Stories: People

What makes tech work in the field?

You can roll out all the smart tools you want, but they won’t change a thing unless the people on the ground believe in them. That’s the key behind GAR’s digital breakthroughs.

From real-time field tracking to AI that catches fire before it turns into a blaze, read on to see how big ideas became practical tools, thanks to the people who challenged, questioned, and co-created them.

Turning daily fieldwork into insight – and bringing everyone along

For Sumario Lim, our Upstream Digitalisation Team Lead, the mission was clear: build a system that would truly help people on the ground.

Back then, field supervisors relied heavily on manual reports, handwritten notes, and delayed updates. Low connectivity in some areas and varied levels of digital confidence made things harder. Information came late, issues surfaced too slowly. Decisions often depended on fragmented updates.

“That gap was where eFACT 2.0 began,” Sumario said. “We wanted to move from reporting what already happened to understanding what’s happening now. But for any system to work, it must be helpful to the people who rely on it every day.”

The idea became the foundation for eFACT 2.0, short for Electronic Field Activity Capture and Traceability. The system pulls harvesting progress, fertiliser use, evacuation status, and upkeep activities into one live dashboard. Supervisors now see what is happening as it unfolds and make decisions on the spot instead of waiting for end-of-day summaries. Accuracy improved. Downtime dropped. Teams finally gained a clear picture of daily operations.

Yet, the real breakthrough happened in the training rooms and in the field. Many employees worried the system would replace their roles or overwhelm them. Instead of pushing forward with force, the team listened.

“I spent a lot of time just listening. People warm up when they feel included,” he said. “We also tested things live in the field, and made room for questions, frustrations, and suggestions. That’s what helped the adoption grow naturally.”

By the time eFACT 2.0 rolled out across estates, teams saw it as a digital solution built from their input, so the adoption was warmly welcomed.

Seeing danger before it starts, built through collaboration

The spark behind GAR’s AI-powered Early Detection CCTV came from a question in a corridor.

After a digital transformation session in 2023, a colleague from the Operations Sustainability Division asked an intriguing question to Agus Mugiono, Head of Business Improvement Department of the Business Review, Analysis, Intelligence, and Improvement (BRAIN) Division:

“Can artificial intelligence detect forest fires through CCTV cameras?”

That question became the start of a collaboration between GAR’s BRAIN and Sustainability Divisions.

Agus brought years of experience in computer vision from his time as a software engineer in New York from 1998 to 2003. He had helped design systems and create software that detected broken cars at rail crossings and measured train wheels in real time using laser precision.

Yet, he never lost sight of the heart of the project.

“This project gave me a chance to apply AI for something more meaningful – what it can do to keep people and plantations safe and support GAR’s commitment to sustainability,” Agus said.

The system analyses live CCTV footage automatically across plantations to identify smoke and fire. The deep learning object detection model can detect faint traces of smoke under challenging conditions, such as at night, in thin haze, or from great distances up to 17 km. One AI-powered CCTV tower (generally 30-meters in height) covers an area equal to five to eight traditional watchtowers, providing broader coverage with real-time detection and 24/7 alerts during hot, dry seasons.

“Many were unsure whether AI could really work under plantation conditions. But we tested openly, listened to the field teams, and improved it together,” Gerarldo said. “When they saw it make their work easier and safer, they began to champion the innovation.”

Today, this system strengthens fire-prevention efforts in 19 GAR estates across Sumatra and Kalimantan. It gives teams the tools to act quickly and confidently, helping protect communities and surrounding ecosystems.

Tech with people at the heart

Across both stories, one lesson is clear: It’s never just about the tech.

At GAR, digital transformation grows alongside human trust. eFACT works because supervisors match how it functions. AI-powered CCTV works because field teams saw how it protects their communities and ecosystem.

The future of smart plantations lies in one thing: people who believe the tools are worth using. That’s when innovation becomes something more than a tool – it becomes part of how we grow.

From control rooms to field operations, GAR is transforming agriculture through digital intelligence. Explore how our other innovations are helping us to grow smarter, faster, and with greater impact.