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How American Digital is helping Purdue University combat world hunger

Purdue University’s world-renowned College of Agriculture holds the bold aim of combatting world hunger.

And with American Digital, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), and Aruba as partners, the Big Ten university is not fighting that formidable battle alone.

With the global population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, agricultural productivity must double over the coming decades to prevent global food shortages. To drive abundant crop yield, Purdue researchers recognize the value of high-level insights on irrigation, seeds, fertilizer, and other agricultural factors.

Believing data could be transformed into actionable intelligence that would energize this ambitious, noble-minded quest, Purdue teamed with American Digital, HPE, and Aruba to craft a pioneering digital-agriculture program. The novel initiative blends Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and other advanced technologies to fuel the sustainable growth of nutritious, healthy food for the planet.

To help Purdue researchers gather, transmit, and analyze field data more efficiently and effectively, American Digital led the deployment and management of a series of new AgTech innovations at Purdue’s 1,408-acre Agronomy Center for Research and Education. These included solar-powered mobile Wi-Fi hotspots for recording field data and next-generation adaptive wireless equipment for farm-scale wireless connectivity. Data from sensors move via the Aruba wireless network to HPE Edgeline IoT Systems and then to a high-performance computing data center for analysis and artificial intelligence development.

The pioneering data-driven agricultural initiative results in a response to in-the-field conditions as never before, helping researchers understand how soil conditions, plant growth, and other key factors can help farmers make better in-the-moment decisions. Of note, the data can also support more informed public policy around driving sustainable global agriculture.

“Digital agriculture creates exciting opportunities to increase the efficiency, quality, and sustainability of global food production,” says Patrick Smoker, head of Purdue University’s Department of Agriculture Information Technology. “Purdue’s relationship with HPE and Aruba plays a critical role in reducing the time it takes to translate scientific research into technologies to enhance food security and improve lives around the world.”

Looking for a trusted partner to assist with your digital transformation? Please contact Daniella Lundsberg-Steele at daniellal@americandigital.com and she will get you in touch with the appropriate contact at American Digital.

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