Introduction
The Internet of Things (IoT), along with large-scale open data sets on weather and yields, drone technology, and smart tractors, are ushering in a new era of data-driven farming. In the agriculture industry, digital technologies will become as vital as traditional farming instruments in the future.
In the rural sector, IoT brings together a variety of industries, including agriculture, telecommunications, digital instrumentation, and industrialised production systems.
In this article, we will understand the role IoT plays in rural development and how it has benefitted its industry immensely.
IoT’s role in rural sectors
Agriculture
IoT and remote sensing have aided in the discovery of many innovations in the field of agriculture. Many companies have invested in this area. Companies have, for example, utilised farm photos to map and anticipate farm yields. Companies have employed science-based analytics tools for planting, precision seeding, and genetic gain. Farmers can now employ sensors and analytics to track cattle movement and health and use IoT to assist disease identification and prevention.
Several studies have previously looked into the influence of mobile phone communications on agricultural communities. Phones are used to share social and business information, micro-coordinate activities, expand markets and plan livestock operations. The government is working hard to make mobile phones cheaper for farmers and expand network coverage. IoT will intensify and expand this influence.
Smart Villages
Rural areas in our country have lagged behind cities in to access even basic amenities. They require essential infrastructure like roads, drinking water and power. For the country's general progress and development, villages, rather than cities, must be made smart.
Smart Village development allows for the availability of primary education and healthcare, improved energy management, sanitation, water conservation, increased security, gender equality, and the establishment of productive enterprises to raise incomes and democratic involvement using IoT technologies.
The planned components of the smart villages are:
- Education Systems
- Sanitation Models
- Waste Management Systems
- Better inter-village connectivity
- Digital Literacy Centres
- Mobile Healthcare Services
- Better lighting infrastructure
Energy Management System
Due to advancements in the communication layer and the construction of a two-way infrastructure for real-time communication between individuals and the utility, the issues in load control for the power grid are now more critical than ever. To improve grid security and dependability, the smart grid operator can be given access to IoT technology.
The practice of monitoring, managing, and saving energy in a building or organisation is known as smart energy management. It may also be characterised as an energy management plan that employs systems and procedures to decrease energy use. Usually, it involves the following steps:
- Keeping track of energy usage and gathering data by using IoT.
- IoT can help identify energy-saving possibilities and evaluate how much energy each could save. Typically, it would examine the metre data to identify and quantify usual energy waste.
- Analyse your metre data to evaluate how effectively the energy-saving measures have worked and keep track of progress.
Smart Irrigation System
A good irrigation system is essential for a profitable agricultural output. Water for irrigation must be distributed across large fields in precise quantities to match the demand to maximise efficiency. This can be achieved by using the latest IoT technologies.
An automated irrigation system can be made in charge of monitoring and controlling numerous elements obtained from the field, such as humidity, water level, temperature, and human contact. This system comprises controllers and a wireless sensor network that transmits the discovered data. Various automated systems that assist farmers can help increase production. Sensors may be installed anywhere in the field, and the system is temperature tested. IoT devices can use all the data gathered from these sensors to make the most effective decision.
Waste Management System
The growth in the rural population has led to a similar increase in the waste produced by these communities. This has put up an incredible load on traditional, outdated waste management systems across the country. The current system is wasteful and expects too much from garbage collectors.
A smart waste management system can use bins with embedded sensors to check the waste level status. A secure cloud server can keep track of all these bins. IoT can also help optimise routes to get the most urgent sites out of the way first. This would be more efficient and helpful for the garbage collector and save fuel costs for the municipality.
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