Welcome to the Competence Centre for Digital Agribusiness!
The Competence Centre for Digital Agribusiness (KoDA) coordinates and develops digital teaching content for the University of applied sciences Weihenstephan-Triesdorf - interdisciplinary, across study programmes, departments and campuses. In addition to teaching content related to digitalisation, KoDA offers further education and training for users, institutions and companies in cooperation with the Centre for Studies and Didactics.
KoDA supports lecturers and researchers by providing advice on equipment and services.
Our vision
Education, networking and research for the applied life sciences in the environment of digitalisation
Digitisation is also playing an increasingly important role in the applied life sciences. The pioneers here are precision farming and smart farming approaches, which date back to the 1990s. But digitalisation has also long since found its way into other areas of applied life sciences such as Horticulture, Landscape Architecture, Forestry and in the storage and processing of food.
The Competence Centre for Digital Agribusiness (KoDA) has set itself the goal of integrating digital content as a cross-cutting issue in the departments and degree programmes as well as in research, knowledge transfer and further education at the HSWT.
Since the technical foundations are the same for all conceivable applications, valuable synergy effects can be used here. The offers of KoDA are aimed at students, but also at the further education and training of alumni, academics of all disciplines and all interested adults.
KoDA also stands for networking. The staff of the centre answer questions on digitisation in the applied life sciences within the University of applied sciences, but also discuss use cases with companies and users.
Teaching, further education & training
We systematically record the knowledge and competences in the area of digitalisation that are available in education. In this way, they can be taken into account when planning new teaching units, complete modules, core subjects, fields of study and complete degree programmes. A better, interdisciplinary networking of the existing modules is our goal.
The new modules should ensure that the digital content is not decoupled from the core competencies of the students in the applied life sciences. The application reference is also ensured by teaching units in practice: In the field, in the stable, in the biogas plant, on the construction site, in the nature reserve, in the greenhouse and in the forest.
It will be possible to take parts or all of the new modules online, in order to facilitate cross-campus participation. KoDA will work closely with the Centre for Studies and Didactics on this.
Our partners
New solutions or new products can easily be generated from existing digital technologies. Digitalisation brings relief, creates added value, protects the biotic environment and conserves resources. That is why the team from the Competence Centre for Digital Agribusiness is the ideal partner for carrying out research projects of applied life sciences in the environment of digitalisation.
How can we help you?
KoDA supports the teaching staff and researchers of all departments at the University of applied sciences in the area of digitisation by providing advice, services and equipment.
These services and hardware are available at KoDA:
Services
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Image-based 3D modelling
3D models are calculated on the basis of multi-perspective image recordings. Point clouds and triangular meshes can be derived from the resulting data. They can then be used in the measurement of the objects (volumes, lengths). We will also be pleased to create the models on commission if the object of investigation is made available to us.
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3D printing
The Intamsys Funmat HT Enhanced 3D printer can print components with a maximum size of 260 mm x 260 mm x 260 mm. Common plastics (such as ABS, PLA or nylon) as well as special high-temperature materials can be processed.
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Portal milling machine
A Haase Cut 2500 Profi is available for the precise, computer-controlled machining of thinner sheets and wooden panels. The maximum workpiece size is 1000 mm x 580 mm x 110 mm. The max. material thickness depends on the type of material and processing. In addition to panels for switchboards, the machining of finished components is possible.
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Geodata portal
Via the geodata portal, data with a spatial reference can not only be visualised, but also exchanged and securely stored on servers of the Leibniz Computing Centre. It is possible to design and publish individual maps. The upload of geodata is also possible. A metadata-based search promotes clarity.
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QGIS Geographical Information System
Support when setting up, switching or adapting the free open source software QGIS. Training offers on the topic of "Working with QGIS", processing and analysis of QGIS data on request.
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Computing power for computationally intensive software
The work can currently only be carried out by KoDA on site. Remote access is planned. 64 cores of 2.0 to 3.4 GHz with a total of 128 threads (AMD Epyc 7702P), 512 GB ECC DDR4, 2x Nvidia Titan RTX (4608 CUDA units each, 24 GB GDDR6), 2 x 1.5 TB SSD and 21 TB SAS HDD (RAID array) are available.
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Drone footage
Two drones are available: A DJI Phantom 4 quadcopter with a 12 MP RGB camera and a ThirdElement hexacopter with a 24 MP RGB or CIR camera, a Parrot Sequoia camera (Red, Green, Red Edge, Near Infrared). Additional sensors can be installed in the gimbal system of the ThirdElement drone on request. This drone is equipped with an RTK-capable GNSS receiver. We are happy to carry out aerial surveys upon your request.
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Drone data processing
In addition to digital elevation models (DTM), orthorectified images can also be calculated from drone images. The results are then Digital Orthophotos (DOP). On request, we process drone images into DTMs and DOPs.
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Soil conductivity measurement
The Veris Q2800 soil conductivity meter determines the apparent electrical conductivity of the soil. The georeferenced results make it possible to divide the field into zones and then perform further targeted measurements within them, for example. Measurement depths are 0 to 0.3 m and 0 to 0.9 m. The unit of measurement is mS/m (=1/R).
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Pattern recognition in image files
Pattern recognition is used to automate processes. It can be used for recognising or also measuring or evaluating objects in the image. We would be pleased to advise you on questions relating to the subject areas of our green University of applied sciences.
