Importance of Open Source
In my second white paper assignment, I discussed why open sources should be available throughout scientific studies. Major issues can be faced within collection of data and influence the outcome, including user error, bias, and fraud. Data can be altered to support the desired outcome of the individual doing the research. When this happens, the results may not be of full truth and those who wish to view the data do not have any knowledge of the data being altered. Open sources would eliminate this problem. Anyone who wants to see this data would see the truth rather than something altered.
An example used in my paper is a case study outlining precision agriculture, (which relies strictly on numbers and accurate data) and why it is important to avoid user error in this practice. A suitable method for collecting data without human error is where there is actually no human interaction. The case study states that computerized data collection can detect coarse design deficiencies in HMI software.
The question arises, “why does user error have such an impact on number-based practices such as precision agriculture?” As precision agriculture is not widely used, poor user operation is a reason for this. It can be solved through evaluations of precision agriculture devices and their usability, which can meet the user requirements.
The takeaway from this paper is this: if open sources were available in precision agriculture (and other scientific data collection practices), the problem would not lie on just one user, but it could be solved through many in a joint study where we work together.
