A Centurion-based IT-company has become the first in the country to provide provincial authorities and farmers with complete geographical information systems (GIS) on palmtop computers for quick and highly accurate use in the field.

Computer Foundation (CF) Development Manager, Fred de Lange, says palmtop computers are definitely the technology of the future. "Where personal computers replaced mainframes of the 1980s, PCs are set to be replaced by palmtop computers in the future. All indications are that the palmtop revolution will spread like wildfire in the local GIS industry," he says.

"Computer Foundation has already sold a number of palmtop systems, which includes a palmtop on which Esri's Arcpad is loaded, as well as cadastral and typographical data, to provincial governments. The systems provided by CF can be linked to a global positioning system, which makes so-called home data capturing possible, especially because GPS-systems are becoming very cheap and accurate," he says.

The Palmtop/Arcpad technology has been received particularly favourably by the farming community, which uses the system for precision farming. It enables the farmer to carry his whole farm's data with him in his top pocket. With the help of a geographical information system installed on his palmtop, a farmer can survey his farm electronically and then call up a map showing cultivated fields, pivotal points, grazing-paddocks, pump stations, store rooms, power and pipelines and the surface of fields.

The system integrates this geographical information with all other systems used in agriculture, such as harvesting, yield, diesel use, fertilisation, crop yield forecasts, soil and climate analysis, labour input and financial aspects to enable a farmer to manage his farm scientifically and accurately.

The system is ideally suited to intensive farming, such as fruit, maize and grapes and can also be adapted excellently for cattle farmers to improve grazing management and all other aspects of the business.

Another use for the GIS system is for city and town councils where the system, linked to a global positioning system, can be used for quick data capturing in new town developments.

De Lange says it is economical to equip meter readers with palmtop computers because of the low cost of such a system. This can result in councils being able to follow geographical user patterns quickly and accurately. An added bonus is that meter readings will already be available in electronic form on the spot which makes data capturing easier and improves management information.

According to De Lange, palmtop computers are already well established in South Africa, but are still mostly being used as electronic diaries and notebooks.

New generation palmtops - equipped with colour screens, Microsoft's Pocket PC operating system and huge amounts of memory - have made it possible to store and use advanced systems such as GIS and high level data base technology on palmtops.

Computer Foundation

(012) 672 0100

www.cf.co.za