Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISIDigital Agricultural Knowledge and Information System (DAKIS)
Innovative integration for landscape smart agriculture
The aim of the »Digital Agricultural Knowledge and Information System (DAKIS)« project is to create a new decision support system (DSS) for farmers that employs advanced digitisation and field robotics to incorporate ecosystem services (ESS), biodiversity and resource efficiency into contemporary planning processes, production, and marketing. With its modular structure, the DSS can be integrated into private and public apps or FMIS, enabling site-specific management measures that boost productivity and ESS. In the medium term, it can support the development of agri-environmental, climate, and market-based measures that enhance the value of ESS and biodiversity.
The vision of the DAKIS project is to create a future agriculture that harmonises environmental and climate protection with food security and stable income. DAKIS will introduce a flexible work oganisation that will enable resource efficient sustainable production controlled by market and societal demand and cooperation among farms. This will be achieved via the use of real-time digital information systems, and autonomous, interlinked, small-scale robots.
In DAKIS Phase I (2019-2024) test regions in Bavaria and Brandenburg were selected to represent the significant diversity of farm structures in Germany. Using GIS analyses, a detailed site characterisation was conducted (evaluation of the current condition), which led to the development of optimised landscape patterns aimed at enhancing ecosystem services (ESS) and biodiversity. Simultaneously, the societal demand for ESS and biodiversity in the pilot regions was assessed. The project has been developed through six sub-projects (SP) with a total of 15 work packages involving ten partner institutions.
At the end of DAKIS Phase I, the project delivered comprehensive insights and recommendations for action for the two pilot regions. It integrated field-related information with regional and national data. A high degree of interdisciplinarity and a significant focus on innovation research were incorporated into DAKIS Phase I.
The first phase was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), which provided 7.4 million euros over five years.
DAKIS Phase II (2025-2028) offers a wide range of further processing options, and additional publicity and integration of the DAKIS ideas are planned. It continues the aims of the first phase by developing a system that provides farmers and stakeholders from the advisory and political sectors with a basis for decision-making to improve the provision of ESS and biodiversity. Based on the findings of the first funding phase, a concept for data flows, model-based analyses, and information processing was developed. The DSS developed in DAKIS Phase II fosters sustainable land use by identifying new opportunities for valuing ESS and biodiversity, benefiting both agriculture and environment. It helps policymakers and businesses translate policy goals into measurable land-cover and ESS metrics.