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Consulting LRZ Services
In addition to the already widespread video conferencing platform the Leibniz Computing Centre (LRZ) offers a variety of other services. These include, among others, cloud storage sync and share and the compute cloud for the autonomous administration of virtual machines. With Gitlab, a very popular platform for the management of (software) projects is available. We provide advice whether and how LRZ services can be used in a project. If necessary, we accompany their introduction.
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Building Lora networks
The LoraWAN radio technology enables energy-efficient transmission of sensor data to the internet. A very large number of individual sensors can be connected bidirectionally to a remote server via a so-called gateway. Compared to WLAN, the data rate of LoraWAN is low, but at the same time much higher ranges can be achieved. We will be pleased to assist you in setting up a complete process chain as well as in storing and displaying the transferred data on a cloud server.
Hardware
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Mobile measurement laboratory
The mobile measuring laboratory Labjack U3 is connected to a laptop or PC via USB and has various interfaces. The device can be used to display and record data from different sensors (temperature, angle, etc.). Compared to other commercial systems, the gadget is very cheap but has a lower resolution (12 bit). It is good for simple measuring tasks and for use in student projects.
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Receivers for Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)
Systems from various manufacturers with different positioning accuracies are available. If necessary, the devices can be adapted to the application.
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Arduino microprocessor
The modular and energy-efficient Arduino microprocessor can be used for the acquisition and transmission of measurement data as well as for the automation of processes. We will be pleased to advise you on possible applications and assist you with set-up and configuration.
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Raspberry PI
In addition to its expandability and processing power, the Raspberry Pi single-board computer is characterised above all by its digital and analogue inputs and outputs. These make it suitable for control and regulation tasks as well as for recording measured values. Simple programs can be executed on the RPi itself. The system can also be deployed as a desktop PC with a Linux operating system if the requirements are low. We are happy to assist with the assembly and configuration of the RPi.
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Handheld NDVI sensor
The Trimble Greenseeker is a hand-held meter to determine the NDVI (vegetation index, nitrogen uptake, drought stress, cover) of plants for a circular area of about 0.5 m². The measurement can be carried out selectively or continuously over short periods of time as a single or average value.
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Mobile GIS mapping systems
A mobile mapping system is used to expand a wide variety of measured values with the information "geographical position". Various positioning accuracies and adaptations to target operating systems are available.
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Mobile hyperspectral sensors
Ocean Optics STS VIS and NIR spectrometers can measure wavelengths in the range of 350 to 800 nm and 650 to 1100 nm respectively. Data acquisition takes place on a PC or laptop. The data is transferred via USB. The devices are suitable for the examination of plants, soils and food.
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Long-term recording RS 232 data
Various options including power supply are available for recording data transmitted via the serial interface (RS 232) for several days to several weeks.
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GoPro Hero7
Dust and waterproof, shockproof action camera with optical image stabiliser capable of recording video up to 4K and 60 fps/1080p and 240 fps.
KoDA Hall & Rental
The Competence Centre for Digital Agribusiness has a fully equipped mechanical workshop (Q.001) and an electronics lab (Q.002). Many of the items available in the KoDA hall, such as drones, tools, sensors and cables, are already recorded in our loan system and can be borrowed.
KoDA Hall
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Registration for students
Please register at least two days before entering the workshop or laboratory. Simply send an e-mail to the KoDA staff:
CC: patrick.noack@hswt.de, david.eder@hswt.de, koda@hswt.de
Please describe in the e-mail which activities you would like to carry out, which tools and machines you expectedly need for this and whether you already have experience with this equipment.
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Regulations on site
In order to use the equipment and tools, you need to be instructed by the KoDA staff.
Wearing protective clothing and safety shoes is compulsory in the workshop and laboratory.
Please sign in with the workshop manager in the foreman's office before entering the KoDA hall and sign out again when you leave.
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Terms of use
The entire terms of use as well as the deviating terms for staff can be read here.
Rental
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Search offer
The online lending system is constantly being expanded and illustrated. Interested parties are welcome to get a first overview of what we have to offer. To do so, simply send an empty e-mail with the subject "Demo access" to leihswt.koda@lrz.mwn.de. Within a few minutes, the access data will be sent in an automated e-mail. With this data it is not yet possible to borrow books, but you can use it to browse the entire range.
In general, only hswt.de e-mail addresses can be taken into account.
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User account for the lending process
For the lending process, a personal user account is required.
To do so, please send an e-mail with the subject "Registration" and the following data in the form below to leihswt.koda@lrz.mwn.de:
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First and last name
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Library card number (this can be found on the back of the student or service card under the barcode).
The user account will be created after verification and the personal access data will be sent to you via e-mail.
In general, only hswt.de e-mail addresses can be taken into account.
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Lending process
With a user account, hardware and equipment can be borrowed from us in the following way:
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Logging into the lending system with personal access data.
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Adding one or more items to the order, specifying the desired quantity and duration of the loan.
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Submitting the order, specifying the purpose of use (research project, student work, supervisor), and accepting the loan conditions.
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After the order has been approved by KoDA, you will receive an e-mail informing you on how to collect the item.
General questions, problems and requests can be sent via e-mail to leihswt.koda@lrz.mwn.de
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