|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Hoya plants are a type of ornamental plant known for their ability to absorb air pollutants. These plants offer significant benefits, including their use in traditional medicine and skincare. Due to their wide range of advantages, Hoya plants have become popular among the public. Therefore, accurate species identification of Hoya plants with a high level of precision has become crucial.
Accurate species identification has broad implications in various fields, including biodiversity conservation practices, ecological studies, and horticulture. With precise knowledge of Hoya species, researchers and experts can more effectively implement conservation practices to preserve the biodiversity of these plants. Furthermore, a deeper understanding of Hoya species can provide valuable insights into ecological studies related to these plants.
Recognising the importance of accurate Hoya plant species identification, Shidiq Al-Hakim, a Researcher Specialist at the Centre for Data and Information Science Research and Innovation at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), decided to conduct specialised research in the development of a Knowledge Application System related to Hoya plants.
This step was taken to facilitate a better understanding of Hoya plants, their benefits, and various other important aspects related to these plants. This research is expected to significantly contribute to maintaining biodiversity and sustainable utilisation of Hoya plants.
Shidiq explained that he and his team have successfully developed an application called iHoya. “iHoya is a Knowledge Application System about Hoya plants. In the course of this iHoya research, he went through three important stages, namely building User-Centred Design (UCD), which is a design approach that focuses on understanding the needs, preferences, and experiences of users in developing products or services. Next, he created a species identification system using Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), and finally applied it in the form of a mobile application,” he explained.
Shidiq continued by explaining that this research originated from questions about the relevant form of Knowledge Application System to bridge the gap between Hoya plant enthusiasts and botany experts with in-depth knowledge in the field. “In this research process, he tried to find ways to connect experts with specialised knowledge in a particular field with communities in need of that knowledge,” he added.
Furthermore, Shidiq explained that the progress of this research involves finalising the development of the mobile application iHoya and its evaluation by user communities. They have also added a dataset of Hoya leaf and flower images to improve the system’s accuracy and expand the range of Hoya species that can be identified. Additionally, they have developed a species identification system for Hoya plants based on ontology.
Esa Prakasa, the Head of the Centre for Data and Information Science Research and Innovation at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), expressed that BRIN also take a collaboration with external parties, especially with universities, which helps in developing research that directly benefits society,” he stated.
By enforcing collaboration, organisations can harness the collective power of their teams and stakeholders, leading to increased productivity. This collaborative effort enables the pooling of diverse skills, knowledge, and resources, ultimately resulting in more comprehensive and effective solutions to complex challenges.
