Software Impacts 17 (2023) 100546

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Software Impacts
journal homepage: www.journals.elsevier.com/software-impacts

Original software publication

ARP Cotabato: Exploring seasonal climate and rice production in Cotabato

province through advanced data visualization and rapid analytics
Reymark D. Delena a ,∗, Marivic S. Tangkeo b , Azimah D. Ampuan a , Joseph C. Sieras a
a
Faculty, Department of Information Sciences, College of Information and Computing Sciences, Mindanao State University – Main Campus, Marawi City, Lanao
Del Sur, 9700, Philippines
b
Faculty, Department of Information Technology, College of Computer Studies, De La Salle University, Manila City, National Capital Region, 1000, Philippines

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Keywords: We used Power BI and Python Script to visualize agro-climate and rice production in Cotabato, resulting in an
Rice production efficient prototype that facilitates easy comprehension of information. Based on usability testing feedback,
Data mining we enhanced user-friendliness through simplified visualizations. Our focus on analytics and visualization
Data visualization
emphasized the significance of understanding rice production and related factors. The analytical dashboard has
Agro-climate factors
the potential to aid stakeholders and policymakers in making informed decisions regarding food insufficiency
Irrigated and rainfed rice production
Analytical dashboard
and conflict arising from declining rice production. Overall, this prototype presents a promising solution to
Climate change guide decision-making and tackle crucial challenges in the region.

Code metadata

Current code version 1

Permanent link to code/repository used for this code version https://github.com/SoftwareImpacts/SIMPAC-2023-243
Permanent link to reproducible capsule
Legal code license N/A
Code versioning system used None
Software code languages, tools and services Python, DAX
used
Compilation requirements, operating pandas, numpy, matplotlib.pyplot, seaborn
environments and dependencies
If available, link to developer documentation/manual https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eY1Rwzfs9LxP66vcLHyIoD3m4Ori-
6MQ?usp=sharing
Support email for questions reymark.delena@msumain.edu.ph

1. Motivation and significance
Integrated decision-support systems have long been used as comp-
uter-based technologies for sophisticated decision-making in agricul-
ture, particularly in analyzing climate threats using crop models
[1,2]. When making decisions on the best management methods for
identifying climate service-based adaptation strategies in agricultural
systems, decision-makers must consider both threats and uncertainties.
Climate services, in theory, convert climate data into practical applica-
tions, assisting decision-makers in making more informed and effective
choices [3]. However, to achieve these results, climate services need
to consider the reliability, accuracy, and relevance of climate data
for adaptive decision-making, while also ensuring strong stakeholder
engagement and ownership within the climate services themselves [4].
Although seasonal climate forecasting has shown promising results
in agricultural decision-making, no research has specifically investi-
gated the applicability of seasonal climate forecasts on rice production
at the local level in Mindanao, particularly in the Province of Cotabato,
which is known as the granary of the nation’s rice production and
supply. Thus, we aim to explore the applicability of seasonal climate
forecasts and rice production data in the Province of Cotabato to visu-
alize and assist provincial-level decision-makers in making intelligent
decisions using a computer vision platform. This project combines

∗ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: reymark.delena@msumain.edu.ph (R.D. Delena).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.simpa.2023.100546
Received 12 June 2023; Received in revised form 3 July 2023; Accepted 3 July 2023

