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Pacific Rim Palm Oil Ltd, (PRPOL) is one of South East Asia's fastest growing palm oil

plantation groups and one of the world's leading suppliers of high quality crude palm oil.

Case Study

Pacific Rim Palm Oil

Leveraging Location Intelligence to

Improve Plantation Management

Techniques and Analysis

MapInfo

MapInfo Corporation

(Nasdaq: MAPS) is a global

software company that

integrates software, data and

services to help customers

realise greater value from

location-based information

and drive more insightful

decisions. MapInfo solutions

are available in 20 languages

through a network of

strategic partners and

distribution channels in 60countries. MapInfo Corporation's

headquarters in Troy, NY

Pacific Rim Palm Oil Ltd

Pacific Rim Palm Oil Ltd,

(PRPOL) is one of South East

Asia's fastest growing palm

oil plantation groups and one

of the world's leading

suppliers of high quality

crude palm oil.

PRPOL (www.prpol.com) is an

independently managed

organization headquartered

in Singapore. The company

currently employs more than

12,000 people and owns a

total of more than 60,000

hectares of palm oil

plantations with three

plantations in Papua New

Guinea and two in Indonesia.

In 2003, PRPOL's annualturnover was US$91 million.

www.mapinfo.com

The SituationLarge amounts of data accumulate every year for each

field in each of the plantations. PRPOL found that

managing and analyzing this data and presenting it in

a form useful to line management staff is a costly and

time-consuming exercise.

The Agricultural Department of PRPOL recognized the

need to develop an integrated agronomy

management information system (AMIS) to perform

temporal and spatial analysis of agronomic data for

its oil palm plantations. A Geographic Information

System (GIS) solution was required to convert raw

data into useful information in the form of reports and

maps that could then be used to improve fieldmanagement techniques. The spatial analysis of data

would then enable PRPOL to make more informed

decisions about plantation agronomic and field

management.

A solution was needed that could provide plantation

managers with an intelligent and efficient data

analysis tool to introduce 'site specific' management

techniques. An enhanced GIS solution was required to

improve oil palm crop management, maximize oil

production and for efficient management of the

environment.

"One of the key issues in improving our crop

management techniques was the need to transform

our static GIS solution showing field boundaries,

roads and rivers into a dynamic GIS solution that

could be updated with the latest available data"

explained Thomas Fairhurst, Director ofAgriculture

at PRPOL.

"This solution would allow us to update maps

showing key agricultural performance indicators and

analyze and monitor crop production, thus making it

easier to identify problem areas using electronic

maps" he added.

The SolutionIn collaboration with the Potash Phosphate Institute

(PPI) (www.ppi-ppic-ipi.org) and Agrisoft Systems

(www.agrisoft-systems.de), a computer software

development company, PRPOL implemented an Oil

Palm Management Programme (OMP) - that includesa database management and information system

solution (DBMS) for agronomic data analysis.

PRPOL uses OMP to record, store and analyze

agronomic data (i.e., yield, leaf and soil analysis,

environment, climate, pest and disease, and palm

census data) recorded on a field-by-field basis. Using

OMP, PRPOL is able to store and analyze data for all

agronomic parameters over several planting cycles.

Trimble PathfinderGlobal Positioning System (GPS)

(www.trimble.com) equipment and software is used to

collect geo-referenced information (point and line

data) for use in mapping.

Process for selecting amapping solutionPRPOL evaluated several types of software availablein the market and selected MapInfo based on its easeof use, cost-effectiveness, and high level of technicalsupport and training.

PRPOL used MapInfo Professional to produce maps,integrating data from the OMP DBMS and GPSdataloggers. This technology has now beendeveloped in all five of PRPOL's estates (PT Asiatic,

Jambi province, Indonesia; PT Harapan Sawit Lestari,

West Kalimantan, Indonesia; Milne Bay Estates, MilneBay Province, Papua New Guinea, Poliamba, NewIreland, Papua New Guinea, Higaturu Oil Palms, OroProvince, Papua New Guinea). Satellite images are alsoused for palm counting and estate development planning.

