Information processing device, information processing method, program, storage medium, and information processing system

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus for growing a desired agricultural product even if data cannot be acquired easily from an existing cultivator of crops.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus 101 includes: a data acquisition unit 212 which acquires a dataset obtained by associating information indicating growing conditions including environment information, fertilizer information and soil information in growing a specific agricultural product with characteristic information indicating characteristics of the specific agricultural product grown in the growing conditions; an input acquisition unit 213 which acquires characteristics of an agricultural product desired by a user, and environment information and soil information related to a land available the user; an information providing unit 215 which applies a genetic algorithm to the dataset and provides fertilization information for growing an agricultural product having the characteristics of the agricultural product desired by the user in the land available to the user; and a communication unit 201 which receives, from a communication apparatus, characteristics information indicating characteristics of an agricultural product newly grown according to the provided fertilization information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, a program, a storage medium, and an information processing system. Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, various factors have promoted the use of farmland, and there are cases where people with little or no agricultural experience wish to start farming. Those who have been engaged in farming on a certain piece of land for many years often have know-how about what kind of fertilizer and pesticide to use and when to apply in order to cultivate specific crops on that land. However, such know-how is not widely available, and new entrants often do not have the opportunity to receive guidance from experienced people.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a system that uses an agricultural intelligence computer system to train and generate an agronomic model, and then uses the agronomic model to recommend crops, fertilizers, pesticides, harvests, etc. New entrants can obtain recommendations for fertilizers, pesticides, etc. by using the agricultural intelligence computer system. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2022-508939 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, in order to make various proposals using the model trained and generated by the agricultural intelligence computer system described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to accumulate a large amount of data in advance. However, due to various factors such as the limited number of people who actually carry out cultivation (trials) on a specific piece of land, it can be difficult to collect a large data set on fertilizers and pesticides for cultivating desired crops on a specific piece of land.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to realize a technology that can provide information for cultivating desired crops even when it is not easy to obtain data from existing growers of the crops. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to the present invention, a data acquisition means for acquiring a data set that associates information indicating cultivation conditions, including environmental information, fertilizer information, and soil information, when a specific agricultural product is cultivated, with characteristic information indicating characteristics of the specific agricultural product cultivated under the cultivation conditions; input acquisition means for acquiring characteristics of a user's desired crops and environmental and soil information regarding land available to the user; a providing means for applying a genetic algorithm to the data set to provide fertilizer information for cultivating a crop having the characteristics of the crop desired by the user on land available to the user; There is provided an information processing device comprising: a receiving means for receiving, from a communication device, characteristic information indicating characteristics of crops newly cultivated in accordance with the provided fertilizer information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide information for cultivating desired crops even when it is not easy to obtain data from existing growers of the crops. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of data of cultivation conditions (genetic codes) input when using a genetic algorithm according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining extraction of cultivation conditions using a genetic algorithm according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining extraction of cultivation conditions used for soil improvement according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart (1) showing a series of operations in the cultivation condition optimization process according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] Flowchart (2) showing a series of operations in the cultivation condition optimization process according to this embodiment DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. Furthermore, the same reference numerals are used for the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0011] <Configuration of information processing system> An information processing system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The information processing system 100 includes, for example, an information processing device 101 and a communication device 102. These devices are connected via a network 104, and can communicate with each other using, for example, a predetermined Internet protocol.

[0012] The communication device 102 is, for example, a portable device used by a user (for example, a person who is starting a new agricultural cultivation business, also called a new user), and includes electronic devices such as smartphones, personal computers, tablet terminals, in-vehicle devices, and wearable terminals.

[0013] The information processing device 101 includes, for example, a server that performs information processing and executes a cultivation condition optimization process (described later) and the like. The information processing device 101 also stores, as cultivation condition information, information about crops cultivated under various cultivation conditions in the past. As will be described in detail later, the cultivation condition information indicates the cultivation conditions under which a specific crop was cultivated, including environmental information (e.g., information about weather, sunlight, pH, etc.), fertilizer information, and soil information (e.g., information about the soil specific to a certain area of ​​land, and information about additional substances such as red soil). The information processing device 101 also stores, as a dataset, characteristic information indicating the characteristics of a specific crop cultivated under certain cultivation conditions (e.g., fruit X that is sweet and grows quickly) in association with the cultivation conditions. That is, the information processing device 101 stores a dataset that associates the characteristics of a crop cultivated under certain cultivation conditions. Note that this dataset does not need to be large; it is sufficient to have initial data about the specific crop (2n+1 pieces of data for n parameters).

