Towards Cloud-Based Center Pivot Irrigation Automation Based on In-Situ Soil Information from Wireless Underground Sensor Networks

Wireless Underground Sensor Networks (WUSNs) are conveniently used in precision agriculture to gather field and crop information without any over-the-surface footprint that could interfere with other farming activities. However, the underground medium is a challenging medium for wireless communications because of the attenuation caused by soil and its time-varying properties. This research presents long-term soil moisture measurements and radio communication evaluations conducted on a field used for corn and soybean production in Irmak Research Laboratory’s advance irrigation engineering and water management facilities established in UNL’s South Central Agricultural Lab (SCAL). Analysis of the impacts of field conditions on wireless underground communication is provided. Additionally, the detection capabilities of the WUSNs are expanded to a Cyber Physical System using a cloud-based controller that determines the appropriate water application level. Accordingly, the developed CPS interacts with the commercial irrigation system installed on the field. Field evaluations of the first WUSN-automated irrigation system are presented. Adviser: Mehmet Can Vura