1998 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Development of Rsearch Methods of Farm Work Time by Use of PDA
| Project/Area Number |
09660239
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Agro-economics
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| Research Institution | Niigata University |
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Principal Investigator |
HIRAIZUMI Koichi Niigata University Faculty of Agriculture Associate Professor, 農学部, 助教授 (00282997)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1997 – 1998
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| Keywords | PDA / IC recorder / Farm work / Work study / Time study |
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| Research Abstract |
This research project aims to develop the new methods (or the work study methods) of time-study on farm work by using the so-called PDA (Personal Digital Assistant, or Personal Data Assistace), which is palmtop-size small computer or hand-held electoronic device with IC/LSI chips and an interface of data conversion to PCs.
There is two objects in this research project One is to examine the practicality of PDA as the device to measure and record the labor time in the farm, under the condition that a farm worker uses it by himself during working hours. The Other is to compare the new methods with existing methods based on diary record of farm work in regard to accuracy of measurements and others.
We used the IC recorder, ICD-70, as a kind of PDA.The IC recorder is very small and can be carried in a jacket pocket ICD-70 has the specification that recording time is automatically recorded as digital data at the moment voices are recorded. Moreover, voice data in IC recorder can be transferred to PC.
Practical tests were carried out in two farms. As a result, it was proved that IC recorder is enough useful as the device to measure and record farm work time.
Work-time data took by IC recorder are very precise in comparison with that by diary record of farm work. The maximum tolerable error is estimated about 30 seconds, or at the most a minute. In consequence, significant figure of net working rate can be guaranteed to contain a two-digit number.
However, it turned out that input omissions frequently had occurred when a beginner without input skill used IC recorder. To take steps to deal with the situation, we drew the manual for farm work time-study in case of using IC recorder.
It is supporsed that this new method of time-study by PDA has possibility to accomplish mass-research of work study in many farms with enough accuracy and low cost.
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