A novel methodology for the monitoring of the agricultural production process based on wireless sensor networks

Precision agriculture is a field which provides one of the most suitable scenarios for the deployment of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). The particular characteristics of agricultural environments - which may vary significantly with location - make WSNs a key technology able to provide accurate kno...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Computers and electronics in agriculture 2011-05, Vol.76 (2), p.252-265
Main Authors: Díaz, Soledad Escolar, Pérez, Jesús Carretero, Mateos, Alejandro Calderón, Marinescu, Maria-Cristina, Guerra, Borja Bergua
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural monitoring
Agricultural practices
Agriculture
Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions
Biological and medical sciences
decision making
Development methodology
Farming
Farms
Fermented food industries
Food industries
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General agronomy. Plant production
harvest date
irrigation
Methodology
Monitoring
Networks
precision agriculture
Sensors
Ubiquitous computing
water conservation
Winemaking
Wines and vinegars
Wireless sensor networks
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Summary:Precision agriculture is a field which provides one of the most suitable scenarios for the deployment of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). The particular characteristics of agricultural environments - which may vary significantly with location - make WSNs a key technology able to provide accurate knowledge to farmers. This knowledge represents a valuable resource because it enables real-time decision making with regard to issues such as establishing water saving policies while providing adequate irrigation and choosing the right time to harvest the fruit based on its maturity. This article proposes a methodology consisting of a set of well-defined phases that cover the complete life cycle of WSN applications for agricultural monitoring. We have studied different existing real-world scenarios where WSNs are being applied. Based on this study we have discovered that there exist significant commonalities but no methodology that specifies the best practices that should be used in the general, crop-independent case. The lack of a general methodology negatively impacts the amount of effort, development time, and cost of developing applications.
ISSN:0168-1699
1872-7107
DOI:10.1016/j.compag.2011.02.004