5G RuralDorset’s farming use cases take shape
Author: James Pryce
The 5G RuralDorset project has announced significant progress on its ambitious, DCMS-backed agriculture and aquaculture 5G research trials.
Having designed and built multiple private 5G networks across trial sites throughout the county, Wessex Internet has now begun to connect a range of innovative agricultural technology to the network.
In addition, working with Vodafone, Wessex Internet is deploying over 40 different 5G-enabled sensors across the trial sites to feed farm data such as soil quality, machine locations and electricity usage back to a farmer-friendly visualisation software. All this information will give the farmer more information to be able to make management decisions to reduce waste and improve the farm’s environmental credentials.
The same type of sensors and software will also be used in the milking parlour at Kingston Maurward College where temperature and gas sensors will help farmers understand how comfortable conditions are for the animals. The whole system is made possible by a ground-breaking new device co-developed by Wessex Internet and Vodafone. Such systems will move the industry closer to a more intelligent and joined up way of working.
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Hector Gibson Fleming, CEO of Wessex Internet said:
“Farmers rely heavily on remote sensing to monitor, detect, and measure characteristics of their land and livestock. Accurate, easily accessible, and cost-effective data is essential. We have worked closely with Vodafone and 5G RuralDorset to develop a new device that we hope will not only provide accurate information in one place, but also save farmers time and help them reduce their environmental footprint.”
As well as deploying sensors, the Wessex Internet team have also commenced trials of a 5G connected drone, which can stream footage of the fields. These detailed images of crops are processed using Hummingbird Technology’s software. The trials are demonstrating the potential for fast image transfer back to the farmer to bring cost savings both the technology provider and the farmer.
Wessex Internet has also made great strides with the connected camera installations at Kingston Maurward College which will feed live images back to base from the milking parlour. This will allow the farmer at the college to use the CattleEye analysis software to monitor the health of their cattle remotely and make timely intervention decisions across the herd.
And finally, the underwater camera and sensors for the aquaculture trials are set to be connected up in November and will provide important water quality information and images for the farmer. The sensors will give the farmer information on oxygen levels and light levels to help them manage their stock to reduce wastage and improve yields. Images from the camera are being analysed by an AI platform, created within the trials by Exeter university to measure biofouling levels on seaweed. Cameras in aquaculture are deemed particularly exciting for the industry.
These use cases form part of the wider Future of Food work package which is also looking at the role of 5G connected robots in modern farming, collaborating with The Small Robot Company and Qualcomm.
