Systems Dynamics and Serious Video Games in an Appropriation Strategy of a Decision Support System for Small Livestock Farmers

Urbano Eliécer Gómez Prada,Jesús María Salinas Ibañez,Martha Lucía Orellana Hernández

doi:10.3991/ijim.v14i15.14597

Abstract

This document presents a Decision Support System (DSS) aimed at small livestock farmers who have not made use of Information Technologies (IT) in their production systems. The DSS was built based on the finite difference equations of a simulation model in System Dynamics in whose definition the beneficiaries participated and also served as a base for the development of a serious video game. The DSS and the Serious video game is supported in a Web and Mobile Architecture. The simulation model and the serious video game are used as support tools in the training given to users to learn how to use the DSS. These three tools are the result of a doctoral research project, which used two methodologies during its execution: Design and Development Research and the Case Studies methodology. The tools were applied in an appropriation strategy with livestock farmers of the department of Santander in Colombia, where resistance to change and cultural attachment causes a low adoption of technology. The inclusion of gamification elements helps the user to understand the connection of these elements and their processes in a real farm, know the large volume of data managed by the DSS, enhance the process by making it more fun, improve the learning curve and provide useful data for tracking the use of the DSS. 16 months after the end of the training, the DSS has more than 13000 reported records about the activities of the farmers in their farms.

Highlights

The livestock farmers of the Colombian rural sector need ways to improve the decisions they make concerning their production processes to mitigate the losses of data and the uncertainty of the result of their choices [1]
The Appropriation strategy was supported by Design and Development Research and the Case Study methodology, the simulation models are supported in System Dynamics and the development of the Decision Support System (DSS) and Serious video game was supported by RUP
The strategy has ten phases: 1) Formalization of knowledge and elaboration of the frame of reference 2) Construction of the Information Technologies (IT) tools 3) Characterization of livestock farmers and their Bovine Production Systems 4) Formalization of the simulation model 5) Updating and validation of tools 6) Training with the serious video game 7) Training of the DSS for the management of the simulated farm 8) Use of DSS with help for the management of the real farm 9) Use of DSS without help for the management of the real farm 10) Measurement of the tools use. In these phases are defined three moments in which the tools are used and from which the total objective of appropriation emerges is given by the livestock farmer receives an induction on simulation model with System Dynamics with simple models so that they know the methodology of the System Dynamics and support with their ideas the construction of a new version of the model for the Bovine Production Systems Because when the developer finishes the new version of the Serious video game, which are presented in several sessions and this aids them to know the structure and learn that the decisions taken can be consulted on the DSS

Summary

Introduction

The livestock farmers of the Colombian rural sector need ways to improve the decisions they make concerning their production processes to mitigate the losses of data and the uncertainty of the result of their choices [1]. This document presents three tools aimed at mitigating this need: A Decision support system (DSS), a simulation model and a Serious video game. The livestock farmers for whom this DSS is designed to have a Bovine Production System with a maximum of 25 animals and an income of less than 60 legal minimum monthly wages per year [2]. Many of these livestock farmers have low Information Technologies (IT) adoption. Rural development must be supported by better information [4] and accelerating the appropriation of the DSS [5] with adoption of strategies [6]

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion