Prototyping an Operational System with Multiple Sensors for Pasture Monitoring

Abstract

Combining multiple proximal sensors within a wireless sensor network (WSN) enhances our capacity to monitor vegetation, compared to using a single sensor or non-networked setup. Data from sensors with different spatial and temporal characteristics can provide complementary information. For example, point-based sensors such as multispectral sensors which monitor at high temporal frequency but, at a single point, can be complemented by array-based sensors such as digital cameras which have greater spatial resolution but may only gather data at infrequent intervals. In this article we describe the successful deployment of a prototype system for using multiple proximal sensors (multispectral sensors and digital cameras) for monitoring pastures. We show that there are many technical issues involved in such a deployment, and we share insights relevant for other researchers who may consider using WSNs for an operational deployment for pasture monitoring under often difficult environmental conditions. Although the sensors and infrastructure are important, we found that other issues arise and that an end-to-end workflow is an essential part of effectively capturing, processing and managing the data from a WSN. Our deployment highlights the importance of testing and ongoing monitoring of the entire workflow to ensure the quality of data captured. We demonstrate that the combination of different sensors enhances our ability to identify sensor problems necessary to collect accurate data for pasture monitoring

Montado Mediterranean Ecosystem (Soil–Pasture–Tree and Animals): A Review of Monitoring Technologies and Grazing Systems

“…However, using benchtop NIR equipment has the drawbacks already mentioned, which are inherent in the cutting and processing of pasture samples [66], although wet chemistry analyses are avoided. Therefore, the survey of the spatial and temporal variability of productivity, based on the cutting and collection of samples of pasture for bromatological analysis, is a demanding method in terms of labor [84], destructive [85], time-consuming and expensive [56,57,86], and unfeasible from a practical perspective, which has led to growing interest in expedited methods [7]. According to Gebremedhin et al [8], recent developments in the technological field of portable electronic sensors are an adequate response, allowing for fast, reliable, and large-scale measurements.…”

“…The fusion of sensors can lead to more precise and accurate monitoring of the soil and/or pasture since it allows for the acquisition of more than one type of information simultaneously, which can contribute to improving decision making by the farmers and agricultural managers [130]. However, according to Gobbett et al [86], sensor fusion can lead to challenges and problems related to the configuration, image capture, validation and data management, and analysis of these data to derive calibrated scientific information.…”

Learning a Transform Base for the Multi- to Hyperspectral Sensor Network with K-SVD

“…In previous works [1,2], it was determined that multispectral sensors with less than 10 bands are more likely to be affordable for such a network than actual spectrometers with significantly more bands. While the miniaturization and cost reduction of such spectrometers are also marking significant steps forward, we expect that multispectral sensors will always stay ahead due to their lower complexity.…”

Overgrazing in the Montado? The need for monitoring grazing pressure at paddock scale

“…These data could be used by farm managers as aide-memoire, providing visual comparison, which are the base of the ''intuitive'' decisions. The same pasture images could also deliver scientific data combined with other soil and animal proximal sensors within a WSN (Gobbett et al 2013, Zerger et al 2010. It is now possible to create a large-scale sensor network by deploying applications on enduser devices to collect and report data back to servers, using commercially available mobile communication services.…”