In California, IBM is working with a
range of local partners to implement
a system to monitor groundwater
usage in the Sacramento-San
Joaquin River Delta, a major
contributor to the state’s water
system. The delta provides habitat
for dozens of legally protected sh,
plant and animal species but, with
75% of the land area also being
used for agriculture, this key aquifer
is under threat. The partnership
is installing remote IoT sensors
to measure groundwater usage in
real time and transmit the data
via satellite to the IBM blockchain
platform, hosted in the IBM Cloud.
The blockchain platform is then used
to manage an innovative system
enabling local stakeholders and
regulators to manage and trade
water access rights.
At sea, Vessel Management
Systems, (VMS), based on a
combination of ship-based sensors,
GPS receivers and satellite
communications, are helping
governments monitor and reduce
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated,
(IUU), shing activities. Indonesia
recently reported a 90% drop in
illegal shing vessels over the last 5
years, with an associated increase
in sh stocks. The government’s
proprietary VMS was used to enforce
a 2014 ban on illegal shing and
the system enabled the exclusion of
around 10,000 foreign vessels from
Beekeeping Case Study
When discussing the threat
to our planet’s biodiversity it is impossible
not to highlight the importance of the honeybee.
One in every three bites of food eaten globally
depend on this and other pollinators and the
economic impact of their work, in terms of food
sales, can be measured in billions of dollars. The
numbers of these important pollinator however
are on the decline, particularly in the United
States and Europe, where various studies
report an average 33 percent annual
population loss. Of equal concern is that,
although experts attribute the loss to a
variety of factors, including pesticides,
habitat loss, and disease, there is no single, easily addressable cause.
Three years ago, Broodminder, a US start-up was founded by Rich Morris,
electronics engineer and keen beekeeper, with the goal of using IoT technology to
monitor the health of this key species. Temperature and humidity are key indicators of hive health
and Broodminder have created a portfolio of low-cost temperature and humidity sensing systems,
based on smart Blue-tooth low-power devices, manufactured by Silicon Labs. The company’s fi rst
product was a combined temperature and humidity sensor, based on Silicon Labs BLE113 device
and this was followed by a hive scale and then a low-cost temperature sensor, based on the
Blue Gecko BGM11S SiP Bluetooth module. These devices enable beekeepers to remotely monitor
the health of their hives without the need to open them, potentially exposing the bees to adverse
conditions and interrupting the honey production process.
Broodminder have also launched a dedicated communications hub, based on the Silicon Labs
Bluegiga BLE121 module, enabling beekeepers to share their hive data in the public domain. The
creation of this dataset, generated in true citizen-science fashion, will enable the future application
of AI technology to shed light on the factors affecting bee populations and, potentially, help to
improve hive outcomes.
Indonesian waters as well as the
seizure and destruction of more than
500 illegal vessels.
Conclusion
Although our industrial history may
suggest a negative correlation
between economic growth and the
health of the planet’s biodiversity,
the explosive growth of the IoT brings
hope for the sustainability of future
industrial practices. A growing trend
is emerging for business and industry
to collaborate with governments,
non-pro t organisations and research
establishments to create innovative
applications designed to monitor
and protect the environment. The
economic feasibility of these solutions
is being driven by the falling costs
and reduced power consumption of
IoT sensors along with advances in
networking technologies.
Figure 2: WWF’s
Living Planet Index
(Source: WWF: Living
Planet Report 2018)
30 22 September 2020 www.newelectronics.co.uk
Daniel Prudek/adobe.stock.com
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
2
1
Index value (1970 = 1)
DESIGN PLUS MANAGING BIODIVERSITY
/www.newelectronics.co.uk
/adobe.stock.com