[0014] The information processing device 101 acquires, for example, via the communication device 102, characteristics of the user's desired crop (e.g., fruit X that is sweet, grows quickly, and is environmentally tolerant) and environmental information and soil information regarding land available to the user. If the user does not have detailed information regarding the land they are using, they may transmit location information of the land and information about a soil sensor installed on the land to the information processing device 101 instead of the environmental information and soil information regarding the land. In this case, the information processing device 101 may acquire weather information, sunshine information, and pH information from an external device based on the location information of the land, or may acquire environmental information and soil information regarding land available to the user by performing an analysis process using information from the soil sensor and area-specific soil information, etc.

[0015] The information processing device 101 extracts one or more cultivation conditions by executing a genetic algorithm, taking into account the characteristics of the user's desired crop (e.g., fruit X that is sweet, fast-growing, and environmentally tolerant) and environmental information and soil information regarding the land available to the user. As will be described in detail later, the cultivation conditions include fertilizer information, so the user can cultivate the crop according to the fertilizer information included in the cultivation conditions extracted by the information processing device 101. Furthermore, after cultivating the crop according to the fertilizer information, the user verifies whether the crop having the desired characteristics was actually cultivated. Then, the information processing device 101 acquires the actually obtained characteristics of the crop, for example, via the communication device 102, and registers them in a dataset. By executing such a cultivation condition optimization process, the information processing device 101 can gradually expand data and provide information for cultivating desired crops, even when it is not easy to acquire data from existing growers of the crop.

[0016] The services provided to the communication device 102 by executing a computer program in the information processing device 101 are managed, for example, by a service provider (also simply referred to as an agricultural support provider) that supports new users in entering agriculture. The information processing device 101 as hardware may be managed by the agricultural support provider, or may be managed by another business that operates a data center or the like. The functions realized by the information processing device 101 may be realized by an edge node that can be placed between a server and a communication terminal.

[0017] The fertilizer information provision service provided by agricultural support businesses is primarily provided to new users so that the new users can more easily cultivate specific agricultural crops. In other words, even if new users do not have the opportunity to receive guidance from experienced people, they can more easily cultivate specific agricultural crops with desired characteristics by utilizing the information provided by the service.

[0018] <Configuration of information processing device> Next, an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 101 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. Note that each of the functional blocks described with reference to the figure may be integrated or separated, and the described functions may be realized by different blocks. Also, what is described as hardware may be realized by software, and vice versa. Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example will be described in which the information processing device 101 is a single device, but the information processing device 101 may be configured by multiple devices, or may be configured as one or more virtual machines.

[0019] The communication unit 201 includes a communication circuit or a communication module that can communicate with the communication device 102 via the network 104 .

[0020] The control unit 202 includes a processor 210 and a memory 211. The processor 210 may be configured with one or more processors. The control unit 202 controls the operation of each unit of the information processing device 101 by causing the processor 210 to execute a computer program stored in the memory 211 or the storage unit 204. Furthermore, the data acquisition unit 212 to the data registration unit 216 included in the control unit 202 are realized, for example, by the processor 210 executing a program.

[0021] The memory 211 is a volatile storage medium such as a DRAM, and temporarily stores parameters and processing results for the control unit 202 to execute a computer program. The power supply unit 203 is a power supply that provides power for each unit of the information processing device 101 to operate.

[0022] The storage unit 204 includes a nonvolatile storage medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory, and stores setting values ​​and computer programs required for the operation of the information processing device 101. The computer programs stored in the storage unit 204 include an operating system and various business applications for realizing the various functions of the information processing device 101. The storage unit 204 includes, for example, cultivation condition information 220, an environment DB 221, and crop characteristic information 222.

[0023] The cultivation condition information 220 is information about crops that have been cultivated under various cultivation conditions in the past. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the cultivation condition information includes environmental information 401, fertilizer information 402, and soil information 403 when a specific crop was harvested. The environmental information 401 includes information such as weather, cultivation period, sunlight, and pH. Weather information may include, for example, precipitation, average maximum temperature, and average minimum temperature by month. The cultivation period includes, for example, the time to plant seeds and the time to harvest. Sunshine includes, for example, the hours of sunlight by month. pH includes, for example, the pH value of the water or rainwater used for cultivating crops on that land, or the pH value of the soil of the land.

