Implementation of Farmer's Advisory System

Project Abstract / Summary : The proposed system details the implementation of a low-cost, open hardware,cloud-based intelligent farm automation system. Physical parameters such as soil moisture, temperature and humidity are measured by employing sensors sited across the monitored area. The parametric data is transmitted to the Atme lATmega328P microcontroller from the sensors using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).The cloud performs real time intelligence operations based on periodic sensor inputs obtained from the farm and transmits control commands to the micro controller. The novelty of the system lies in the use of BLE and in the intelligence provided by the cloud. The physically monitored, as well as virtually obtained parameters, at the cloud level allow intelligent command generation,facilitated by a data exchange system that leverages the existing telecom network prevalent in developing countries. Based on the cloud commands, theATmega328P micro controller controls the operation time period of the irrigation system thus conserving both water and energy. The approximate cost of implementing the proof of concept system elaborated in this paper by using of the shelf components at retail price is about USD 16. It is expected that the system cost will further reduce on mass production and commercialization.

Why did you choose to work on this project topic : Agriculture continues to be the mainstream occupation of a majority of the world’s population particularly in the 3rd World and developing nations.Considering the growing population, it has been forecasted that the global food production output has to be increased by 70 percent to meet the demand of 9.1 billion people by 2050. To achieve this target, the developing countries are likely to expand their irrigated area from 202 million hectare (ha) to 242 million ha by 2030.

Manual irrigation systems deployed in developing countries are inefficient and lead to excessive utilization of natural water reserves. Hence, there is a need for an effective and economically viable system which can aid in the optimal utilization of water resources. This challenge has paved the way for the design and construction of automated systems which can accurately predict and dynamically vary the operating time period of the irrigation pump by intelligently analyzing the parameters that affect the water requirement of the crops. Periodic system updates have to be communicated to the end user which would assist in effective user-system interaction. The system implemented in this paper will manage water efficiently and in turn derive maximum productivity from the cultivable land. This is achieved by adopting an efficient, user-friendly, and low-cost design augmented by the use of open hardware, present telecom infrastructure and cloud server.

Project Category : Electrical / Electronics / Communication
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Institute/College Name: Easwari Engineering College
City: Chennai
State: Tamil Nadu
Participating Team From: Final Year