New technologies: parliamentarians want a … – La France Agricole

Big Data, or massive data (1), in agriculture are the subject of special attention of parliamentarians. This Thursday, July 2, the first hearing on the subject was held in the National Assembly. At the initiative of the Parliamentary Office for Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices (OPECST), the main objective is to examine the strategies to develop a French and European supply data processing in agriculture.

A dominant position of the US offer

According OPECST, it is also “to loosen the grip of the US technological edge ( …) that could result in an attack on the independence of the French and European agricultural production. ” For Jean-Yves Le Déaut, MP and President of OPECST, it is also to detect legislative issues, OPECST working upstream manufacturing laws (2). To do this, several players in the treatment of these “mégadonnées” researchers to private companies, are interviewed. And the task seems daunting

Indeed, open questions are all strategic issues. Ownership, control and data value, safety, environmental issues seem like much. Serge Abitboul, member of the Academy of Sciences, insists: “we should not have an angelic attitude. The farmer must understand where their data are going and what is control. “

Move fast

To reach a French and European solution more Tracks are mentioned as support for start-ups or the creation of common platforms “open data” (3). It can integrate as suggested Hervé Pillaud elected to the Chamber of Agriculture of Vendée, agricultural consulting, IT companies and cooperatives. Whatever the preferred runway, the meeting agreed on one point: we must move quickly

(1) Data derived from sensors (satellites, milking robots, drones, greenhouses, connected objects. , probes, etc.), software (accounting, management, markets, etc.), etc.

(2) OPECST, composed of 18 deputies and 18 senators, has the mission, under of the law, “to inform Parliament of the consequences of the choice of scientific and technological character, particularly in order to make enlightened decisions”. To this end, the Agency “gathers information, implements study programs and makes assessments.” He is assisted by a scientific committee of 24 experts of international repute.

(3) Data open, public or private.