[0024] The fertilizer information 402 includes, for example, the amount of minerals to be applied to the crops, the amount of fertilizer A, and the amount of fertilizer B. In the example shown in Fig. 4, the information is made up of two types of fertilizer in addition to the minerals, but it may also be made up of several to several tens of types of commonly used fertilizers. In this case, the information on the fertilizers to be applied to a specific crop may be written as X grams of a fertilizer named Fertilizer A, Y grams of a fertilizer named Fertilizer B, etc.

[0025] It should be noted that the data set of cultivation conditions shown in Fig. 4 includes cultivation condition information 411 to 416. In the cultivation condition information 411 to 416 shown in Fig. 4, hatched portions indicate that the same information type (for example, weather) has the same content. In other words, the cultivation condition information 414 and 415 have the same weather information, but the other cultivation conditions have weather information that is different from the weather information in the cultivation condition information 414 and 415.

[0026] The soil information 403 indicates, for example, information on the composition of soil specific to a certain area of ​​land (unchanging), and the amount of additional materials such as red soil and leaf mold added to the soil specific to that area for growing crops. Soil B and soil C in Figure 4 are, for example, red soil and leaf mold, respectively. The soil information 403 of the cultivation information includes, for example, information on the composition of soil A, and the amount of soil B and soil C, which are, for example, red soil and leaf mold.

[0027] The environment DB 221 includes environmental information related to land, such as location information of the land, weather information, sunshine information, and pH information of the land.

[0028] The crop characteristic information 222 includes characteristics of the cultivated crop, such as information on the crop variety and its characteristics (sweet, fast growing, etc.) The crop characteristics may include numerical values ​​such as sugar content range, size range, disease incidence rate, etc.

[0029] For example, when performing the cultivation condition optimization process, the data acquisition unit 212 acquires information on the cultivation condition information 220 for the crop to be cultivated and the crop characteristic information 222 of the crop cultivated under each of the cultivation condition information 220. That is, the data acquisition unit 212 acquires a data set that associates the cultivation condition information (environmental information, fertilizer information, and soil information) under which a specific crop was cultivated with the characteristic information of the crop cultivated under the cultivation conditions.

[0030] The input acquisition unit 213 acquires the characteristics of the crop desired by the user via the communication device 102. As described above, the characteristics of the desired crop may include numerical values ​​such as a specified sugar content range, a specified size range, or a specified disease incidence rate.

[0031] The input acquisition unit 213 may acquire environmental information and soil information related to land available to the user via the communication device 102. Alternatively, the input acquisition unit 213 may acquire the environmental information and soil information related to the land by performing an analysis process related to the land available to the user. In this case, the input acquisition unit 213 may acquire weather information, sunshine information, and pH information from the environmental DB 221 based on the location information of the land, or may acquire the environmental information and soil information related to the land by performing an analysis process using soil sensor information and area-specific soil information. For example, the input acquisition unit 213 may acquire the location information of the land via the communication device 102. The input acquisition unit 213 may also acquire information about soil sensors installed on the land via the communication device 102. If the information processing device 101 is capable of communicating with soil sensors installed on various pieces of land via a network, the input acquisition unit 213 may acquire information from the soil sensors associated with the acquired location information of the land. The input acquisition unit 213 may identify the type of soil specific to an area of ​​the land by applying a predetermined machine learning algorithm to the soil sensor information.

[0032] The optimal solution extraction unit 214 generates one or more cultivation conditions by executing a genetic algorithm, taking into account the characteristics of the crop desired by the user and environmental information and soil information regarding the land available to the user, through the cultivation condition optimization process described below.

[0033] The cultivation condition optimization process according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. In the cultivation condition optimization process, first, the data acquisition unit 212 acquires a data set that associates cultivation condition information (environment information 401, fertilizer information 402, and soil information 403) under which a specific crop was cultivated with characteristic information of the crop cultivated under those cultivation conditions. In the cultivation condition optimization process, the cultivation condition information is treated as a genetic code in a genetic algorithm.

[0034] The optimal solution extraction unit 214 generates a response surface 420 based on the relationship between, for example, genetic codes, which are cultivation condition information, and crop characteristic information. The response surface represents the distribution of crop characteristics relative to the distribution of information indicating cultivation conditions. In other words, the response surface 420 represents the output surface of a function that outputs crop characteristics when parameters specified by the cultivation conditions are input. The optimal solution extraction unit 214 may estimate the response surface 420 using known techniques from the cultivation condition information included in the cultivation condition information 220 and the crop characteristics included in the crop characteristic information 222. At this time, the crop characteristics are quantified as output values ​​on the response surface.

