Alastair MacLeod, CEO of Ground Control shares how satellite IoT is supporting environmental sustainability
The ability of satellite IoT to collect and transmit data, even in remote locations, holds great potential for reshaping global sustainability initiatives. Via intelligent communication between devices and utilising real-time data, satellite IoT helps to address environmental issues and advance sustainable practices. The World Economic Forum’s IoT Guidelines for Sustainability report finds that 84% of IoT deployments are addressing or have the potential to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
How does this work in practice?
Environmental monitoring is just one area where we are seeing satellite IoT driving sustainability forward. This method is a highly efficient and impactful way for gathering and transmitting essential data. A common scenario sees a form of LPWAN used for networking multiple sensors across a wide area. The data is aggregated in a gateway, and optimised for transmission over satellite.
Because it has no reliance on cellular infrastructure, LoRaWAN is increasingly paired with satellite to build a fully wireless communication network. Characterised by their capability for long-range connectivity with minimal power consumption, LoRaWAN-enabled sensors are particularly well-suited for tasks involving the transmission of modest data volumes across expansive distances.
LoRaWAN’s advantages include its capacity to cover extensive areas with minimal infrastructure requirements. Traditional cellular networks often encounter limitations in delivering coverage to remote and challenging terrains like dense forests, mountains or deserts. However, LoRaWAN excels, connecting dozens of sensors to a single gateway, connected to satellites for data backhaul. This data is gold dust for environmental agencies and policymakers.
In the “digitalisation of forest” which encompasses the integration of cutting-edge technologies into forest environments, we see the concept of satellite IoT-derived data to empower environmental conservation efforts. The initiative aims to improve existing methods in monitoring, data acquisition, and research and development. Notable technologies in this endeavour comprise the IoT, Wireless Sensor Networks, Internet of Trees, and Deep Learning. For instance, satellite-enabled sensors can be deployed in forests to detect signs of deforestation, monitor wildlife movement, and measure carbon dioxide levels.
This data helps in making informed decisions for conservation efforts, preventing illegal activities, and preserving ecosystems. These sophisticated systems are designed for intelligent sensing, monitoring, and analysis, specifically targeting applications like forest fire detection, illegal logging, and poaching, and enabled by satellite IoT.
We also see satellite IoT connectivity contribute significantly to smart agriculture and precision farming, optimising resource usage and reducing environmental impact. Farmers now harness IoT sensors to oversee environmental factors, manage livestock, and enhance decision-making across all facets of agriculture, transforming it into a “smart” enterprise.
Given the expansive nature of farm operations, LoRaWAN paired with a satellite enabled gateway emerges as an ideal technology to facilitate efficient IoT solutions within the agricultural sector. Effectively networked IoT sensors can monitor soil moisture levels, assess crop health, and provide farmers with actionable insights even if the farm is in an extremely remote location, not traditionally serviced by terrestrial connectivity.
Satellite IoT, therefore, is crucial in areas lacking traditional, cellular connectivity. For example, Synnefa, which facilitates remote farming for smallholders in rural Kenya, provides cost-effective, reliable, and efficient data for farmers to make educated decisions about when to irrigate or fertilise their crops; or to use Synnefa’s smart greenhouses and drip kits which will automatically fulfil these tasks based on sensor data. The gains are spectacular: Farmers are saving water by over 50%, reducing fertiliser application rates by 41%, and increasing production by 30% when compared to yields prior to the use of their smart sensors.
How Satellite IoT can help with climate change
Satellite IoT contributes to climate change mitigation by providing invaluable data for monitoring and understanding environmental changes. Remote sensors deliver accurate real-time data to help us understand how we affect the environment. These sensors can track changes in sea levels, measure atmospheric carbon concentrations, and monitor deforestation patterns, and their data can be securely, reliably and cost-effectively delivered over satellite. This data is crucial for climate scientists and policymakers in formulating evidence-based strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change and adapt to evolving environmental conditions.
Finally, the incorporation of Satellite IoT plays a role in disaster management, enhancing early warning systems and boosting response capabilities. Satellite-enabled sensors can monitor various natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, supplying real-time data to emergency responders. This facilitates prompt evacuation, optimal resource allocation, and efficient post-disaster recovery efforts, helping to reduce the environmental and human impact of such events.
Satellite-empowered technology means that disaster management crews can comprehend their available resources, enabling them to coordinate actions effectively. Asset trackers fixed to vehicles and equipment can provide precise GPS coordinates at varying frequencies, depending on the disaster’s scale, offering a tailored level of insight for swift and efficient relief efforts.
As technology progresses, satellite IoT stands poised to assume an increasing role in developing a balanced relationship between human activities and the environment. By harnessing the capabilities of satellite IoT, we can pave the way for a more sustainable future.
Author: Alastair MacLeod, CEO of Ground Control
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