Farmers Can Now Monitor and Control Cold Climate
Greenhouses Via Smart Phone;
Telit Assessing Global Farming Market
Potential
Seoul, South Korea, January 18,
2012- Telit Wireless Solutions (AIM: TCM), a
global leader in machine-to-machine (M2M) wireless
technology, today announced the successful completion of its
first "smart farm" system in South Korea. The
technology specifically allows farmers to monitor and control
cold climate greenhouses remotely via their smart phone. The
benefits include significantly reduced use of labor, water
and energy and reduction in crop losses.
Following an initial pilot program, Telit's remote M2M
wireless control system is now in operation on several
working oriental melon farms and will be installed and
connected in more than 1,000 oriental melon greenhouses in
Seoungju County South Korea in 2012.
Telit initiated the smart farm project in partnership with
Disys, a South Korean designer of mobile applications. The
company underwent a one-year development phase with SK
Telecom. SK Telecom expects strong demand for this service
and is planning to create a separate communication payment
system to provide subsidies and lessen installation cost
burdens to farmers.
With the smart farm system, oriental melon farmers are able
to maintain consistent crop temperatures by remotely covering
or uncovering their crops inside large, clear vinyl
greenhouses at night or during any cold weather. Previously,
South Korean farmers were required to manually cover crops
which are easily damaged during extreme cold. Seoungju County
is the biggest oriental melon farming area in South Korea
with more than 60,000 greenhouses.
Additional smart farm features are planned, including
temperature and humidity sensors that can enhance the growth
and health of crops while reducing the amount of water and
energy required. Surveillance cameras will also be installed
to prevent the theft of crops and provide a visual check of
the greenhouses for farmers.
"Telit is very proud to be an integral part of this
innovative smart farm system," said Dominikus Hierl,
chief marketing officer at Telit Wireless Solutions.
"The system could enhance sustainable agriculture around
the globe, reducing energy and water usage as well as labor
costs while increasing crop yield and quality."
Plans are in the works to provide smart farm systems for
other greenhouse crops in South Korea, including watermelons,
strawberries and tomatoes.
Many farmers drive more than an hour to reach their vinyl
greenhouses in the growing region every day. It's not an
easy job, because it requires close attention seven days a
week, especially in the winter. When the temperature drops,
the plants can freeze. Once the smart farm system is
installed, farmers can check the weather and their crops from
the comfort of their homes.
"The system can be used for various other farm
applications as well, such as a security and tracking system
for livestock barns in case of foot-and-mouth disease
outbreaks," Hierl said. "We are currently assessing
the global market potential for this system."
Telit provided its M2M expertise and wireless data
communication modules to the smart farm project to enable
instant communication from the greenhouse to an integrated
server using the 3G/4G wireless network. The module's
high transmission speeds, small form factor and ability to
withstand temperature changes makes it a perfect product for
easy connection to most M2M applications and wireless data
communication devices.
distribué par | Ce noodl a été diffusé par Telit Communications plc. Il a été distribué par noodls dans son format d'origine et sans modification sur 2012-01-20 10:12:19 AM et restera accessible depuis ce lien permanent. Cette annonce est protégée par les règles du droit d'auteur et toute autre loi applicable, et son propriétaire est seul responsable de sa véracité et de son originalité. |