| Date | May 2021 | Marks available | 3 | Reference code | 21M.1.SL.TZ0.1 |
| Level | SL | Paper | 1 | Time zone | no time zone |
| Command term | Identify | Question number | 1 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Automatic crop watering system
Since 1990, Bertha Ascayo has been the manager of El Pallar, a farm in Chacra Province, where fruit trees are grown. In recent years, the climate has become more unpredictable, and the farm has suffered from periods of drought. Bertha is aware that she now needs to manage the watering of her fruit trees more than she has had to in the past.
Bertha will need to make some improvements to the watering system by adding a rain sensor and use a computer program to automate the watering process. She has chosen a company that uses open-source software. The same company also installed the equipment for the watering of the trees.
By using this software, Bertha can program a different watering plan for each type of tree. This includes programming the days of the week, times of the day, and length of the water cycle for each type of tree to be watered. For example, orange trees will be watered on Mondays and Thursdays at 6am for 45 minutes and at 8pm for 30 minutes.
Identify three characteristics of open-source software.
A computer program uses data provided by a rain sensor to decide whether to water the trees. Identify three ways how the algorithm may be represented.
Water is becoming increasingly scarce in Chacra Province, and the provincial government is concerned there will be a point when there is not enough water for all of the farms to water their crops or fruit trees.
To manage water for the watering of crops and fruit trees, the provincial government of Chacra Province intends to use computer modelling to calculate how much water each farm in the province will receive.
Explain three factors that will contribute to the accuracy of this computer model.
The farmers of Chacra Province are concerned about the provincial government using a computer model to determine the amount of water they will be allowed to use to water their fruit trees.
To what extent should the farmers of Chacra Province rely on their knowledge and experience, rather than the computer-based solution provided by the provincial government, to manage the watering of the fruit trees?
Markscheme
Answers may include:
- Anyone can edit and adapt it.
- It is community driven (i.e., people who use and adapt the software can support each other in developing the software).
- Open-source code can be viewed and adapted.
- It is license free, with free redistribution rights.
Award [1] for identifying each characteristic of open-source software up to a maximum of [3] marks.
Answers may include:
- Flow chart
- Pseudocode
- Natural language
- Structured language
Award [1] for identifying each way the algorithm may be represented up to a maximum of [3] marks.
Answers may include:
- Quality of data input
- High-quality data will allow for a more accurate model to be developed, as this data will be more reliable / current water levels within each area must be accurate.
- Frequency of readings taken
- More frequent readings may be able to pick up more subtle changes in the patterns of rainfall to increase the accuracy of the model / taking daily readings and using them to create the model will be more accurate than using monthly readings.
- Number of variables taken into account when developing the model
- More variables will enable other, potentially less important, factors to be considered when developing the model / what crops are farmed in different areas in the province / the weather conditions in different areas of the province.
- Number of assumptions that have been built into the model
- If any of the assumptions are weak or false, the model will be inaccurate.
- Quantity of data input
- If the sample of data is larger, the resulting model will be more accurate / spans several years.
Award [1] for identifying a factor that will contribute to the accuracy of the model and [1] for explanation why that will contribute to the accuracy of the model up to maximum of [2] marks.
OR
Award [1] for each example given and an additional [1] if the explanation contributes to the accuracy of the model up to a maximum of [2] marks.
Mark as [2] + [2] + [2].
Answers may include:
Knowledge and experience will:
- allow the farmers to see more than water needs for a plant (sick leaves, buds falling, etc.) without needing to develop a model (judgement)
- be able to include other factors that may arise from time to time, such as quality of the water (e.g., coming with mud), and adjust their watering accordingly (judgement)
- be able to resolve potential issues that cannot be programmed into the computer or that would be outside the scope of a computational solution (intuition)
- provide expertise that cannot be quantified / ensure that in a worst-case scenario some of the farmers will be able to grow crops/trees (intuition).
Use of the provincial model will:
- allow water to be distributed evenly between the farmers on a needs basis rather than based on the opinions of one or two stronger characters (equity)
- potentially have problems, as a scientific approach has limits (e.g., there may be variables that the model does not take into account) – accuracy, the decisions around the water requirements of the trees may be based as much on intuition as algorithms and models
- potentially have biased model/algorithms influenced by politics, e.g., farmers may not have fully disclosed their data / government may favour certain groups or industries.
Use of the computer system will:
- reduce the amount of time farmers need to spend visibly checking their fields (automation)
- allow exact water usage to be measured and lead to potential efficiencies in its usage (accuracy)
- provide quantitative data that could be used as a model for other farmers growing the same trees in similar locations.
