Problem: compiling information on the
condition of almost 7,000 heaters used for curing and drying tobacco leaves in
the production of Virginia Tobacco, in order to calculate the amount of fire
insurance.
Solution: the Pocket PC System developed
with GeneXus 8.0 that integrates GIS (Geographical Information System)
technology.
The Salta Association of Tobacco Producers offers its
members a fire insurance premium whose amount, until now, was calculated on the
number of hectares of tobacco that were produced. But a new method for
calculating the insurance premium made it necessary to compile information on
the condition of the heaters where the tobacco is cured and dried.
In the tobacco industry, drying and curing the tobacco
leaves is part of the elaboration process denominated "Virginia Tobacco or fire
cured." This process consists of placing the harvested leaves in specially
designed heaters. These are built using different technologies, and are adopted
depending on the producers'investment capacity, and the fuel availability in
their area.
To determine whether or not a heater
is insurable, and decide on the premium, it is necessary that a team of
inspectors carefully evaluate its condition.
To compile the information of all 6,900 heaters
distributed in approximately 600 tobacco farms, Syndeo ?GeneXus sub-distributor
in Salta, Jujuy and Tucuman- developed a system that uses the GeneXus 8.0 Pocket
PC generator and integrates GIS technology.
The GeneXus Pocket PC application compiles the different
data required (producer registers, farm registers, types of materials in the
heaters, their condition, capacity, etc.); this information is consolidated in a
central system placing each heater in a GIS.
"To gather the information, besides the Pocket PC, the
inspectors take with them a GPS (Global Positioning System) which allows them to
identify the exact location of the heater and assign it a unique code that links
the GIS data with the data of the inspected heater," explained Alfredo Gabin,
partner at Syndeo.
"This application contains the data of the producers
register (approximately 2,000), of the farms (approx. 600), and the different
types of heaters with their characteristics tabulated. The loading speed of this
data volume was optimized during the system development, and the possibility to
print a receipt on site for the owner to sign was included," informed Gabin.
Syndeo presented the characteristics of this development
during the GeneXus 8.0 presentation held in Salta at the end of
August.