[0035] The optimal solution extraction unit 214 selects cultivation condition information (genetic code) that is closest to the characteristics of the desired crop from the cultivation condition information 411 to 416 in accordance with the response surface 420. The optimal solution extraction unit 214 further crosses at least some of the selected cultivation condition information (e.g., cultivation condition information 414 and 415) to generate cultivation condition information 416 that does not exist in the cultivation condition information 411 to 416. The optimal solution extraction unit 214 also generates cultivation condition information 417 that does not exist in the cultivation condition information 411 to 416 by, for example, randomly mutating the cultivation condition information. In this way, the optimal solution extraction unit 214 generates cultivation condition candidates 430.

[0036] The optimal solution extraction unit 214 can evolve the cultivation condition information over multiple generations, for example, through simulation. When generating the cultivation condition information, the candidate cultivation conditions 430 are further compared with the response surface 420 to estimate the output (crop characteristics) for the cultivation condition information. On the other hand, when a user actually cultivates a crop according to the candidate cultivation conditions 430, the obtained crop characteristics are evaluated. Then, the crop varieties associated with the cultivation conditions and their characteristics (e.g., numerical values ​​such as sugar content range indicating sweetness and disease resistance, size range, disease incidence rate, etc.) are registered. The optimal solution extraction unit 214 adds the newly obtained crop characteristic information and corresponding cultivation condition information to the dataset via the data registration unit 216. When the optimal solution extraction unit 214 receives an input indicating that the desired crop characteristics have been obtained via the communication device 102, it may determine that the user's desired crop characteristics have been obtained (an optimal solution has been obtained) and terminate the processing. Alternatively, the optimal solution extraction unit 214 may terminate the processing after repeating the calculations for a predetermined number of generations through simulation.

[0037] The optimal solution extraction unit 214 repeats the process shown in FIG. 5 if it does not receive input via the communication device 102 indicating that the user's desired crop characteristics have been obtained, or if the simulation has repeated calculations for a predetermined number of generations.

[0038] When crossing or mutating the cultivation condition information, the optimum solution extraction unit 214 distinguishes between information indicating the cultivation conditions that can be changed for optimization and information that cannot be changed for optimization, and applies the genetic algorithm to the cultivation condition information. Specifically, the optimum solution extraction unit 214 processes land-specific information in the soil information as information that cannot be changed for optimization.

[0039] For example, as shown in FIG. 6, in region X, area A and area A' have the same original soil quality, and in region Y, area B and area B' have the same original soil quality. In this case, when searching for an optimal solution for cultivation condition information in region X, the optimal solution extraction unit 214 does not change the information specific to the land (information on soil A) among the soil information. On the other hand, the optimal solution extraction unit 214 changes the soil information (amounts of soil B and soil C) that is not specific to the land, which is additional information. When optimal cultivation condition information is obtained using such a genetic algorithm, it is possible to obtain cultivation condition information that indicates what kind of soil to add (i.e., how to improve the soil) in addition to information indicating what kind of fertilizer to apply to the soil specific to the land.

[0040] The information providing unit 215 generates display information to be displayed on the communication device 102. For example, the information providing unit 215 transmits information about the proposed fertilizer to the communication device 102.

[0041] The data registration unit 216 adds the newly obtained crop characteristic information and the corresponding cultivation condition information to the dataset via the data registration unit 216. In particular, when the user actually cultivates a crop, the characteristics of the crop obtained by cultivation (for example, numerical values ​​such as the sugar content range corresponding to sweetness and disease resistance, size range, disease incidence rate, etc.) are registered in the crop characteristic information 222.

[0042] <Configuration of communication device> Next, an example of the functional configuration of the communication device 102 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. In this embodiment, a case where a smartphone is used as an example of a communication device will be described. Note that each of the functional blocks described with reference to the following figures may be integrated or separated, and the described functions may be realized by different blocks. Also, what is described as hardware may be realized by software, and vice versa.

[0043] The communication unit 301 includes, for example, a communication circuit and the like, and communicates with the information processing device 101 by connecting to the Internet via mobile communication such as LTE, or by connecting to a network via wireless LAN communication.

[0044] The control unit 302 includes a processor 310 and a memory 311, and controls the operation of each unit in the communication device 102 by, for example, having the processor 310 execute a computer program stored in the storage unit 307. The processor 310 includes one or more processors, and the memory 311 includes, for example, a volatile memory such as a DRAM.