In part (c) of this question it is expected there will be a balance between the terminology related to digital systems and the terminology related to social and ethical impacts.
Keywords: agriculture, ecosystems, algorithm, accuracy, reliability, model, modelling, judgement, automation, change, power, systems, ethics, values
Refer to SL/HL paper 1, part c markbands when awarding marks. These can be found under the "Your tests" tab > supplemental materials > Digital society markbands and guidance document.
Examiners report
Syllabus sections
-
22M.1.SL.TZ0.4c:
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a government using a facial recognition system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor the behaviour of its citizens.
-
22M.1.SL.TZ0.1c:
Many people use smartwatches to monitor their vital signs and manage their health.
To what extent should an individual use a smartwatch to manage their health?
-
22M.1.HL.TZ0.5:
Cameras in school
The principal at Flynn School has received requests from parents saying that they would like to monitor their children’s performance in school more closely. He is considering extending the school’s IT system by installing cameras linked to facial recognition software that can record student behaviour in lessons.
The facial recognition software can determine a student’s attention level and behaviour, such as identifying if they are listening, answering questions, talking with other students, or sleeping. The software uses machine learning to analyse each student’s behaviour and gives them a weekly score that is automatically emailed to their parents.
The principal claims that monitoring students’ behaviour more closely will improve the teaching and learning that takes place.
Discuss whether Flynn School should introduce a facial recognition system that uses machine learning to analyse each student’s behaviour and give them a score that is automatically emailed to their parents.
-
22M.1.SL.TZ0.1b.i:
Explain why end-users should be involved in the development of software products such as the smartwatch app.
-
22M.1.SL.TZ0.1b.ii:
Explain why the developers of software products such as the smartwatch app have an ethical obligation to potential users.
-
22M.1.SL.TZ0.2c:
To what extent can the use of models and simulations like the MADAS system help prevent future accidents?
-
21N.1.HL.TZ0.6:
Smart warehouse
Greenwood Industries’ warehouse uses a smart storage solution for the picking of products from the shelves of the warehouse. Robots are used in this automated picking process.
Currently, these robots are programmed to access a knowledge base* that enables these robots to use the most efficient route for the picking of products.
Greenwood Industries claims the picking process would be improved if the expert system was replaced by an artificial neural network (ANN).
Discuss whether Greenwood Industries should replace the existing system with one that uses an artificial neural network (ANN).
* knowledge base: a set of rules that are manually input into an expert system.
-
20N.1.SL.TZ0.3c:
The development of mobile health apps has changed the way citizens manage their own health and well-being.
Discuss whether citizens like Jaime should rely only on the advice of a health app to manage their own health and well-being.
-
17N.1.SL.TZ0.4a.ii:
Identify the steps Robbi would take in order to turn the air conditioning on and off.
-
19M.3.HL.TZ0.2b:
Explain why an autonomous vehicle may not choose the best route from Miketon to Towbro, the regional centre.
-
19M.3.HL.TZ0.4:
With reference to the stimulus material above and to your own inquiries, recommend the digital intervention(s) that the council should choose to address the challenge of ensuring mobility associated with living in towns such as Miketon.
-
19M.1.SL.TZ0.1a.ii:
Identify two ways how Umair could have represented the algorithms prior to writing his software code.
-
19M.1.SL.TZ0.4a.ii:
Outline one problem that may arise if proprietary software rather than open-source software is used to develop algorithms.
-
19M.1.SL.TZ0.3c:
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of e-voting.
-
19M.1.HL.TZ0.6:
Should we completely automate journalism?
Some of the news articles that you read are written by automated journalism software. This software uses algorithms and natural language generators to turn facts and trends into news stories.
Narrative Science, a company that produces automated journalism software, predicts that by 2026 up to 90 % of news articles could be generated by machine learning algorithms.
Discuss whether it is acceptable for news articles to be generated by automated journalism software.
-
18M.1.SL.TZ0.3a.iii:
Google may use a range of representations of the algorithms during their development.
Identify two ways how these algorithms may be represented.
-
18M.1.HL.TZ0.6:
Policing as a human activity?
Toby Walsh, Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of New South Wales, Australia, notes that the use of police robots raises “many important questions that we, as a society, have to think about”.
Singapore has started testing patrol robots that survey pedestrian areas in the city-state. Xavier, the mall-cop robot, will be autonomously rolling through the Toa Payoh central district for three weeks scanning for “undesirable social behaviours”.
Figure 4 shows an example of a patrol robot.
Figure 4: An example of a patrol robot
[Image by Jdietsch. PatrolBot.jpg (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PatrolBot.jpg).
