Significant technological advancements have been made in the agricultural industry, incorporating innovative technologies like the

● Internet of Things (IoT)

● Big Data Analytics

● Blockchain systems

● Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

● Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs)

● Wireless Network Protocols

● Artificial Intelligence (AI)

● Agricultural Robotics

What is the influence of the Internet of Things on the evolution of the world?

The growing use of IoT systems worldwide represents a shift towards creative methods that use data generated by devices to improve efficiency. The IoT makes real-time information exchange across various networks possible, enabling larger-scale connections between humans and machines.

With this architecture, it is simple to share real-time data gathered by potent computational sensors with people anywhere in the world via the internet at any time.

How can integrating IoT and WSN technology revolutionize agriculture and enhance productivity?

A substantial percentage of developing nations' gross domestic product (GDP) comes from agriculture, which is the foundation of economic development. The world's fastest population growth worsens the impending food crisis, necessitating immediate action to increase output and meet rising demand.

Researchers are constantly investigating and utilizing revolutionary innovations like WSNs and the IoT to increase agricultural output. Integrating IoT and WSN has completely transformed the agricultural industry, improving resource distribution and production efficiency, particularly in smart agriculture (SA).

Internet of Things

Sensor-based gadgets make data collecting and analysis easier, enabling well-informed decisions. The worldwide IoT industry is expected to grow significantly with new prospects for integrating agricultural applications, including irrigation, soil monitoring, pest control, and greenhouse environmental monitoring.

Wireless Sensor Network

The worldwide connection of access points, which connects to numerous wireless sensor nodes dispersed throughout various locations and carefully gathers data on a range of physical parameters, is a crucial component of the growing WSN landscape.

Obtaining this information from remote regions will be as simple as handling mobile data via the Internet. WSNs are the key monitoring infrastructure of this complex IoT system.

WSNs provide significant benefits and capabilities, particularly in

● Enhancing the accuracy of monitoring

● Automation capabilities

● Optimization skills

Furthermore, WSN technology enables farmers to obtain

● Vital information

● Precise yield maps

● Precision agriculture

● Cost-effective production of premium commodities

Integration of IoT and WSN

Current research is increasingly focused on guaranteeing the sustainability of IoT and WSN integration.

In the case of SA, IoT makes it possible for smart devices to integrate and interact with each other, which is a big change in this technologically advanced era. This integration covers soil-embedded sensors for monitoring and combines IoT and WSNs.

It has a variety of microcontrollers, communication protocols, and transceivers for effective data transmission. WSN, which supports a wide range of sensors, is essential to this integration. Considering the size of the agricultural landscape, sensor nodes must operate well and for a longer period of time to satisfy application requirements.

In the long term, this combined IoT-WSN strategy promotes sustainable and efficient farming operations by greatly improving agricultural practices.

Battery-operated nodes

Several creative battery-operated nodes are incorporated into their design, utilizing wireless networking to facilitate smooth communication.

Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) improvements have led to smaller, more affordable, and energy-efficient nodes. They are placed carefully throughout the landscape, gathering information from the farm and surrounding areas.

Data Collection

It records important parameters, including

● Crop health

● Temperature

● Humidity

● Soil moisture

Data Processing

Furthermore, these nodes' embedded microcontrollers enable crucial data processing. The collected data and insights arrive at a base station or central hub through direct and indirect transmission.

Decision-Making

The dynamic information flow significantly improves the decision-making system depicted in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 IoT-based smart agriculture system Source: IEEE Access

Ensuring global food production requires critical elements, including

● Crop protection

● Yield forecasting

● Land evaluation

Wireless sensors and mobile networks enable efficient agricultural field management and real-time field status monitoring. The steps involved are

● We gather crucial data on soil moisture, temperature, and humidity from sensors spread across the farmland.

● To establish an IoT-WSN, these sensors link up with nodes that are prepared to communicate wirelessly.

● Analysis of the gathered data allows for educated decision-making, which in turn allows for automatic watering, precise resource allocation, and timely interventions to maximize crop development.

Wireless Communication Protocols

In SA, a variety of communication protocols find common uses, including

● WiFi

● SigFox

● LoRaWAN

● ZigBee

These technologies guarantee

● Long-range coverage

● Low data packet loss

● Low power consumption

● Efficient communication

Using wireless communication protocols and IoT-WSNs is crucial in SA.

Artificial Intelligence Integrated IoT-WSN system

To improve operational efficiency inside SA systems, the IoT-WSN system integrates AI and its subsets through a fusion of modern technology. In particular, machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) are widely used in Internet of Things applications.

Ongoing research aims to streamline and improve this architecture to best integrate it into SA applications. IoT devices work only online. Therefore, privacy becomes a crucial factor to consider.

Even if blockchain solutions successfully handle data privacy issues, more development is necessary. Current research results are noteworthy, providing insightful information, filling in knowledge gaps, and stimulating the future development of novel technologies for SA research.

Summarizing the Key Points

● Integration of IoT and WSN in agriculture boosts productivity and sustainability through real-time data exchange and automation.

● Communication protocols like WiFi, SigFox, LoRaWAN, and ZigBee ensure efficient data collection and low power consumption.

● AI integration enhances decision-making, enabling automatic watering and precise resource allocation for optimal crop development.

● IoT-WSN systems revolutionize agriculture by improving resource distribution, production efficiency, and monitoring accuracy.

● Using sensor-based gadgets and WSN technology enables data-driven decisions in agricultural applications, leading to significant industry growth.