[0045] The operation unit 303 includes buttons and a touch panel provided in the communication device 102, and accepts user operations via the buttons and GUIs for various operations displayed on the display unit 306. The power supply unit 304 provides power to each unit of the communication device 102.

[0046] The imaging device 305 is, for example, a camera mechanism including an imaging element, and takes pictures in response to instructions from the control unit 302. For example, a user can take pictures of cultivated agricultural products. The taken images may be stored, for example, as supplementary information of the characteristic information of the agricultural products.

[0047] The display unit 306 includes a display device such as an LCD or an OLED. The display unit 306 displays a GUI based on various display information received from the information processing device 101 in response to instructions from the control unit 302. The display information includes, for example, information on a characteristic input screen (not shown) for inputting characteristics of the agricultural products that have actually been cultivated. The control unit 302 executes, for example, a web browser or a dedicated application to cause the display information received from the information processing device 101 to be displayed on the display unit 306.

[0048] The storage unit 307 includes a nonvolatile memory such as a semiconductor memory, and stores programs and setting values ​​executed by the control unit 302. The computer programs stored in the storage unit 307 include an operating system and various applications for implementing the various functions of the communication device 102.

[0049] <Series of operations for the cultivation condition optimization process in the information processing device 101> Next, a series of operations of the cultivation condition optimization process in the information processing device 101 will be described with reference to Fig. 7 and Fig. 8. This process is realized by the processor 210 of the control unit 202 executing a program recorded in the storage unit 204. In the process described below, the processes of S703 to S711 are repeated as one generation of processing in a genetic algorithm, and are executed so as to ultimately obtain an optimal solution.

[0050] In S701, the data acquisition unit 212 acquires from the storage unit 204 data sets relating to the cultivation condition information and the crop characteristic information corresponding to each piece of cultivation condition information, and stores them in the memory 211.

[0051] In S702, the input acquisition unit 213 acquires characteristic information of the user's desired crop, and environmental information and soil information related to the land, from the user's communication device 102. The characteristic information of the user's desired crop, and environmental information and soil information related to the land, are input, for example, via a user interface displayed on the communication device 102. The characteristic information of the user's desired crop includes, for example, numerical values ​​such as the sugar content range, size range, and disease incidence rate that correspond to the crop being sweet and disease-resistant. The user can specify, for example, the sugar content range, size range, and disease incidence rate on the user interface of the communication device 102.

[0052] Furthermore, since the user is a new user, he or she may not have detailed information about the land available to the user. Therefore, the input acquisition unit 213 may acquire location information of the land as information about the land available to the user. In this case, the information processing device 101 may be capable of communicating with one or more soil sensors installed on the land via a network. The input acquisition unit 213 acquires soil information from a soil sensor associated with the acquired location information of the land. The input acquisition unit 213 may identify the type of soil specific to an area of ​​the land by applying a predetermined machine learning algorithm to the information from the soil sensor. Furthermore, the input acquisition unit 213 acquires weather information, sunshine information, and pH information from the environmental DB 221 based on the location information of the land. The input acquisition unit 213 may also acquire weather information, sunshine information, and pH information from an external device based on the location information of the land. Note that in S702, when the input acquisition unit 213 acquires environmental information and soil information about the land or the location information of the land, the input acquisition unit 213 may accept a designation of land available to the user. For example, the input acquisition unit 213 may display land (or an area including multiple pieces of land) registered in a database (not shown) on the user's communication device 102 and accept the user's selection. The user selects land available to the user on the communication device 102, that is, land that the user owns or land for which use has been reserved or contracted (promised with the owner, etc.). In response to the user's selection, the input acquisition unit 213 may acquire information about the land from a database (not shown), the environment DB 221, an external device, etc.

[0053] In S703, the optimal solution extraction unit 214 evaluates the fitness. However, immediately after starting this process, the process proceeds to S705 without executing this step. The optimal solution extraction unit 214 evaluates whether the characteristics of the newly harvested crop received via the communication device 102 in S710 (described later) match the characteristics of the crop desired by the user. The optimal solution extraction unit 214 calculates the degree of match between the received crop characteristics (e.g., numerical values ​​such as sugar content range, size range, disease incidence rate, etc.) and the characteristics specified by the user as the desired characteristics (e.g., sugar content range, size range, disease incidence rate). The optimal solution extraction unit 214 evaluates that the fitness is higher the higher the degree of match between the two.

