| Node 1 |
|---|
| XXXdBm |
| XXXV |
| XXX℃ |
| XX% |
| Node 2 |
|---|
| XXXdBm |
| XXXV |
| XXX℃ |
| XX% |
| Node 3 |
|---|
| Tank: XX% |
| XXXdBm |
| XXXV |
| XXX℃ |
| XX% |
| Node 4 |
|---|
| XXXdBm |
| XXXV |
| XXX℃ |
| XX% |
| Node 5 |
|---|
| XXXdBm |
| XXXV |
| XXX℃ |
| XX% |
| Node 6 |
|---|
| XXXdBm |
| XXXV |
| XXX℃ |
| XX% |
| Node 7 |
|---|
| XXXdBm |
| Greenhouse: XXX℃ |
| Greenhouse: % |
| Outside: XXX℃ |
| Outside: XX% |
| Soil: XX% |
| Node 8 |
|---|
| XXXdBm |
| XXXV |
| XXX℃ |
| XX% |
Above: Live data from the Monitoring System (updates automatically).
This project showcases a novel LoRa-based monitoring system tailored for agricultural applications. By implementing a simple MAC architecture, our system offers a lightweight and cost-effective alternative to complex LoRaWAN setups. Featuring low-cost, low-power sensor nodes arranged in a star topology and controlled via a custom-built .NET application, the system ensures reliable data collection and remote node control. Field trials on a working cattle farm demonstrated its effectiveness, highlighting its potential to enhance agricultural monitoring and automation.
Above: Live Tank level visualised using sensor data.
The developed system consists of several low-cost, low-power remote sensor nodes with LoRa transceivers in a star topology. A custom-built .NET data-logging and control application acts as the central node. This setup was deployed on a working cattle farm in Gippsland, regional Victoria, for extensive field trials.
Over the 124 days of field research, the system generated 1,287,689 messages. Despite a packet loss ratio of 22.30%, the system demonstrated reliable performance suitable for agricultural applications. The data collected was used to monitor various environmental parameters, ensuring efficient and effective decision-making.
Above: Central node on private telecomms tower. View of deployment area (farm).
The project was recognized at the 33rd International Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (ITNAC) with the Best Student Paper Award.
The project successfully demonstrated a cost-effective and reliable monitoring system for agriculture. Future work includes exploring other MAC protocols, integrating additional sensor types, and extending the system to other agricultural applications.
This work was published in the proceedings of the 33rd International Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (ITNAC) and is available online at IEEE Xplore. You can access the full paper using the following link: https://doi.org/10.1109/ITNAC59571.2023.10368491.
Additionally, a PDF version of the accepted manuscript is available below. This posting complies with IEEE's Author Posting of IEEE Copyrighted Papers Online policy, which allows authors to post their version of an article as accepted for publication in an IEEE periodical or conference proceedings. For more details, please refer to the IEEE Author Posting Policy.