Real-time Geoinformation Systems to Improve the Quality, Scalability, and Cost of Internet of Things for Agri-environment Research

TL;DR

This paper presents a framework and case studies for developing scalable, high-quality, cost-effective real-time geoinformation systems using open source spatial IoT technology to support agricultural research.

Contribution

It introduces a generalizable open source spatial IoT system framework and demonstrates its evolution through multiple versions and deployments across continents for agricultural sciences.

Findings

Over 2,700 devices manufactured for agricultural IoT applications

System evolved through 3 major and 14 minor versions

Deployed across four continents in active or planned projects

Abstract

With the increasing emphasis on machine learning and artificial intelligence to drive knowledge discovery in the agricultural sciences, spatial internet of things (IoT) technologies have become increasingly important for collecting real-time, high resolution data for these models. However, managing large fleets of devices while maintaining high data quality remains an ongoing challenge as scientists iterate from prototype to mature end-to-end applications. Here, we provide a set of case studies using the framework of technology readiness levels for an open source spatial IoT system. The spatial IoT systems underwent 3 major and 14 minor system versions, had over 2,727 devices manufactured both in academic and commercial contexts, and are either in active or planned deployment across four continents. Our results show the evolution of a generalizable, open source spatial IoT system designed for agricultural scientists, and provide a model for academic researchers to overcome the challenges that exist in going from one-off prototypes to thousands of internet-connected devices.