Under copyright and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License,
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en (image cropped)]
It has been claimed that the use of patrol robots will lead to more efficient policing.Discuss the extent to which police departments should use patrol robots as a strategy to aid policing.
-
18N.1.HL.TZ0.6:
Selecting candidates for political parties
Political parties often have large numbers of applicants who wish to act as representatives in their various governing bodies. A senior party official must make the final decision about which applicants should be offered which roles. Many roles receive as many as 15 applications, and it is not possible to interview each applicant.
In an attempt to streamline the application process, a prospective representative will need to complete two tasks:
- Completing an online questionnaire.
- Submitting a video where they explain the reasons behind their application.
Neither task will involve the team in the political party.
The applicants will be directed to a link provided by the software developer where they can complete both tasks. The responses to the questionnaires and the videos will be analysed using artificial intelligence (AI).
The software will score the questionnaire and video for each applicant and send it to the senior party official’s team. The applicants with the highest scores will then be invited by the political party for an interview.
The software developers claim this will reduce the number of applications the senior party official needs to process and lead to the most appropriate applicants being selected for an interview.
Discuss whether the political party should introduce the digital system to assist the senior party official when deciding which applicants should be offered roles as representatives.
-
17N.1.SL.TZ0.3a.ii:
At the start of each lesson, the student is asked to set their maximum heart rate on the watch to 220 bpm - their age; so in the case of a 15-year-old, it would be 220 bpm − 15 = 205 bpm.
Identify the steps used by the software in the sports watch to encourage students not to exceed their maximum heart rate.
-
20N.1.SL.TZ0.2a.ii:
Identify the steps used by speech-to-text software.
-
21N.1.SL.TZ0.2a.ii:
Identify the steps taken by the luggage control system to decide which conveyor belt to choose when a bag reaches a junction between two conveyor belts.
-
21N.1.SL.TZ0.4c:
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using machine learning to predict natural disasters like earthquakes.
-
19M.1.SL.TZ0.1a.iii:
Outline one reason why Umair used these representations of the algorithms prior to writing the software code.
-
17N.1.HL.TZ0.6:
The human face of student counselling
Many Diploma Programme (DP) coordinators are finding they do not have enough time to interview every student before they choose their DP subjects. They are considering purchasing the Student Counselling System, a proprietary management information system (MIS).
The developers of the Student Counselling System claim that, if students complete online questionnaires to determine their interests, abilities and future goals, the system can give them very accurate results, resulting in less than 5% of students changing their diploma subjects. They also claim the Student Counselling System will allow DP coordinators to be able to interview every student, something they cannot do now.
Some DP coordinators have concerns about the automation of this process and believe that advising students is something that is best done by relying on their own professional judgement and intuition.
Discuss whether DP coordinators should rely on the recommendations of the Student Counselling System rather than their own professional judgement and intuition when advising students about what DP subjects to study.
-
18M.1.SL.TZ0.3a.i:
Identify two characteristics of an algorithm.
-
19M.1.SL.TZ0.2c:
Companies such as Panasonic will not make the data in computer models available to governments, as they are concerned that doing so would compromise their commercial interests.
Discuss whether governments should be able to make private companies such as Panasonic share their data.
-
21M.1.SL.TZ0.1c:
The farmers of Chacra Province are concerned about the provincial government using a computer model to determine the amount of water they will be allowed to use to water their fruit trees.
To what extent should the farmers of Chacra Province rely on their knowledge and experience, rather than the computer-based solution provided by the provincial government, to manage the watering of the fruit trees?
-
18M.1.SL.TZ0.3c:
It is claimed that the NHS’s partnership with Google is beneficial for both stakeholders. However, concerns have been raised about the ethical implications of this data-sharing agreement.
To what extent is it ethical for the NHS to share patient information about eye scans from Moorfields Eye Hospital with Google?
-
19N.1.SL.TZ0.2c:
Evaluate Kinakora National Park’s decision to use computer modelling to develop strategies for dealing with wildfires.
-
19N.1.SL.TZ0.4c:
To what extent should pattern recognition in AI systems be trusted to make decisions about sending real-time alerts to the police?
-
20N.1.SL.TZ0.3a.ii:
Identify the steps that the GPS receiver in Jaime’s sports watch uses to show the routes of his training runs.
-
20N.1.SL.TZ0.4c:
Matt Earle, the CEO of SBE Cruise Lines, has been investigating using artificial intelligence (AI) systems to track passengers and suggest activities they may wish to take part in when they interact with the touch screens on the ship. Some of his colleagues have concerns about taking this approach.
To what extent should Matt rely on the recommendations from the AI system to suggest activities to passengers?
-
21N.1.SL.TZ0.4a.iii:
Identify two characteristics of an algorithm.
