This task is relatively easy for a small "orchard" type systems, since those dynamics do not change very rapidly (e.g. hour by hour). When you scale up to large acreages however, the logistics of collecting and managing the data from many sensor nodes becomes an issue, especially when the terrain is hilly or the trees are large.
In contrast, greenhouse systems are small but very dynamic. Environmental variables can change from minute to minute, and so the monitoring and control issues become extremely rapid and demanding on the network system. These systems must work in real-time, which again means that the sensor network issues become very complicated if we are to control irrigation events based upon minute-by-minute data.
This project is all about working with wireless sensor networks that are deployed in commercial operations, since we need to be able to troubleshoot and resolve issues in those production environments. We have a number of very patient partners who challenge and motivate us every day, but who are excited about the potential and the benefits that we are already seeing from these systems.
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