Internet of Things-Based Precision Agriculture

Emerging IoT technologies can be integrated into Precision Agriculture in various aspects to
improve the agriculture efficiency and productivity. As an overview, the figure above illustrates typical
functions and features provided by this integration. The IoT technologies can be classified into three
categories: data collection, cloud-side data analysis and decision-making, and IoT-assisted agricultural
operation.

Data Collection

The goal of Precision Agriculture data collection is to collect soil parameters and crop
status/yield data on each site for guiding later operation such as planting, fertilizing, and irrigation. The
data collection can be achieved majorly in two ways. The first is through multifunctional imaginary
devices equipped with remote sensing platforms, including satellites, agriculture airplanes, balloons, and
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The second is from various sensors installed in different sites across
the farmland. Diversified sensors have been developed for the measurement of humidity, temperature,
nitrate levels, and so on, to meet requirements of different Precision Agriculture schemes. All data must
be tagged with the precise location information, which normally is generated from GPS devices, to
support the site-specific treatment later on. In the next step, all data will feed into a geographic
information system (GIS) to generate a crop or soil index map. The GIS can process the data to visualize
agricultural environments and status for managing cultivation. In Precision Agriculture scheme, GIS
technologies can be used to examine farm conditions, measure and monitor the effects of farm
management practices, including crop yield estimates, soil amendment analyses, and erosion
identification/remediation. Furthermore, with the help from GIS, reduction in farm input costs such as
fertilizer, fuel, seed, labor, and transportation can be achieved.

Site-Specific Operation

Different to the ancient farmer, most agriculture works in modern large-scale agriculture have
taken over by equipment such as tractors and harvesters. More specifically, within the scenario of
Precision Agriculture, agriculture vehicles will be equipped with GPS and GIS systems, and can operate
precisely, site-specifically, and autonomously in dealing with various tasks, including seeding, fertilizing,
and harvesting. Another major operation necessity in agriculture is irrigation and the understanding of
natural precipitation (e.g., satisfied or unsatisfied water needs of plants). In Precision Agriculture, the
irrigation is precisely managed to cover the deficit between crops’ optimal water needs and natural
supplies on each site independently.

IoT Application in Precision Agriculture

The IoT technologies can play key roles in the PA implementation. IoT provides not only the
communication infrastructure to interconnect every smart object from sensor, vehicle, to user mobile
device through the Internet, but also functions including local/remote data acquisition, in-cloud
intelligent information analysis and decision-making, data access, visualization, user interfacing, and
agriculture operation automation. In general, IoT has two perspectives, to be either Internet centric or
smart device centric . Within the Precision Agriculture scenario, the Internet-centric IoT systems have
better functionality, flexibility, and extendibility. Systems in this category can take advantage of various
Internet services and will have more powerful computing capability from the cloud side. A conceptual
schematic architecture of such IoT system is shown in the Figure below.

As can be seen in the Figure above, the agriculture IoT model has three basic layers. The bottom
is the data acquisition layer, in which environmental/crop data are collected through either sensors or
remote sensing devices such as UAV then uploaded to the cloud storage through an Internet gateway.
The second layer is the cloud computing function layer. Diversified cloud computing functions and
services are integrated and provided in this layer. For any required function, there are always multiple
solutions available from different providers. In the general process, at first, raw data will be filtered and
processed by data analysis tools to abstract information. Then purified information will be converted to
essential knowledge by data mining and machine learning tools. With the consideration of specific
factors, such as soil condition, fertilizing pattern, crop state, weather and environment situation and so
forth, knowledge derived in the last step will be used for decision-making or the generation of field
index maps for different purposes. Such maps will guide agriculture operations in the next stage.
Meanwhile, this layer also provides data visualization and presentation services for user access.

