Satellite Applications Catapult
Thursday 29th January, 2015
Harwell, Didcot OX11 OQR
Towards the Connected Farm
Prof Anthony Furness
Visiting Professor & Dr Tomás Norton
Department of Agricultural Engineering
The views expressed in this
presentation are those of the authors
and do not necessarily represent
those of their wider affiliation.
The Role of Farming? – To provide primary
sources of food and distribute to where it is required
in response to market demands Ideally:
• Making optimal use of land,
water and other operational
resources
• Realising optimal yields
• Balanced arable,
horticultural and livestock
provisions
• Minimum wastage of
product
• Sustainability of product in
relation to dynamically
varying demands
• Dynamic response to
changing needs
• Sensible profitability
All made more critical by growing population requirements for food – The Food
Security Challenge
Tackling the Global Challenge – The Growing
World Population
• World Population at the start of 2010 was over 6.8 billion people;
• Earth's population is increasing by over 140 people every minute
(World Population Balance, 2010)
Global challenge articulated in national and organisational reports, including
IAgrE Report looking at the importance of engineering
Global Challenge Articulated - Not
only to provide food to meet future needs, but
also to ensure:
• Best usage of land, water and other operational
resources
• Protection of the environment
• Reduction of adverse impact upon climate
change
• More effective and responsible usage of natural
resources
Aligning with the European Priorities, it is a
challenge that very much requires foundational
engineering, innovation and incisive attention to
connectedness – an Optimally Connected Concept
[1]
The Future of Food and Farming: Challenges and choices for global sustainability. The Government Office for Science (2011).
Optimally Connected Farm – Wherein the
vision? – Too often corporate-based visions are flights of fancy,
hyped by over speculation on technological developments:
A vision for the connected
farm needs to be:
Recognising too the need for supporting
policy and funding initiatives
• Grounded in reality of what
is needed – The Food
Security challenge
• Considerations of
appropriate integration and
realistic technological
predictions
• Fully inclusive economic
modelling
• Strategies for effective and
sustainable developments
that embrace the holistic
view
What constitutes Connectedness? –
connectedness in the broadest sense of the word, embracing
integration of technologies and functionality, with imperatives for:
• Process connect –
with physical
materials and asset
connect
• Machine-to-machine
and people connect
• Energy and utilities
connect
• Data and
Information connect
Integration to exploit synergistic potential of connectedness –
recognising too the importance of regional, national and global
connectedness – Satellite systems relevant to all layers
Layering for Connectedness – Imperatives of the
Optimally Connected Farm Concept:
Process connect – exploiting:
• Object-connected ICT –
process level
development and data
acquisition
• Internet of Things –
physical interfacing and
actuation capabilities
• Future Internet – open
FIWARE and semantic
developments
• Sensor systems for
process support
• Satellite systems for
navigation, positioning,
timing, mapping and
surveillance for process
support
Layering for Connectedness – Machine-to-machine
and people connect – exploiting:
The Internet of Things
Layering for Connectedness – Exploiting the
potential for networks, grids and external provisions
for connectivity through developments in:
• Internet of Things
• Cloud processing and
‘big data’
• Energy and utilities
development
• Satellite systems
• Unmanned aerial
systems
• Static and mobile
sensor networks
• Integrated systems
modelling
Networked food production systems and layering in relation to
common features of farming structures and functions
Layering for Connectedness – Energy and
utilities connect – exploiting:
• Renewable energy
developments – photovoltaic, wind, thermal,
combined heat and
power
• Localised grid /
connected
developments
• Biogas, biomass and
bio-fuel production
and usage
• Integrated systems for
food and fuel
production
Developments exploiting waste heat, waste water, carbon
dioxide
Layering for Connectedness – Imperatives of the
Optimally Connected Farm Concept:
Data and Information connect – exploiting:
• Developments in, and additional
requirements for, Rural Broadband
• Satellite telecommunications,
remote sensing and surveillance
• Wide area communication networks
and mobile phone technology
• Local area communication networks
• Radio frequency identification and
other areas of automatic
