Design and Development of Software for Improving the Efficacy and Trainingof Mandatory Inspections ofSprayers in Use in Europe

Abstract

<abstract> <b><sc>Abstract. </sc></b>In this study, software dedicated to the inspection of sprayers in use has been developed with the aim of facilitating the accomplishment of the mandatory requirements of the EU Directive on Sustainable Use of Pesticides, specifically those concerning the inspection of deployed sprayers. The software - PRITEAF - has been developed according to the European standards EN 13790 concerning mandatory inspection of sprayers in use and it is ready for use by not only inspectors among all the EU members but also for training purposes all over the world. The software will be ready for launch after minor arrangements in accordance with the recently approved new international inspection standards ISO 16122-series; its main functions include facilitating the sprayer‘s inspection procedure, as well as managing, storing, and transferring all the information to the official bodies in charge of the procedure, so that it may be used as a support tool to improve the training activities during the process, according to the European Directive 2009/128/CE for Sustainable Use of Pesticides. For this purpose, PRITEAF has been designed for three different types of users: inspection teams, inspection workshops, and regional authorities. PRITEAF is developed using the File Maker Pro package and it is composed of three databases - inspections activities, database on sprayers already inspected, and owners or those officially responsible for the agricultural activity. The software is composed of specific modules for data acquisition and generation of official reports, files, and communications. For its implementation, PRITEAF uses specific hardware (a PC server, a tablet, and local Wi-Fi) necessary to ensure proper data collection in the field. After data collection, the software generates an official inspection report and an inspection certificate, as required by law. Using PRITEAF reduces the inspection time by 33% compared to traditional sprayer inspection systems. Following its validation, PRITEAF has been made available to regional authorities and inspection workshops across Spain, and it is also being used to train all inspection teams in the country. More than 600 inspectors have been officially trained using the developed software, which indicates that the proposed software is a feasible tool for improving the daily activities to be executed in all inspection workshops in Europe.