Direction-Dependent Path Loss Modeling in Olive Orchards for Precision Agriculture

TL;DR

This paper introduces a topology-based path loss model for olive orchards that accounts for directional variability, validated with LoRa measurements, improving accuracy over classical models for agricultural wireless networks.

Contribution

It presents a novel propagation model that explicitly considers orchard layout and device positions, enhancing prediction accuracy in structured agricultural environments.

Findings

The proposed model fits measured RSSI data better than classical models.

Experimental validation with LoRa at 868 MHz shows improved accuracy.

Model accounts for directional differences in signal attenuation.

Abstract

Wireless links deployed in orchards often exhibit significant variability in the strength of the received signal that is not adequately captured by classical distance-based propagation models. In row-structured olive groves, signal attenuation differs markedly between along-row and cross-row propagation directions, leading to discrepancies when using omnidirectional propagation assumptions such as those adopted in the Free Space Path Loss (FSPL) model or ITU-R vegetation loss formulations. This paper proposes a topology-based propagation model that explicitly accounts for orchard layout and the relative positions of radio devices within the plantation structure. Experimental validation was conducted using LoRa technology operating at 868 MHz, and the results were compared with established models from the literature and with the proposed two-dimensional model. The proposed approach achieves a closer fit to measured RSSI data than conventional models, providing a more reliable basis for link budgeting and network planning in structured agricultural environments.