It is the nature of a system like this that it will never be ‘finished’; modifications and refinements will always be made. The initial target therefore should be to make it operational.
The system will be operational when input forms have been defined and when computer formats and algorithms have been programmed and linked through the various decision points. Thus work has to be carried out on two fronts: computer programming and data assembly.
In mid-1982 algorithms ‘D’ (calculation of the numerical value of four economic criteria) had been programmed.
The consultant recommends that the remainder of the work needed to give the system all the flexibility for which it has been designed, be staged and that each stage have as its objective to make it possible to analyze a certain type of culture possibilities.
The consultant recommends that the first stage has as its objective to make it possible to evaluate short-term production possibilities at the farm level, but that the scope of the analysis be narrow and set to only one culture unit and one culture period. At this stage no ‘automatic’ economic sensitivity analysis should be programmed.
The following work should be done to complete the first stage:
input forms for at least one type of fish culture should be prepared (e.g. pond culture or cage culture);
input forms for ‘decision’ information should be prepared;
algorithms ‘A’ allocating (and checking/completing) data from input forms to computer memory formats should be prepared;
the computer should be programmed to receive all Basic Formats for Physical Data;
the computer should be programmed to receive all farm-related Basic Formats for Economic Data;
the algorithm for the decision situation: ‘farm level - short range’ should be programmed;
the computer should be programmed to receive all Standard Formats for Economic Information I, that is, those related to the ‘Culture bit’;
the existing programmes for algorithms D should be revised so that they fit with Standard Formats for Economic Information I.
Subsequent phases of work may have as their objectives:
Phase II: Expand algorithm ‘B’ so that it can handle more than one culture unit. This means that the ‘accounting unit’ should be able to handle an ‘enterprise unit’.
Phase III: Expand algorithm ‘B’ so that the analyst can evaluate cultures which last for longer than one culture priod. This means that the ‘accounting period’ should be able to handle at least an ‘enterprise period’.
Phase IV: Expand algorithm ‘B’ so that the ‘accounting period’ can differ in length from either of the culture determined periods (culture, enterprise or farm); this will make it possible to obtain evaluations in the standard book keeping period of 12 months.
Remaining phases of system preparation work would include: programming of Basic Formats for Economic Data (national); programming of the algorithms (‘B’) for the remaining decision situations; and programming algorithms ‘F’ and ‘E’.
A deliberate effort must be made to provide the detailed data that the system is designed to accept and work with. In Hungary fish farm managers already receive considerable quantities of data on the activities in the fish farms. The content and frequency of this data system must be reviewed and amended. However, the consultant expects that, once amended, the amount of work needed to feed the system as designed in this report is only marginally greater than that already spent.
The consultant is of the view that FCRI should start by feeding data from its pilot fish farm operations into the system as designed. This exercise will provide experience in devising input formats and in organizing the data collection system.
The major part of this development work consists in developing input data forms. These should reflect the culture system being studied and the normal availability of data with the person or group of persons supplying the data. This means, first, that the forms should be specific to the type of culture being analysed (one set for pond culture, another for cage culture, etc.) and second, that physical data and farm related economic data not necessarily should be reported on the same forms.
Once forms are available data should be recorded in a continuous manner.
