In addition to the applications currently available, the KDDart platform provides the opportunity for organisations to individually or collaboratively extend, design, build and deploy their own applications (i.e. contribute to the 'Applications Layer') to serve their communities needs.
Diversity Arrays has both collaboratively and individually developed several applications for KDDart. These meet both client and wider industry requirements, destined to be ‘open sourced’, if they are not already.
The applications introduced below are fully operational software solutions, not just demonstration examples, although they fulfil that role too. For more details see the information page for each applications and refer to the Diversity Arrays website for further details.
Each of the applications described below are depicted in the following illustration, of a simple Trial/Nursery data workflow. Designed to fullfil their major role, they also overlap each other to add convenience to the user.
The diagram also shows KDXchange which is communication software integrated into KDXplore and KDSmart although it doesn't feature as a separate application.
In it's simplest implementation, KDSmart works without any of the surrounding application infrastructure, using only CSV files for input to score trials or nurseries and outputting results in CSV format.
Sitting unobtrusively in the above diagram is the KDDart Database Storage entity. As a season progresses data for your trials or nurseries will reside here, secure and accessable to those with access permission, ready for data curation and analysis.
Annual data collections grow with more research data, however it can remain accessible providing a greater body of data for ongoing comparative analysis. No need to 'find it' as it is all there, ready to be queried, year after year and from crop to crop.
KDDart databases are the heart of the platform, accessible by the applications. If these applications, below, are not quite what you need, you can quickly develop your own using the large and fully functional API, or Data Access Layer, which is used by each of these applications.
KDDart offers great flexibility to meet many different user needs, however users are not required to fully understand the platform to use it. This diagram shows a simplified network dependency for the KDDart applications.
Working upwards, KDSmart is designed for field work, using an Android tablet or phone, away from networks. Installation is via the Google PlayStore or APK if required.
KDXplore is a Java application, which can operate remotely on a laptop to work with one or more KDSmart devices. A network connection to your KDDart installation is not needed when working remotely as your Trials/Nurseries can be stored locally.
At the top, the KDDart platform uses a network to operate and feeds data to applications from KDDart's database repositories. KDManage, KDCompute and KDSens are all 'web applications' meaning they run in a web browser (e.g. Firefox) without the need to install any special software on a user's workstation.
KDXplore is a very versatile application, useful for breeders, technicians, curators and developers. Trial/Nursery data now becomes accessible from many more angles.
KDXplore can assist with your Trial/Nursery selection and manage the distribution of those copies onto multiple KDSmart devices. Once data has been collected in the field with KDSmart, it can move back to KDXplore for data curation then upload, to ensure only quality Trial/Nursery data is stored in KDDart.
KDXplore provides assistance to users to enable working with data in either a graphical or tabular manner as the situation dictates.
The KDSmart application, designed for Android handheld devices, enables data collection in the field. Trial/Nursery phenotypic data, selectively imported into KDSmart, is available in the field for efficient and reliable data capture and storage ready for upload.
KDSmart can be used:
KDCompute is a web application that may be thought of as more of a platform than just an application. It provides the capability for extensible data analysis in an efficient and customisable framework.
Using a cooperative plugin framework for processing algorithms, KDCompute is designed for multiple and possibly long running analytical, imputation or data processing tasks.
Accessed via a web browser, it uses a queuing server to schedule and process multiuser tasks, leaving a user’s workstation free for other duties. An additional benefit is better balancing of server workloads and more efficient management of KDDart.
KDCompute is design to cater for two user roles:
The KDManage web browser application does not require the installation of additional special software. It enables users to perform administrative and day-to-day management tasks of their data stored in the KDDart database.
A key tool during the initial configuration and preparation of your data in the KDDart database. KDManage fulfills the administrative needs of adding data to satisfy entity dependencies and relationships which are not always hierarchical. A simple illustration is, adding a new Trial/Nursery to KDManage first requires definition of the site for the Trial/Nursery, which in turn needs an Organisation for site ownership.
Once Trials/Nurseries are defined and are in progress, other activities within KDManage become more frequent. These may be importing Trial/Nursery results or the extraction, or exporting, of data to conduct analysis of Trial/Nursery results using other software tools. Direct access to KDDart is possible, without the need for data extraction, if the analysis application connects to KDDart through the Data Access Layer (DAL), such as with KDCompute
The KDSens application provides an interface between various generic environmental sensors, such as weather stations, soil probes, etc. and the KDDart database using the Data Access Layer (DAL). Sensor definitions are maintained within KDDart. The KDSens program is designed to:
KDDart is an open platform designed to allow organisations and users with specific needs to extend it by developing their own applications or interfaces to existing tools.
Developers can start using the Data Access Layer (DAL is an API or web service) that can be accessed with any modern programming language.
DArT PL also helps with adapting existing tools to work with DAL when needed. To learn more about the DAL, please visit
