# BSEN30210

**Source**: https://hub.ucd.ie/usis/!W_HU_MENU.P_PUBLISH?p_tag=MODULE&MODULE=BSEN30210&TERMCODE=202500&ACYR=2026
**Parent**: https://hub.ucd.ie/usis/!W_HU_MENU.P_PUBLISH?p_tag=COURSE&MAJR=ETS2&AUDIENCE=

Academic Year 2025/2026

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#### Precision Agriculture (BSEN30210)

Subject:
:   Biosystems Engineering

College:
:   Engineering & Architecture

School:
:   Biosystems & Food Engineering

Level:
:   3 (Degree)

Credits:
:   5

Module Coordinator:
:   Dr Dimitrios Argyropoulos

Trimester:
:   Spring

Mode of Delivery:
:   Blended

Internship Module:
:   No

How will I be graded?
:   Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module focuses on the principles and theories that underpin the concept of Precision Agriculture. Students will be introduced to the toolbox of technologies (e.g., Absolute and Relative Positioning, PC-Tractor-Implement Communication, Proximal Sensing, Machine Vision, Variable Rate Technology, Yield Mapping) that enable Precision Agriculture, and the theory of how they are used to manage spatial and temporal variability of soil and crops. The technologies will be considered in the context of Irish, European and world agriculture, and how they can be best put to use for gaining environmental and economic benefits for farmers. This module integrates gamification in teaching of Precision Agriculture as a new, futuristic learning technique. To this end, students will design, implement and evaluate their own precision agriculture use case using the Farming Simulation video game developed by GIANTS Software.

## About this Module

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### What will I learn?

###### Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the module, students should be able to:\
- LO1: Reflect on fundamental concepts and principles of precision agriculture technologies.\
- LO2: Compare and contrast the functionality of a toolbox of sensor and sensing technologies used in agricultural machinery.\
- LO3: Analyse and interpret soil and crop variability data. \
- LO4: Advise on how to introduce precision agriculture strategies to a farm.\
- LO5: Design, implement and evaluate precision agriculture concepts using the Farming Simulator software.

###### Indicative Module Content:

The module content is as follows:\
\
- Introduction to Precision Agriculture (PA)\
Challenges, technologies, requirements and expectations\
- Spatial variability of soils and crop plants\
Understanding variability, measuring principles and visualization\
- Proximal sensing and machine vision \
Description, assessment and use\
- Absolute and relative Positioning \
GNSS, sensing and sensor fusion\
- PC-Tractor-Implement Communication\
International Standardization, ISOBUS interoperability, with display and terminal demonstrations\
- Variable Rate Technology\
Tillage, sowing, spraying, fertilisation \
- Harvesting\
Data logging and yield mapping\
- Adoption of PA technologies\
Current status, advantages, limitations and barriers\
- Future Technology (Farming Simulator) \
Precision - Smart - Digital Farming

### How will I learn?

###### Student Effort Hours:

| Student Effort Type | Hours |
| --- | --- |
| Specified Learning Activities | 24 |
| Autonomous Student Learning | 60 |
| Lectures | 24 |
| Online Learning | 4 |
|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Total | 112 |

\

###### Approaches to Teaching and Learning:

To get the maximum out of this module students should attend all lectures and complete all assignments, reports and presentations.

### Am I eligible to take this module?

###### Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.

\

###### Module Requisites and Incompatibles

Not applicable to this module.
\
 \

### How will I be assessed?

###### Assessment Strategy

| Description | Timing | Component Scale | Must Pass Component | % of Final Grade | In Module Component Repeat Offered |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Exam (Open Book): Class Test: An exam will take place at the end of the module | Week 12 | Graded | No | 60 | No |
| Individual Project: Students design, implement and evaluate their own Precision Agriculture use case on the Farming Simulator software | Week 11 | Graded | No | 30 | No |
| Assignment(Including Essay): Report on Precision Agriculture use case design | Week 8 | Graded | No | 10 | No |

\

###### Carry forward of passed components

Yes

\

### What happens if I fail?

| Resit In | Terminal Exam |
| --- | --- |
| Autumn | Yes - 2 Hour |

*Please see [Student Jargon Buster](https://www.ucd.ie/students/services/ucdstudentjargonbuster/) for more information about remediation types and timing.* \

### Assessment feedback

###### Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment\

###### How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback individually to students, post-assessment if requested.

### Reading List

Brett Whelan, James Taylor (2013). Precision agriculture for grain production systems.\
or\
Hermann J. Heege (2013). Precision in Crop Farming. \
\

### When is this module offered?

**Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.**

|  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Spring | Lecture | Offering 1 | Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 | Wed 11:00 - 12:50 |

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