Open Access

In an era increasingly defined by the relentless advance of climate change, the imperative for sustainable transformation has emerged as a central concern for global organizations. For this transformation the intertwined concepts of decarbonization and digitalisation can offer a blueprint for a sustainable future. Decarbonization, aimed at reducing carbon-based emissions, is critical in lessening the ecological footprint of businesses. Yet, achieving decarbonization is not a solitary journey but one that necessitates the integration of digitalisation as a pivotal facilitator, enhancing the efficiency and efficacy of this transition. However, the challenge for organizations lies in devising and executing appropriate strategies for this transformation. Within the framework of the Roadmap.SW research project, a methodology is being developed to aid utilities in accelerating their decarbonization and digitalisation efforts. This involves initially assessing the organization’s current capabilities in digitalisation and decarbonization to then establish a desired future state and to finally outline steps for implementation. This research work extends the acatech Industry 4.0 Maturity Index to encompass additional design domains, incorporating capabilities and maturity levels specific to decarbonization. At the same time, the focus of the target group is changing. While the original model focussed on Industry 4.0, i.e. the transformation of manufacturing companies, the extension focuses on municipal utilities. This approach not only charts a course for sustainable organizational transformation but also underscores the critical interplay between reducing carbon emissions and embracing digital advancements.

Die rasante Entwicklung der 5G-Kommunikationstechnologie lässt vermuten, die Landwirtschaft in vielfacher Hinsicht zu revolutionieren. Von autonomen Maschinen bis zur Echtzeitüberwachung von Feldern und Tieren bietet 5G ein enormes Potenzial. In diesem Artikel werden die finanziellen Aspekte der Implementierung von 5G in der Landwirtschaft, einschließlich Investitions- und Betriebskosten, näher beleuchtet. Zudem werden die potenziellen finanziellen Vorteile und Nutzenaspekte untersucht, die durch 5G-fähige Technologien in den Dimensionen Flexibilität, Sicherheit und Qualität erzielt werden können. Im Rahmen des Forschungsprojekts 5G.NATURAL entsteht ein Business-Case-Rechner, der Unternehmen dabei unterstützt, fundierte Entscheidungen zu treffen. Die Veröffentlichung dieses Tools ist für Ende 2023 geplant und verspricht, die Zukunft der Landwirtschaft nachhaltig zu gestalten.

The agricultural industry is facing unprecedented challenges in meeting the growing demand for food while minimizing its impact on the environment. To address these challenges, the industry is embracing technological advancements such as 5G networks to improve efficiency and productivity. However, the benefits of 5G technology must be weighed against the costs of implementing a suitable network. This paper presents cost-benefit dimensions that are needed to assess the economic feasibility of implementing 5G networks for several agricultural applications. The paper describes the costs of deploying and maintaining a 5G network and the benefits of several 5G-specific use cases, including precision agriculture, livestock monitoring, and swarm robotics. Using industry reports and case studies, the model quantifies the benefits of 5G networks, such as enabling new digital agricultural processes, increased productivity, and improved sustainability. It also considers the costs associated with equipment and infrastructure, as well as the challenges of deploying a network in rural areas. The results demonstrate that 5G networks can provide significant benefits to agricultural businesses and provide an overview about the cost factors. Both benefit and cost dimensions are analyzed for the 5G-specific agricultural use cases.

Feeding the growing world population is a scientific and economic challenge. The target variables to be optimised are the yield that can be produced on a given area and the reduction of the resources used for this purpose. High-wage countries are faced with the problem that the use of personnel is a significant cost driver. Developing countries, on the other hand, usually operate on much smaller field sizes, so that the work in the field is still strongly characterised by manual labour. One solution to meet these challenges is the use of smaller autonomous harvesting robots. These can be networked into a swarm of machines to work even larger fields. The networking of autonomous agricultural machines is a key use case for rural 5G networks. 5G technology can offer many advantages over older mobile communications standards and therefore make use cases more efficient or enable new ones. Various use cases are also conceivable in the field of agriculture, yet it is unclear how 5G networks can and must be specified for this purpose. In this paper, using the example of 5G-connected harvesters powered by swarm robotics, we present the challenges that have arisen and the specification that has been developed.