A free, self-paced asynchronous course hopes to bridge the gap between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the sector of agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources (AANR).
Titled “Leveraging AI for Text Analysis: Natural Language Processing Using Orange Data Mining,” the training is the first socio‑economics asynchronous course offered by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST‑PCAARRD). Hosted on the PCAARRD Advanced Learning Management System (PALMS) platform, the free, self‑paced course is open to anyone who is interested in harnessing AI for real‑world applications.
The course was developed in collaboration with Mr. Emerson R. Rico, an Assistant Professor from the Institute of Mathematical Sciences of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB).
“There is a wealth of valuable information that can be derived from AANR surveys, comments, and policy briefs,” emphasized Asst. Prof. Rico, who underscored the need for tools that non-programmers in the sector can easily learn and eventually master.
The course emphasizes practical text-analysis tasks. Participants will work with sample text data such as survey feedback and policy documents to reveal patterns and insights. Guided by Asst. Prof. Rico’s instructions, students will learn preprocessing steps and apply simple machine-learning models to answer questions about the data. “The course uses practical examples to make text analysis less intimidating and beginner-friendly,” said Asst. Prof. Rico.
At the center of the course is Orange Data Mining, a free open-source data analysis platform. Orange uses a drag-and-drop interface to build AI workflows visually where no coding is needed to analyze data. In Orange, users place graphical “widgets” on a canvas and connect them to define a data pipeline. The platform also offers specialized add-ons for natural language processing and text mining, which this course uses. By working entirely within Orange’s visual interface, learners can apply complex AI tools through simple, clickable workflows.
Asst. Prof. Rico noted that he chose Orange because it provides a visual, no-code interface, making complex AI tools accessible to everyone.
This beginner-friendly approach ensures participants can focus on interpreting results rather than struggling with coding.
Interested in the course? Enroll now at https://palms.pcaarrd.dost.gov.ph/enrol/index.php?id=322 and start transforming text into insights today! Do not miss this opportunity to upskill in the growing field of AI-powered text analysis, completely free and at your own pace.