Big data and Ag-Analytics

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief and necessarily partial overview of the design, motivation, and use of the Ag-Analytics platform (ag-analytics.org), focussing on integration and warehousing of publicly available research data for broad communities of researchers, including those in the area of agricultural finance. Design/methodology/approach – The paper walks the reader through an overview of the layout and utilization of the Ag-Analytics platform, including a few example applications of some of the tools and web API’s. Findings – Much of the data researchers routinely use in agricultural and environmental finance and related fields are often – strictly speaking – publicly available; however the form in which they are distributed leads to great inefficiencies in data sourcing and processing which can be greatly improved. The goal of the Ag-Analytics open data/open source platform is to help researchers centralize and share in such efforts. Development of systems for disseminating, documenting, and automating the processing of such data can lead to more transparency in research, better routes for validation, and a more robust research community. Practical implications – Some of the tools and methods are discussed, as well as practical issues in data sourcing and automation for research. A few high level introductory examples and applications are illustrated. Originality/value – Development and adoption of such systems and data resources remains seriously lacking in social science research, particularly in the economics, natural resource, environmental, and agricultural finance spheres. This brief provides an overview of one such system which should be of value to researchers in this field and many others.