Evolving open-source technologies offer options for remote sensing and monitoring in agriculture

Authors: Fisher, Daniel; Fletcher, Reginald; Anapalli, Saseendran

Submitted to: Advances in Internet of Things
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/4/2019
Publication Date: 11/7/2019
Citation: Fisher, D.K., Fletcher, R.S., Anapalli, S.S. 2019. Evolving open-source technologies offer options for remote sensing and monitoring in agriculture. Advances in Internet of Things. 10:1-10. https://doi.org/10.4236/ait.2020.101001.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/ait.2020.101001

Interpretive Summary: Availability and relatively low cost of open-source hardware and software components allow access to sensing and monitoring technologies that were previously unattainable to many potential users. Advances in electronic monitoring and evolving cellular communications technologies are increasingly offering more, simpler, and less expensive options for remote monitoring. Researchers with the USDA ARS Sustainable Water Management and Crop Production Systems Research Units at Stoneville, MS, undertook a project to incorporate updated open-source Arduino microcontrollers and the recently introduced LTE Cat-M1 cellular network to transmit sensor measurements via the cellular network for access on an Internet website. The simple and inexpensive platform was used to develop an instrument system to remotely monitor soil-moisture status in agricultural fields and transmit data to an Internet website via the cellular communications network. The system performed reliably over an entire growing season with no maintenance requirements. The basic platform can be modified to suit a user’s specific requirements, and offers options for automated collection, viewing, and sharing of remotely sensed data.

Technical Abstract: A variety of sensing and monitoring systems have been developed based on the concept of open-source and open-source hardware and software components. Availability and relatively low cost of hardware components and availability and ease of use of software components allows access to sensing and monitoring technologies that were previously unattainable to many potential users. Advances in electronic monitoring and evolving cellular communications technologies are increasingly offering more, simpler, and less expensive options for remote monitoring. A soil-moisture monitoring system was developed incorporating updated open-source Arduino microcontrollers and the recently introduced LTE Cat-M1 cellular network to transmit sensor measurements via the cellular network for access on an internet website. The project is described, and the design can serve as a basis for other remote monitoring systems.