2665-9638/© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
R.D. Delena, M.S. Tangkeo, A.D. Ampuan et al.
Fig. 1. System architecture of Agro-climate and rice production analytical dashboard.
Fig. 2. Agro-climate and rice production dashboard pages.
analytics with visualization to assess rice production in North Cotabato
using seasonal climate data and historical rice production data.
The primary objective of this analytics project is to support decision-
making by providing informative insights. Descriptive analytics and
data visualization will facilitate better decision management, improve
crop output, and reduce undesirable expenditures associated with cul-
tivation, future agriculture, and the use of fertilizers and pesticides [5].
Additionally, this software will identify factors that have a significant
effect on rice production, whether it is irrigated or non-irrigated.
By leveraging this software solution, we aim to empower decision-
makers in addressing the challenges of rice production in the face of
climate change in the Province of Cotabato.
2. System development model of an agro-climate and rice produc-
tion analytical dashboard
Fig. 1 depicts the designed system architecture of the analytical
dashboard prototype. The data were gathered from different data
sources (1) from NASA POWER and (2) from OPAG Cotabato. These
data were collected, aggregated, and stored in a repository [6]. The
consolidated was then extracted, transformed, and loaded in Power BI
for further analysis and visualization.
3. Agro-climate and rice production analytical dashboard
Fig. 2 provides a comprehensive overview of the agro-climate and
rice production dashboard, showcasing its various components and
visualizations. The dashboard incorporates filters for municipality and
years, allowing users to customize their analysis. It includes a timeline,
special visual, indicators, stacked column chart displaying rice produc-
tion by year, donut chart presenting rice production and crop areas for
different crop types, tornado chart comparing rice production to the
previous year, and clustered chart illustrating rice production by mu-
nicipality. Additionally, Fig. 2b depicts a dynamic model showcasing
the relationships between variables.
2
Software Impacts 17 (2023) 100546
The development of an agro-climate and rice production analytical
dashboard holds significant value for decision-makers and stakeholders
in the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg) of Cotabato. Firstly,
the dashboard enables the identification of patterns and trends in rice
production, empowering decision-makers to allocate resources effec-
tively, make informed investments, and plan production strategies. By
analyzing the relationship between rice production and agro-climatic
factors like temperature and precipitation, decision-makers can pin-
point optimal conditions to maximize yields and reduce production
costs [7]. Secondly, the dashboard provides insights into the perfor-
mance of different rice varieties under varying agro-climatic condi-
tions. Decision-makers can compare yields and performance indicators
across different varieties, aiding in the selection of the most productive
strains and informing future production plans. Thirdly, the dashboard
helps identify potential risks and vulnerabilities in rice production.
Through the analysis of the connection between rice production and
climate-related risks such as droughts or floods, decision-makers can
develop contingency plans and risk management strategies to ensure
the resilience of Cotabato’s rice industry. Moreover, the agro-climate
and rice production analytical dashboard serve as a valuable tool for
decision-makers, providing them with insights that inform planning,
investment, and risk management strategies. By leveraging this dash-
board, decision-makers can work towards ensuring the sustainability
and profitability of the rice industry in Cotabato.
4. Impact overview
ARP Cotabato has been developed to enable better decision-making
regarding production and its response to various factors in the agri-
cultural sector. The main impacts of the generated software can be
summarized below:
• Enabling better decision-making regarding production and its re-
sponse to various factors by answering most of the inquiries of the
targeted province: The software’s visualization results effectively
R.D. Delena, M.S. Tangkeo, A.D. Ampuan et al.
address most inquiries of the targeted province, enabling better
decision-making regarding production and its response to various
factors. Decision makers can now come up with a better decision
as to how they will proceed with production reacting to different
factors.
• Allowing decision makers to understand climate change trends
and their potential effects by generating reports quickly: The
software generates reports quickly, allowing decision makers to
understand climate change trends and their potential effects. This
feature can help decision makers to make informed decisions
based on data analysis, which can lead to better outcomes for rice
production and potentially other crops in Cotabato.
• Providing provincial-level decision makers with the ability to ana-
lyze data related to rice production and make intelligent decisions
using a computer vision platform: This feature can help decision
makers to easily analyze data based on what kind of seed they
will give to a certain area of the municipality that could stand
with the climate weather if it has an increase or decrease effect.
• Demonstrating its effectiveness in decision-making through us-
ability testing conducted with decision makers in Cotabato prov-
ince: Usability testing conducted with decision makers in Cota-
bato province confirmed their acceptance of the software’s us-
ability. Testing conducted with software users demonstrated its
effectiveness in decision-making, and users expressed interest in
its application beyond the province of Cotabato, suggesting its
potential for use by other farmers and in different crops.
• Expressing interest in its application beyond the province of
Cotabato, suggesting its potential for use by other farmers and
in different crops: Testing conducted with software users demon-
strated its effectiveness in decision-making, and users expressed
interest in its application beyond the province of Cotabato, sug-
gesting its potential for use by other farmers and in different
crops. The software can be applied to other types of crops such as
plants, wheat, beans, etc., and is not limited to rice crops only.
• Being applicable to other types of crops such as plants, wheat,
beans, etc., and not limited to rice crops only: The software can
be applied to other types of crops such as plants, wheat, beans,
etc., and is not limited to rice crops only. This feature can expand
its usefulness beyond rice production and make it more applicable
to other agricultural sectors and could be used by other Provinces
near Cotabato.
5. Limitations and further research directions
The software has some limitations that can be overcome or ad-
dressed in future work:
• The software is currently focused on rice production, which may
limit its usefulness for decision makers in other agricultural sec-
tors.
• The developed software is intended for general information in the
province of Cotabato and not widespread down to the municipal
level.
The software also has potential applications or extensions that could
benefit other researchers or users:
• The software can be improved to cover other influencing factors
in various crops such as plants, wheat, beans, etc. This feature can
expand its usefulness beyond rice production and make it more
applicable to other agricultural sectors.
Software Impacts 17 (2023) 100546
• The software can be expanded to other provinces that possess
their data. This can increase its impact and usefulness for decision
makers in other regions.
• The software can be improved to provide more detailed in-
formation at the municipal level. This can increase its useful-
ness for decision makers at the local level and make it more
widespread.
6. Conclusion
This paper presents a system model of an agro-climate and rice pro-
duction analytical dashboard, showcasing its system architecture. The
dashboard incorporates various visualizations to analyze rice produc-
tion and climate data effectively. It enables decision-makers to identify
patterns, make informed decisions on resource allocation and produc-
tion planning, and assess the performance of rice varieties under dif-
ferent agro-climatic conditions. The dashboard also aids in identifying
risks and vulnerabilities in rice production, supporting the development
of contingency plans and risk management strategies. The software
has shown promising results in helping decision-makers analyze data,
generate reports quickly, and make informed decisions. While currently
focused on rice production in Cotabato, there is potential for expansion
to other provinces. The software’s limitations include its focus on rice
production and the need for further research on climate-related factors.
Overall, this analytical dashboard offers valuable insights for decision-
making and has the potential to address critical challenges in the rice
industry.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing finan-
cial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to
influence the work reported in this paper.
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