Ultimately, the top layer is the control of all agricultural operations, including seeding, irrigation,
fertilizing, and harvesting. Corresponding operations are implemented with agricultural devices,
machines, vehicles, and irrigation system based on decisions or index maps generated on the cloud side
during the last stage. Related control commands will be transmitted through the Internet gateway to
agricultural systems. Assisted with GIS, these agriculture systems will treat each atomic plot precisely, by
which optimal efficiency and productivity can be expected.

Applications And Advantages of IoT in Agriculture 

The Internet of Things has made smart farming possible. Smart farming is a capital-intensive and
hi-tech method of growing food cleanly and sustainably. We can also call it the application of ICT
(Information and Communication Technology) in Agriculture. 

When we talk about IoT-based smart farming, we are looking at a system built to monitor the crop field
with the help of sensors. These sensors track every essential for crop production like soil moisture,
humidity, light, temperature, etc., and automates the irrigation system. This system allows farmers to
monitor the field conditions from anywhere. IoT-based farming is way too efficient when compared to
conventional farming. 

The IoT-based smart farming not only helps in modernizing the conventional farming methods but also
targets other agriculture methods like organic farming, family farming (complex or small spaces,
particular cattle and/or cultures, preservation of particular or high-quality varieties, etc.), and enhances
highly transparent farming. 

IoT-based smart farming is also beneficial in terms of environmental issues. It can help the farmers to
efficiently use water, optimize the inputs and treatments. 

Now, having understood the concept of smart farming, we will look at the major applications of IoT-
based smart farming that are revolutionizing the agriculture sector.

1. Precision Farming

Precision farming, also known as precision agriculture, is anything that makes the whole process
of farming accurate and controlled when it comes to raising livestock and growing crops.  

The key component of this farming technique is the use of Information Technology and various other
technologies like sensors, robotics, automation vehicles, control systems, automated hardware, variable
rate technology, and so on. 

The key characteristic of precision farming is the adoption of access to high-speed internet, mobile
devices, and reliable, low-cost satellites (for imagery and positioning) by manufacturers.
2. Agricultural Drones 

Technology has progressed significantly and at a higher rate in the past few years. Agricultural
drones are a prime example of this development. Drones are being used in the agricultural sector to
enhance many farming practices. 

The two types of drones- ground-based and aerial-based drones are being used in agriculture for crop
health assessment, crop monitoring, spraying pesticides, irrigation, planting, and analyzing the field.
These drones capture multispectral, thermal, and visual imagery during their flight. 

The use of drones offers many benefits such as crop health imaging, integrated GIS mapping, saving
time, ease of use, and also increasing crop yields. When we combine drone technology with proper
strategy and planning based on real-time data collection, we can give a high-tech makeover to the
agricultural sector. 

From the data collected from drones, farmers are able to draw insights regarding plant health indices,
plant counting and yield prediction, plant height measurement, canopy cover mapping, field water
ponding mapping, scouting reports, stockpile measuring, chlorophyll measurement, nitrogen content in
wheat, drainage mapping, weed pressure mapping, and so on.

3. Livestock Monitoring

Owners of large farms utilize wireless IoT applications to track the location, health, and well-
being of their cattle. This information helps them to identify sick animals and henceforth separate them
from the herd, take care of them, and also curb the spread of the disease among other animals. It is also
useful for cutting labor costs as owners can locate their cattle with the help of IoT-based sensors.  

4. Smart Greenhouses

Greenhouse farming is concerned with increasing the yields of vegetables, crops, fruits etc.
Greenhouses control the environmental factors through manual intervention or a proportional control
mechanism. However, manual intervention leads to production loss, energy loss, and labor costs. This
makes the whole concept of greenhouses ineffective. So, smart greenhouses are a better alternative. A
smart greenhouse can be created with the help of IoT. These smart greenhouses intelligently monitor
and control the climate without requiring any sort of manual intervention. 

Different kinds of sensors are used in a smart greenhouse that measure the environmental factors and
assess their suitability for plants. A remote access is created by connecting the system to a cloud with
the help of IoT. This eliminates the need for constant manual monitoring. The cloud server controls the
data processing and applies a control action inside the greenhouse. 