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For more information:

Australian Head Office

Level 4, 170 Pacific Highway

Greenwich NSW 2065

Main: +61 2 9437 6255

Fax: +61 2 9439 1773

Free call: 1800 351 576

E-mail: australia@mapinfo.com

Website: www.mapinfo.com.au

Singapore Representative Office

Level 30

Six Battery Road

Singapore 049909

Main: +65 6322 0862

Fax: +65 6322 0858

E-mail: singapore@mapinfo.com

Website: www.mapinfo.com.sg

Or contact your authorised

MapInfo Business Partner

PRPOL has set itssights onincreasing theplantationproductivitybyUS$24 million.

2005 MapInfo Corporation. All rights reserved.MapInfo, MapInfo Professional, Vertical Mapper and the MapInfo Meridian symbol are trademarks of MapInfo Corporation and/or its affiliates.

The Benefits of MappingPlantation Agronomic

InformationThe database system provides PRPOL with reports

that summarize data at the field, division and estate

level and contains built-in tools for particular kinds of

data analysis. OMP is also used to prepare, maintain

and summarize field data for use with MapInfo.

The integration of MapInfo with dynamic data from

OMP provides the means for plantation managers to

produce 'management maps' showing key agronomic

parameters that can be updated and generated easily.

Information sharing within the company is also

enhanced as maps created using MapInfo can be

distributed in Acrobat *.pdf and as hard copy.

"Plantation management staff find it easier to use

information presented in maps compared with tabular

data. MapInfo Professional is a powerful visualisation

tool that enables information to be made available to

management staff to support site specific agronomic

management in plantations and to monitor progress.

"For example, it is more useful to provide the manager

with a map showing blocks classified according to leaf

nutrient status than a table showing the results of leaf

analysis," said William Griffiths, Chief Estates

Manager, PT Asiatic Persada.

Digital maps created using MapInfo Professionalallow PRPOL to:

X Analyze the accuracy of fertilizer application

X Investigate the spatial distribution of nutrient

deficiency symptoms

X Produce soil maps from

point data

X Map the spatial distribution

of pest and disease attacks

X Produce 'isometric' maps

showing individual palm

points

X Map point data showing

environmental parameters.

A very useful measure of

plantation productivity is to

calculate the yield gap for

each field in an estate. For

example, a yield gap analysis

map of PT Asiatic Persada,

presently under rehabilitation,

shows that the largest yield

gaps occur around the estate

perimeter due to poor

infrastructure and palm

maintenance. The map is then

used to plan and implementremedial action in those fields

where there is the greatest

potential to increase yield. In

this way, management of time and resource utilization

can be focused on those areas with the greatest scope

for increased returns.

"Computer technology is not a substitute for 'walking

the field' but can make field inspections more

productive by providing managers with up-to-date

information on each field in the plantation that can be

referred to during field walks," commented William

Griffiths.

PRPOL has set its sights on increasing the plantation

productivity by 4 t/ha fruit bunches with a value, in

terms of increased revenue, of US$24 million.

Next StepAs part of its plan to develop a managementinformation system to gather data on water and

environmental parameters, PRPOL intends to leverage

on its current investment in MapInfo by deploying

other companion products such as MapInfo Vertical

Mapper. Vertical Mapper provides the user with

the means to query and compare multiple layers of

information, using complex mathematical expressions

to create derivative grids, or perform line of sight

analysis.

For more information, visit

www.mapinfo.com or contact your MapInfo

office or authorised MapInfo partner.

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"Computer technology is not a substitute for 'walking the field' but can make field inspections moreproductive by providing managers with up-to-date information on each field in the plantation thatcan be referred to during field walks,"

William Griffiths, Chief Estates Manager, PT Asiatic Persada.

Map showing yield gaps (the difference between estimated attainable yield andactual yield) in individual fields in PT Asiatic Persada. Fields that exceed the

estimated attainable yield are shown in green and fields that have not reachedthe estimated attainable yield are shown in red.