I'm just not sure what to think of it. Mapshots is basically owned by Pioneer. AgStudio is "cloud based". For the few of you who may happen to stumble upon this post and still don't know what "cloud based" means, it basically means they have your data rather than you having your data.

Doing a good job of managing the gobs of spatially linked data that is produced by precision ag hardware requires a really capable database. To make the best product on the market in regards to being able to handle that type of data, Mapshots moved to Microsoft SQL as their database platform. So they've got dedicated servers set up somewhere that house the AgStudio database. When you purchase AgStudio, you get the client side of the deal. So when you install AgStudio you're not installing the meat of the program. You're installing an interface that allows you the ability to interact with the database that's installed on the Mapshots servers (or the servers they rent or whatever).

So yes, you're using your computer to manipulate your data, but your data is not on your computer. It's on their database. And if there is a Pioneer customer using Field360 products to analyze his or her yield data, his data is managed in the same way. Any other farmer using AgStudio is in another portion of that database right alongside your data.

This is the way Facebook works. It's the way Twitter works. Yes, you have an app on your phone that allows you to interact with their database, but the data isn't really yours. They possess your data so essentially, they own it.

Anyway, I'm using this program. Really just scratching the surface, trying to get stuff set up. And I'm not sure I want to. I've talked to developers at Mapshots and they say in 5 to 10 years you probably won't even be able to buy a monitor that has a USB interface. Everything will be transfered to and from the monitor wirelessly. They say that every precision ag software company will move to cloud based services in that time frame as well.

I truly understand the benefits of centralizing that type of a program. It is tough to have a database that powerful and then give individual copies of it to customers and have them be able to manage it. It's much easier to control the meat of the program and do a good job of keeping it up to date and then just provide the customer with a user interface where they can't really mess stuff up too bad.

But from the big picture side of things, I just don't see this being a good thing. So what is a guy to do when he wants to have up to date powerful software for helping him to analyze his precision ag data for making business decisions but he doesn't want to be giving his data away?

Mapshots says they are working on allowing customers to install AgStudio on their own server that has Microsoft SQL on it but I see that as a project that will keep getting put on the back burner until people quit asking about it. Heck, they're pushing you to use the JD Link stuff on JD equipment to upload wirelessly rather than using your card because they say things work a lot more smoothly. They're pushing more integration, not less. Plus, the reality is that most people do not have the technical expertise or determination to install an instance of Microsoft SQL on either a server in their house or a server they rent and then install the AgStudio database on it just to keep their data separate from everyone else. If I had the option, I know I would try it, but it's not for most people I would imagine.

In my opinion, the industry is moving in a direction that is not healthy for us. And we're asking for it. Software companies are building what will sell. AgStudio type products will sell well in my opinion. So what does that leave for those of us who have concerns about data ownership but still want the power offered by modern software? Do I just make sure I don't use precision ag stuff? I think that's a good way to eventually not be competitve. Do I embrace it and just say "let the chips fall where they may"?

Realistically, I believe most farmers will go with the flow because that's the easiest thing to do. They will go to their Pioneer dealer or their crop scout or someone who is using a product like this and hand their data over and that data will be in the cloud. They likely won't even do it themselves, they'll hire someone else to do it for them. So a guy like me who doesn't like it isn't going to gain anything by avoiding it. It will still be there and it will still be used enough that it is going to change the face of agriculture whether I use it and benefit from it or not.

So I guess I'm thinking I'll probably keep using it to because my protesting it isn't going to stop it from happening. Any thoughts?