Scientific research tends to deliver a large amount of raw data. This makes it all the more important to present the data in a coherent way and make it suitable for different applications. Online data bases of measurement data with efficient searching facilities are an example. The researchers themselves are also a major store of know-how in the form of experience, which it is equally crucial to assess and document.
Where the identification of components is concerned, there is a great deal of know-how available in the field of microscopic research. This know-how is processed into decision-supporting computer systems for different types of products. Such a computer system can be used, among other things, to help in the identification of milk powders and artificially added [product vreemde] ingredients.
Microscopic images such as those represented here show a mixture of different types of powdered milk, which may be traded on the market as milk replacer feed. A computer system supports researchers in their study by helping them to make the right decisions. In addition to powdered milk analyses, this type of technique also tests for the banned admixture of offals in animal feed, thereby helping to prevent mad cow disease.
There are many possibilities of bringing know-how into structures and systems. A number of activities in this field are clustered in the Wageningen Systems initiative. The facilities offered by RIKILT in this research area consist of expertise for the development of knowledge systems, computer platforms and software specially directed at recording expertise and making it more accessible.
For more information, contact Leo van Raamsdonk.