[0054] In S704, the optimal solution extraction unit 214 determines whether the degree of match calculated in S703 exceeds a predetermined threshold, and if the degree of match is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, it determines that the termination condition is met and proceeds to S712. This means that an optimal solution (i.e., optimal cultivation conditions) has been obtained for the characteristics of the agricultural product desired by the user. On the other hand, if the degree of match is less than the predetermined threshold, the optimal solution extraction unit 214 proceeds to S705. This means that the optimal solution extraction unit 214 continues executing the genetic algorithm to obtain an optimal solution.

[0055] In S705, the optimal solution extraction unit 214 selects cultivation conditions that satisfy the selection criteria from the cultivation condition information (e.g., cultivation condition information 411 to 416) acquired in S701. The cultivation conditions that satisfy the selection criteria are selected by selecting cultivation condition information that is close to the characteristics of the desired crop according to the response surface 420. The optimal solution extraction unit 214 may calculate the degree of match between the crop characteristics estimated using the response surface 420 and the characteristics specified by the user as the desired characteristics (e.g., sugar content range, size range, disease incidence rate). The optimal solution extraction unit 214 may determine that the selection criteria are satisfied if the degree of match is higher than a predetermined threshold for selecting cultivation conditions.

[0056] In S706, the optimal solution extraction unit 214 crosses at least some of the selected cultivation condition information (e.g., the cultivation condition information 414 and 415) to generate cultivation condition information that does not exist in the existing cultivation condition information. In addition, in S707, the optimal solution extraction unit 214 mutates the cultivation condition information, for example, randomly, to generate cultivation condition information 417 that does not exist in the existing cultivation condition information. In this way, the optimal solution extraction unit 214 generates candidates for cultivation conditions.

[0057] In S708, the information providing unit 215 provides the fertilizer information from the generated information on cultivation conditions to the communication device 102. Note that the information providing unit 215 is not limited to this example, and may provide soil information on the generated cultivation conditions in addition to the fertilizer information.

[0058] In S709, the control unit 202 determines whether feedback information has been received from the communication device 102. The feedback information includes, for example, crop characteristic information when the user actually cultivates the crop according to the provided cultivation conditions. As in S702, the crop characteristic information is input via the user interface of the communication device 102, such as the sugar content range, size range, disease incidence rate, etc.

[0059] In S710, the data registration unit 216 accepts the crop characteristic information input by the user via the communication device 102. Then, in S711, the data registration unit 216 registers the crop characteristic information accepted in S710 as a dataset in association with cultivation condition information including the proposed fertilizer information (or the proposed fertilizer information and soil information), and records the data in the crop characteristic information 222. After registering the crop characteristic information as a dataset, the control unit 202 returns the process to S703. In this way, by registering the crop characteristic information obtained by actually cultivating the crop in association with the proposed cultivation condition information, it is possible to increase the dataset when executing a genetic algorithm.

[0060] In order to collect as much feedback as possible from the processes of S703 to S711 described above, fertilizer information for each of a plurality of cultivation conditions (for example, four cultivation conditions including selection, crossover, and mutation) may be presented in S708. The user may divide his or her land into four sections and cultivate crops under each cultivation condition. In this case, the information processing device 101 can acquire characteristic information for the four crops.

[0061] In S712, if it is determined in S704 that the termination condition is satisfied, the optimal solution extraction unit 214 selects the cultivation conditions that are the optimal solution. At this time, the information provision unit 215 provides the communication device with fertilizer information for the cultivation conditions that are the optimal solution. In this way, the user can grasp the fertilizer information that is optimal for the characteristics of the desired crop. When the control unit 202 completes the processing of S712, it ends this series of processing.

[0062] In the series of operations from S703 to S711 described above, the user actually cultivates the crops after the information processing device 101 provides the fertilizer information to the communication device 102 in S708. On the other hand, in order to speed up optimization over multiple generations, the processes from S703 to S707 and S710 to S711 may be run by simulation for a predetermined number of generations.

[0063] When the simulation is performed to repeat calculations for a predetermined number of generations, in S703, the optimal solution extraction unit 214 evaluates whether the crop cultivated under the cultivation conditions selected, crossed, and mutated (in S705 to S707) matches the characteristics of the crop desired by the user. That is, the optimal solution extraction unit 214 calculates the degree of match between the characteristics of the crop cultivated under the cultivation conditions selected, crossed, and mutated (e.g., numerical values ​​such as sugar content range, size range, and disease incidence rate) and the sugar content range, size range, and disease incidence rate specified by the user. In the simulation, the optimal solution extraction unit 214 may use a response surface to acquire (predict) the characteristics of the crop relative to the cultivation conditions (e.g., numerical values ​​such as sugar content range, size range, and disease incidence rate). In the simulation, the characteristics of the crop relative to the fertilizer information can be obtained using the response surface, so the control unit 202 does not need to execute S708 and S709.