identification
• Developments in the Future Internet
(FIWARE) and Internet of Things
• Cloud-based service developments
Layering for Connectedness – Data and Information
connect – exploiting:
Cloud Services and Big Data through Connected FarmExploiting:
based intermediary Data Hubs
Openness
Data, Tools, Networks
Regional
National
Plant/Animal
Farm 1
Region 1
Country 1
Field/Barn
Farm 2
Region 2
Country 2
Farm
Farm N
Region N
Country N
understanding
Sensor data pooling
for
Precision Ag
New Agri-Tech
opportunities
intention
Regional data pooling
for
Environmental
management
Continuous
Improvement
objective
driven
Market data pooling
for
Economic analysis
Policy making
DATA
constraint know how
awareness
innovative and
technologically challenging
services
innovative networking
tools and services
SMEs -
CISCO -
NCPF, S&WMC
context
Continuous
Improvement
based
of open-data
Support Centres:
Continuous
Improvement
International
NGOs &
Gov - sources
Data Sharing loops
Farm
• Intelligent decision and management support systems
• Intensive farmbased data
acquisition
• Satellite
telecommunicatio
ns, data and
information
support services
• Cloud-based data
and information
services
• Big data sharing
and analytic
services
• Process
development
Layering for Connectedness – Data and
Information connect – exploiting Satellite Systems:
Farm Level
• Process development techniques
• Autonomous systems navigation
• Crop monitoring and mapping,
exploiting geographic information
systems (GIS) tools and remote
sensing tools and indices
• Land usage assessment – crop,
livestock, biomass and urban factors
• Tele-communications – integrated
remote communications
infrastructure
• Surveillance – integrated farm-based
security and
• Other remote sensing
Regional Level
• Land usage assessment – rural, urban
and out-reach developments for food
and biomass production
• Environmental monitoring for
protection and development
• Distribution and Traceability support
through GNSS
• Tele-communications – integrated
remote communications
infrastructure
• Surveillance – integrated farm-based
security and regional crime
prevention
Layering for Connectedness – Data and
Information connect – exploiting Satellite Systems:
National Level
• Climate Change monitoring
• Data acquisition for national profiling
of primary food and energy production
• Positional data set developments for
agricultural development
• Distribution and Traceability support
through GNSS
• Land usage assessment – rural, urban
and out-reach developments,
exploiting GIS and layering
• Tele-supported education and
knowledge exchange
Global Level
• Climate Change monitoring for
international collective modelling
• Land usage assessment – for European
and global collaborative initiatives on
primary food and energy production
• Distribution and Traceability support
for international agricultural
collaboration
• International telecommunications –
including education and knowledge
transfer initiatives
• Evidence-based agriculture – exploiting
globally-derived knowledge for common
agricultural development
Layering for Connectedness – Satellite to
Connected Farm Conduit
Applications
Data sets, Information
& Knowledge
Openness
Data, Tools, Networks
Regional
National
Plant/Animal
Farm 1
Region 1
Country 1
Field/Barn
Farm 2
Region 2
Country 2
Farm
Farm N
Region N
Country N
understanding
Sensor data pooling
for
Precision Ag
New Agri-Tech
opportunities
intention
Regional data pooling
for
Environmental
management
Continuous
Improvement
objective
driven
Market data pooling
for
Economic analysis
Policy making
DATA
constraint know how
awareness
innovative and
technologically challenging
services
innovative networking
tools and services
SMEs -
CISCO -
NCPF, S&WMC
context
Continuous
Improvement
Cloud
Services
based
of open-data
Support Centres:
Continuous
Improvement
International
NGOs &
Gov - sources
Data Sharing loops
Farm
• Intelligent decision and management support systems
Harper Adams University – Potential site for
an Optimally Connected Farm - ‘Living Lab’
• Multi-million pound initiative
requiring multi-disciplinary
stakeholder consortium to pursue
funding and follow-through support
• In-line and complementary to AgriTech strategy for Centres of
Innovation
• Exploiting the layered, integrated
connectedness concept
• Progressive development linked to
NCPF Challenge Plan for Food Security
• Supporting research, development,
education and skills development
• Serving agricultural stakeholders,
including policy makers
• Satellite systems an integral part of
the concept
Thank you for your attention
The views expressed in this presentation are those of the
authors and do not necessarily represent those of their
wider affiliation.