ProAg recently got an
expert perspective on how big data and the Internet of Things (IoT) can impact
irrigation systems from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Specialist Charles Hillyer.
In irrigation systems,
IoT works by placing sensors in the field, which gather information that is
then sent to the cloud to be stored, analyzed and transformed into useful
information. That information is then sent back to the field, sometimes to a producer’s
cell phone and sometimes directly to another IoT device that controls other
equipment.
“By having more data,
and by receiving it more frequently, data scientists can apply sophisticated
algorithms that reveal patterns and trends no individual sensor can reveal,” Hillyer said. “It’s not just one of these steps, it’s the whole process of
getting all this to work together – that’s the basis of IoT. The idea is to
make it easier to base decisions on data rather than intuition. But it will be
new, something you are not accustomed to.”
Hillyer noted that
producers need to ask questions of any vendors offering IoT products, centered on power supply, security and hardware.
“Producers need to
know and understand how IoT solutions increase their accuracy,” he said. “Is
the new information something you can act on or is it just informative? Can you
make calculations based on the information? Are the data actual measurements or
modeled information?”