[0064] As described above, the information processing device 101 of this embodiment stores information indicating the cultivation conditions (environmental information, fertilizer information, and soil information) under which a specific crop was cultivated, in association with characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the specific crop cultivated under the cultivation conditions. The information processing device 101 then acquires the characteristics of a user's desired crop and environmental information and soil information related to land available to the user. The information processing device 101 applies a genetic algorithm to the dataset to provide fertilizer information for cultivating a crop having the user's desired characteristics on land available to the user. The information processing device 101 receives, from the communication device 102, characteristic information indicating the characteristics of a crop newly cultivated in accordance with the provided fertilizer information. This makes it possible to provide information for cultivating a desired crop even when it is not easy to acquire data from existing growers of the crop.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the case where the information on cultivation conditions includes fertilizer information has been described as an example, but the fertilizer information may include information on pesticides in addition to fertilizer information. In addition, in the above embodiment, the case where fertilizer information is provided to the user's communication device 102 has been described as an example, but soil information may also be provided together with the fertilizer information. By providing the soil information, the user can improve the soil to be suitable for cultivating the desired crops.

[0066] The configuration of the control unit 202 described above may function in various forms as an information processing system. For example, the information processing system may be configured in a form in which at least a part of the control unit 202 described above is configured in an external device of the information processing device 101, such as the communication device 102. Alternatively, the information processing system may be the information processing device 101, or the information processing system may be a virtual machine running on a server. Furthermore, the mobile object control system may be the control unit 202.

[0067] <Summary of the embodiment> 1. The information processing device (e.g., 101) of the above embodiment is a data acquisition means (e.g., 212) for acquiring a data set that associates information indicating cultivation conditions, including environmental information, fertilizer information, and soil information, when a specific agricultural product is cultivated, with characteristic information indicating characteristics of the specific agricultural product cultivated under the cultivation conditions; input acquisition means (e.g., 213) for acquiring the characteristics of the crops desired by the user and environmental and soil information about the land available to the user; providing means (e.g., 214) for applying a genetic algorithm to the data set to provide fertilizer information for cultivating a crop having the desired crop characteristics of the user on land available to the user; and a receiving means (for example, 216) for receiving, from a communication device, characteristic information indicating characteristics of the crops newly cultivated in accordance with the provided fertilizer information.

[0068] According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide information for cultivating desired crops even when it is not easy to obtain data from existing growers of the crops.

[0069] 2. The information processing device of the above embodiment is The farming method further comprises a registration means for registering, in the data set, characteristic information indicating characteristics of the newly cultivated crop in association with the cultivation conditions including the provided fertilizer information.

[0070] According to this embodiment, by registering the characteristics of cultivated crops received from the user in the dataset, it becomes possible to expand the highly reliable dataset.

[0071] 3. The information processing device of the above embodiment is The providing means applies the genetic algorithm to the data set registered in association with characteristic information indicating characteristics of the newly cultivated crop.

[0072] According to this embodiment, the accuracy of the genetic algorithm can be improved by applying the genetic algorithm to an expanding data set.

[0073] 4. The information processing device of the above embodiment is the providing means further includes an extracting means for applying a genetic algorithm to the data set to extract information indicating cultivation conditions for cultivating a crop having characteristics desired by the user on land available to the user, Fertilizer information is extracted from the extracted information indicating the cultivation conditions, and the fertilizer information is provided.

[0074] According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide the user with the necessary fertilizer information while applying a genetic algorithm to the cultivation condition information consisting of environmental information, fertilizer information, and soil information as a genetic code.

[0075] 5. The information processing device of the above embodiment is The method further comprises generating means for generating a response surface indicating a distribution of the characteristics of the agricultural crop with respect to a distribution of the information indicating the cultivation conditions based on the data set; The extraction means can further use the response surface to extract information indicating cultivation conditions for harvesting crops having the user's desired crop characteristics on land available to the user.

[0076] According to this embodiment, part of the optimization process using the genetic algorithm can be performed by simulation.

[0077] 6. The information processing device of the above embodiment is The input acquisition means executes an analysis process on land available to the user to acquire environmental information and soil information on the land.

[0078] According to this embodiment, even if the user does not have detailed information about the land, the user can be provided with fertilizer information.

