Project Info

IoT-based Adaptive Irrigation using Reclaimed Water

Qi Han | qhan@mines.edu
Junko Munakata Marr | jmmarr@mines.edu

Irrigation with saline water is a complex problem requiring consideration of many factors such as irrigation water quality, soil conditions, plant tolerance thresholds, and weather forecasts. This project will develop a prototype wireless sensor network and a control system that consider sensor inputs, user-defined thresholds and weather forecasts to determine when and where to irrigate. This project offers a transformative approach for landscape irrigation based on closed-loop control. Landscape irrigation accounts for a majority of urban summer domestic water use; irrigating with reclaimed water has the potential to substantially extend water resources but may pose hazards to environmental and plant health. Existing smart irrigation control systems have proved water-efficient but have limitations and have not been widely adopted. The system we are developing is unique in its combination of wireless water and soil quality sensors into an advanced network capable of controlling several critical agronomic variables, while welcoming but limiting the need for human inputs.
This project is a collaborative one between computer science and civil/environmental engineering.

More Information

Grand Engineering Challenge: Not applicable