The Private Institute for Climate Change Research -ICC- developed an SQC and a mobile application for smartphones, which allows to check whether or not it is advisable to proceed with a burn, based on meteorological information.
In the sugar harvest 2015/16, the SQC was used by the Sugar Industry (IAI) for the first time, registering about the 36% of the sugarcane burns.
How does it work?
This system allows users to check the meteorological conditions of the area where sugarcane will be burned, it determines the cinder’s dispersion area, and the sensitive areas around (cities, paved roads, airports, and a 2-kms fringe in the Pacific coastal line) and overlaps this information to provide users with a recommendation of whether or not to burn the sugarcane field.
Currently, the system allows to register:
- Programmed burns with and without mobile coverage
- Non-programmed burns (criminal)
For the 2016/17 sugarcane harvest, the system will allow to register:
- Programmed burns with and without mobile coverage
- Non-programmed burns (criminal)
- Re-burns
- Green harvesting
- Seedbeds
Besides of tools that help to estimate coordinates, measure areas and check appropriate schedules for sugarcane field burns.
Pioneers
This is the first time that the Guatemalan Sugar Industry uses this type of technology to determine whether or not to proceed with a sugarcane burn. This is a dynamic and automated system.