[0079] 7. The information processing device of the above embodiment is The input acquisition means acquires, from the communication device, characteristic information indicating characteristics of the crop desired by the user.

[0080] According to this embodiment, the user can easily provide the information processing device 101 with the characteristics of the desired agricultural crop.

[0081] 8. The information processing device of the above embodiment is When applying the genetic algorithm to the data set, the providing means distinguishes between information indicating the cultivation conditions that can be changed for optimization and information that cannot be changed for optimization, and applies the genetic algorithm to the data set.

[0082] According to this embodiment, the algorithm can be applied after fixing information that is specific to the land and cannot be changed by the algorithm.

[0083] 9. The information processing device of the above embodiment is The information that is not changed for the optimization includes information specific to the land in the soil information.

[0084] According to this embodiment, by fixing the soil information specific to the land, it becomes possible to use variable information as information for improving the soil specific to the land.

[0085] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 101...information processing device, 102...communication device, 212...data acquisition unit, 213...input acquisition unit, 214...optimal solution extraction unit, 215...information provision unit, 216...data registration unit

Claims

1. a data acquisition means for acquiring a data set that associates information indicating cultivation conditions, including environmental information, fertilizer information, and soil information, when a specific agricultural product is cultivated, with characteristic information indicating characteristics of the specific agricultural product cultivated under the cultivation conditions; input acquisition means for acquiring characteristics of a user's desired crops and environmental and soil information regarding land available to the user; a providing means for applying a genetic algorithm to the data set to provide fertilizer information for cultivating a crop having the characteristics of the crop desired by the user on land available to the user; and receiving means for receiving, from a communication device, characteristic information indicating characteristics of crops newly cultivated in accordance with the provided fertilizer information.

2. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a registration means for registering characteristic information indicating characteristics of the newly cultivated crop in the data set in association with the cultivation conditions including the provided fertilizer information.

3. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the providing means applies the genetic algorithm to the data set registered in association with characteristic information indicating characteristics of the newly cultivated agricultural crops.

4. the providing means further includes an extracting means for applying a genetic algorithm to the data set to extract information indicating cultivation conditions for cultivating a crop having characteristics desired by the user on land available to the user, 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein fertilizer information is extracted from the extracted information indicating the cultivation conditions, and the fertilizer information is provided.

5. The method further comprises generating means for generating a response surface indicating a distribution of the characteristics of the agricultural crop with respect to a distribution of the information indicating the cultivation conditions based on the data set; 5. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein the extraction means further uses the response surface to extract information indicating cultivation conditions for harvesting a crop having the characteristics desired by the user on land available to the user.

6. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input acquisition means acquires environmental information and soil information relating to land available to the user by executing an analysis process relating to the land available to the user.

7. 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the input acquisition means acquires, from the communication device, characteristic information indicating characteristics of the crop desired by the user.

8. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the providing means, when applying the genetic algorithm to the data set, distinguishes between information indicating the cultivation conditions that can be changed for optimization and information that cannot be changed for optimization, and applies the genetic algorithm to the data set.

9. 9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the information that is not changed for the optimization includes land-specific information in the soil information.

10. An information processing system including an information processing device and a communication device, a data acquisition means for acquiring a data set that associates information indicating cultivation conditions, including environmental information, fertilizer information, and soil information, when a specific agricultural product is cultivated, with characteristic information indicating characteristics of the specific agricultural product cultivated under the cultivation conditions; input acquisition means for acquiring characteristics of a user's desired crops and environmental and soil information regarding land available to the user; a providing means for applying a genetic algorithm to the data set to provide fertilizer information for cultivating a crop having the characteristics of the crop desired by the user on land available to the user; and receiving means for receiving characteristic information indicating characteristics of newly cultivated crops in accordance with the provided fertilizer information.

11. A data acquisition step in which a data acquisition means acquires a data set that associates information indicating cultivation conditions, including environmental information, fertilizer information, and soil information, when a specific agricultural product is cultivated, with characteristic information indicating characteristics of the specific agricultural product cultivated under the cultivation conditions; an input acquisition step in which an input acquisition means acquires characteristics of a user's desired crop and environmental information and soil information regarding land available to the user; a providing step in which a providing means applies a genetic algorithm to the data set to provide fertilizer information for cultivating a crop having characteristics desired by the user on land available to the user; An information processing method comprising: a receiving step in which receiving means receives, from a communication device, characteristic information indicating characteristics of crops newly cultivated in accordance with the provided fertilizer information.

12. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

13. 10. A recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

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