Rapidly changing environmental factors due to climate change are increasing the uncertainty of crop growth, and the importance of crop yield prediction for food security is becoming increasingly evident in Republic of Korea. Traditionally, crop yield prediction models have been developed by using statistical techniques such as regression models and correlation analysis. However, as machine learning technique develops, it is able to predict the crop yield more accurate than the statistical techniques. This study aims at proposing the onion yield prediction framework to accurately predict the onion yield by using various environmental factor data. Temperature, humidity, precipitation, solar radiation, and wind speed are considered as climate factors and irrigation water and nitrogen application rate are considered as soil factors. To improve the performance of the prediction model, ensemble learning technique is applied to the proposed framework. The coefficient of determination of the proposed stacked ensemble framework is 0.96, which is a 24.68% improvement over the coefficient of determination of 0.77 of the existing single machine learning model. This framework can be applied to the particular farmland so that each farm can get their customized prediction model, which is visualized by the web system.

In order to foster AI experts needed in each industry in the era of digital transformation where AI and various industrial technologies converge, the AI Integrated Education Consortium was formed by the National Research Council of Science and Technology(NST) and AI education organizations (KISTI, KIRD, and ETRI) to establish and operate three-stage, six-course education programs. The training targets are employees of a total of 35 institutions, including research institutes, subordinate institutes, and research institutes under the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the cumulative target of 10,000 trainees is being set by 2024 after the implementation in 2022. In this study, we present the achievements and future prospects of the AI Integration Education, which is celebrating its third year of implementation as of April 1, 2024.

There has been increasing interest in artificial intelligence (AI) in various fields. This phenomenon calls for human resources to be equipped with the knowledge and skills of AI and data. The Korean Ministry of Education has opened up introductory courses in AI to high school students since the second half of 2021. It will also include AI education in the 2022 revised curriculum for elementary, middle, and high school students. Despite these efforts to enhance students’ digital literacy through the innovation of the national curriculum, opportunities for taking advantage of AI and data education should be reached for more diverse learners. At the same time, the courses need to be designed with not only theoretical but practical contents and activities based on learner needs. Under these circumstances, the Science Data Education Center at the Korean Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) has been providing AI and data education programs either online or face-to-face for university members, such as undergraduates, graduates, researchers, and professors. In this study, we aim to present cases of educational programs on AI and data operated by the Science Data Education Center, especially regarding those for the university components. Pertinent implications derived from the results of operating the programs will be discussed.