 The IoT sensors installed inside the greenhouse provide crucial information on temperature,
humidity, pressure, and light levels. These sensors control everything from turning on the lights and
opening a window to controlling temperature and cooling off, all through a WiFi signal.  
5. Monitor Climate Conditions

  Climate plays an important role in crop production. Different crops require different climate
conditions to grow and any little knowledge about climate heavily deteriorates the quantity and quality
of crop production. IoT solutions enable the farmers to know real-time weather conditions.  

The sensors placed in the agricultural fields collect data from the environment that is used by farmers to
choose a crop that can grow in particular climatic conditions. 

The whole IoT ecosystem is made up of sensors that detect real-time weather conditions like humidity,
rainfall, temperature, all very crucial for crop production. These sensors are able to foresee any drastic
change in the climatic conditions that can affect the production. An alert is sent to the server about the
change in climate which helps to eliminate the need for physical presence. This ultimately leads to
higher yields. 

6. Remote sensing

IoT based remote sensing makes use of sensors placed along the farms such as weather stations for
accumulating data that is carried forward to analytical tools for analysis. The crops can be monitored by
farmers via analytical dashboards and action can be taken from the insights derived accordingly. 

 Crop Assessment
These sensors placed in different corners of the farms assess the crops to keep track of any
alterations in the shape, size, light, humidity and temperature.  Any deviation noted by the
sensors is assessed and the farmer is informed. As a result, remote sensing aids in preventing
disease spreads as well as in keeping track of the advancement of crops.

 Weather conditions
The data garnered by sensors in the case of temperature, humidity, moisture precipitation and
dew detection aids in concluding the weather pattern in farms so that the cultivation is executed
for appropriate crops.

 Soil quality

The analysis of soil quality aids in deciding on the nutrient value and parched sections of farms,
soil drainage capacity or acidity, that permits to adjust the level of water required for irrigation
and the select an advantageous type of cultivation.

7. Computer imaging

This form of imaging mainly involves using the sensor cameras that are placed in various corners of the
farm to generate images that go through digital image processing. 

 Quality control

Image processing combined with machine learning makes use of images from the database to
compare with images of crops for concluding the size, shape, color, and growth, as a result,
adjusting the quality.
  Sorting and grading

Computer imaging can aid in sorting and grading the produce on the basis of the color, shape
and size. 

 Irrigation Monitoring

Irrigation over a period of time helps in mapping of irrigated lands. This helps in taking the
decision in the pre harvest season of harvesting or not harvesting. 

  The Cons/Disadvantages/Drawbacks of IoT

As the Internet of things facilitates a set of benefits, it also creates a significant set of challenges.
Some of the IoT challenges are given below:

 Security: As the IoT systems are interconnected and communicate over networks. The system
offers little control despite any security measures, and it can be lead the various kinds of
network attacks.

 Privacy: Even without the active participation on the user, the IoT system provides substantial
personal data in maximum detail.

 Complexity: The designing, developing, and maintaining and enabling the large technology to
IoT system is quite complicated.

Conclusion

With the human population increasing exponentially, the world will need to produce more food. This
will result in the shrinkage of agricultural lands and depletion of finite natural resources. So, the need to
increase crop yields becomes critical. Thus, IoT can be a prevalent factor in this process. 

The use of IoT has enabled farmers and ranchers to go for smart farming. A technique that is capital-
intensive and hi-tech. Smart farming provides twofold benefits as farmers can spend a lesser time in
fields and yet increase the crop yields. The IoT-based ecosystem has several applications in the
agricultural sector. We have discussed the applications in detail. 

We can conclude with the fact that IoT applications are making it possible for farmers to collect
meaningful data that is utilized to increase efficiency. Large landowners and small farmers must
understand the potential of IoT-based smart farming and they must implement IoT solutions in a
prosperous manner.