Creating an Android App to disseminate extension knowledge

As part of its extension program, Kansas State University is continually looking for new ways to disseminate extension information and cell phone "Apps" may good solution to this type of delivery. Although Apps can be used in many novel and different ways, they are especially suited to quantitative and numerical tasks. One such problem is the estimate of tractor horsepower to implement sizing. This information is vitally important to bankers and farmers approving farm loans, trading-in used farm equipment, and figuring out what implement to buy next. In this project, the functionality of a tractor and implement sizing spreadsheet was encapsulated in an Android App for use on the smart phone or tablet system. The application was developed using the standard tools and emulators provided by Google and done in a timely manner and moderate programming skills. After programming, the App provides all the calculations previously handled by the spreadsheet and is downloadable on phones or tablets using the Google Android operating system. Finally the application was published to allow end users easy access to the application free of charge. The end result is an application that provides the user with all of the features of the previous spreadsheet implementation, but can be run quickly on a smart phones and tablets in locations where other computers are not used.