scheduling. Automated crop production systems give a new look at the efficiency of space utilization. All these are making effective greenhouse management an extremely challenging task. The return on investment in such high technology operations can be assured only through proper management. Decision making is an essential part of a greenhouse manager’s daily job. The level of the decision making that involved can be on a daily or weekly basis (ie., operational planning), monthly or seasonally basis (ie., tactical planning) or on a yearly basis (ie., strategical planning). Human intelligence and experience are invaluable in decision making processes. However, a significant portion of decision making effort must be devoted to gathering and manipulation of information and data. Computers, with their vast memory capacity and fast data processing speed, may be used to provide support for reaching informed and timely managerial decisions. The complexity of a greenhouse system combined with the sophisticated design process requires that its planning and operation include a large number of decisions. Typically, decisions are made on the situations under the subjects related to (1) structure / environmental control, (2) crop production, (3) layout / materials handling, (4) labor / management, and (5) engineering economics. This paper presents an overview of the software modules developed, the underlying fundamental idea governing their development, the interrelationships among the modules, and the building of application packages by integrating selected modules which is based on the “problem oriented” concept.