Aquisys 1.3 - validated version of the computer system to support best management practices (BMP) and environmental management for aquaculture in Brazil.

The present work presents the validated version of the computer system to support Best Management Practices (BPM) and Environmental Management for aquaculture in Brazil ? Aquisys 1.3, resulting from Aquisys Validation Project conducted by Embrapa Environment. The prototype version, Aquisys 1.0, developed in the ?Management and Environmental Management of Aquiculture? Project (?Aquabrasil? network Project) makes use of information acquired by the user via visual observations, low cost water quality kits and common samples held on the farm. This data is input in the system in a questionnaire, which will enable the system to manage this information and provide the user with necessary guidance, assessment and calculations to achieve best manage practice and streamlinedproductivity. Aquisys 1.0 was presented and evaluated by different users like fish farmers, aquaculture researchers, technical extensionists, aquaculture post-graduation and graduation students, among others. Its access, guidance and calculation features have had their results observed, specially focusing on the routine for tilapia production system in order to make it fitted to Brazilian different regional characteristics. The evaluations consider characteristics both of properties and of production place. They also took into account given indicators of management and production, of water quality, and of economical profitability. The validated version, Aquisys 1.3, enabled significant updates on the production system options turning available, both rapidly and in an appropriate language, information ready to use, and enabling a rapidly access both to information, guidance of a minimum set of BPM and Environmental practices and calculations, initially focusing on pond production system. Aquisys 1.3 is a systematic unpaid and on-line available on the Internet at http://www.cnpma.embrapa.br/aquisys. As an indicatory system its use does not exclude the necessity of qualified professional monitoring for more precise diagnoses.