Low cost cloud based intelligent farm automation system using Bluetooth Low Energy

Abstract

This paper details the implementation of a lowcost, open hardware, cloud-based intelligent farm automation system. Physical parameters such as soil moisture, temperature and humidity are measured by employing sensors sited across the monitored area. The parametric data is transmitted to the Atmel ATmega328P microcontroller from the sensors using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The cloud performs real time intelligence operations based on periodic sensor inputs obtained from the farm and transmits control commands to the microcontroller. The novelty of the system lies in the use of BLE and in the intelligence provided by the cloud. The physically monitored, as well as virtually obtained parameters, at the cloud level allow intelligent command generation, facilitated by a data exchange system that leverages the existing telecom network prevalent in developing countries. Based on the cloud commands, the ATmega328P microcontroller controls the operation time period of the irrigation system thus conserving both water and energy. The approximate cost of implementing the proof of concept system elaborated in this paper by using off the shelf components at retail price is about USD 16. It is expected that the system cost will further reduce on mass production and commercialization.

Irrigated Agriculture as an Adaptation Strategy Against Climate Change: A Review

“…Minimum external inputs reason for a more sustainable approach that is less dependent on foreign resources while more reliant on local resources such as energy supply and workers. In the context of irrigated agriculture, the application of low-energy precision irrigation methods is very appealing (Rajagopal et al, 2014;Bordovsky, 2019). Further, green manuring (perhaps with locally available plants) could lead to greater moisture content within the rooting zone and greater crop yields (Karyoti et al, 2021).…”

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“…Additionally, BLE can be used to connect wireless sensors and receivers in healthcare and smart home applications [25]. However, its use in new, non-beacon applications such as Vehicular Ad Hoc Network (VANET) [2,24], smart infrastructure [4,13,18,23], multimedia streaming devices [8,16,19], and mobile payment systems [1,21] is limited by its lack of support for high-capacity data transmission, mesh networking, and other factors.…”

Beyond beaconing: Emerging applications and challenges of BLE

“…Such BLE-based services are more responsive, even without Internet connectivity. Examples include: 1) identifying certain groups of people in public areas [11], 2) logging and managing the usage and service status of power grids [46], and 3) monitoring extreme weather conditions for farming automation [12].…”

“…However, in addition to proximity detection, BLE-based systems are also used to connect wireless sensors and receivers in a variety of healthcare and smart home applications. Because of its ubiquitous presence in commercial devices and low-energy requirements, recently a few less traditional domain of applications are investigating the use of BLE, such as Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) [9,10], smart infrastructure [11,12,13], multimedia streaming devices [14,15,16], mobile payment systems [17,18], etc. However, such emerging applications are often unable to utilize BLE without modification or enhancements.…”