[Esip-envirosensing] Fwd: [ECOLOG-L] LoRa or hardwires field sensors?

Fri Feb 14 12:08:23 EST 2020

Hi Zach

I was able to attend The Things Conference 2weeks ago and my takeaway was
industry is rapidly adopting LoRa and in the short 3 years I've been
watching it has matured and become a stable platform that's not going
away.  But that's only true in the commercial sector it seems so far. Have
a look at The Things Conference youtube channel
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv85CXnZUXEKnlZpQapTAwQ/videos>.  They're
still uploading the keynotes from the last conference but some highlights
you can now get daily satellite uplink for ~$30/month, AWS IoT services
integrate with TheThingsNetwork stack for device management, and there are
just too many urban environmental sensor companies using LoRa to name now
(target is usually office buildings/hotels/etc).  Big names like Microchip
and STM offer factory deployed encryption solutions, or at the hacker end
there are a dozen Pi/Arduino/similar kits.   But that is much less true in
academic enviro sensing.

Personally I see huge potential for it as exactly as you suggest: you can
multiply the number of sensors you deploy by at least a couple factors.
The caveat here is the gain is very low cost and long term wireless
coverage over using more expensive and shorter lasting wired solutions, but
there's no cost saving in the sensor which is often the highest cost
anyways, and it doesn't seem like the big Science-Environsening names are
adopting LoRa yet so I don't think eg you can get a Cambell LoRa CO2 sensor
so You'll have to do your own integration - maybe with an Arduino hat for
instance.

Some of the limited examples in enviro-sensing I've seen:
- An Internet of Things (IoT) Application on Volcano Monitoring
<https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/21/4651>
- LoRaWAN for Smart City IoT Deployments: A Long Term Evaluation
<https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/20/3/648>
- A Platform of Unmanned Surface Vehicle Swarms for Real Time Monitoring in
Aquaculture Environments <https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/21/4695>

If you're interested in a partner for pioneering some stuff I'm in! :)  But
ja, not off the shelf for Science work yet

jane

On Fri, Feb 14, 2020 at 10:47 AM Renee F. Brown via Esip-envirosensing <
esip-envirosensing at lists.esipfed.org> wrote:

> EnviroSensors and LoRa experts, would some of you like to address Zach’s
> questions below? This topic aligns well with discussions in our last call &
> ESIP Winter Meeting re: the trade-offs between instrumentation with a low
> entry price point vs. more expensive solutions (e.g., Campbell) that
> generally have less problems and require less maintenance over the
> long-term (my preference/bias).
>
> Renée
>
>
> —
>
> *Renée F. Brown *
> *Information Manager, McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER Director of Technology,
> Sevilleta Field Station*
> *University of New Mexico **Department of Biology*
> *Albuquerque, NM 87131 USA*
> *rfbrown at unm.edu* <rfbrown at unm.edu>
>
>
> —
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> *From: *"Zach Brown" <privateemail74077 at community.esa.org>
> *Subject: **[ECOLOG-L] LoRa or hardwires field sensors?*
> *Date: *February 14, 2020 at 8:06:07 AM MST
> *To: *"ECOLOG-L at community.esa.org" <ECOLOG-L at community.esa.org>
> *Reply-To: *ECOLOG-L-moderator at community.esa.org
>
> *  UNM-IT Warning:* This message was sent from outside of the LoboMail
> system. Do not click on links or open attachments unless you are sure the
> content is safe. (2.3)
>
> I’m in the process of setting up a network of environmental monitoring
> equipment and climate manipulations in the Australian Alps as part of the
> Australian Mountain Research Facility (AMRF.org.au). We’re a team of
> ecologists and natural resource managers interested in knowing how alpine
> grasslands will be affected by climate change, fire, etc. As part of our
> remote monitoring, we’ll have soil moisture and temperature sensors
> distributed throughout many 1-hectare plots, each with 4G comms, logger and
> other sensors. These sites have wild temperatures, precipitation, etc. I
> have recently discovered LoRa as an inexpensive option for such sensor
> arrays compared to Campbell or other brands that focus on durable,
> hardwired options. I’m curious to know what stories you field ecologists
> have regarding use of LoRa probes in rugged field conditions for multi-year
> deployments. Here is one such example
> https://www.tindie.com/products/tinovi/lorawan-soil-moisture-temperature-ec-sensor/
> My instincts tell me to go for the tried and true hardwired options despite
> the high cost. But I recognise that with LoRa instead of hardwired probes,
> the project could either put out HEAPS of sensors out or alternatively save
> a fortune. Thoughts? Is LoRa a few years off of having high-quality,
> durable options that can withstand the elements for years on end? I would
> appreciate your stories.
>
> *Zach Brown*
> Senior Technical Officer
> Research School of Biology
> Robertson Building 46, East 312A
>
> The Australian National University
> Canberra ACT 2600
> T +61 2 52545
> M 046 772 0031
> email: Zachary.Brown at anu.edu.au
>
> website: https://www.amrf.org.au/
>
> [image: AMRF logo resize]
>
>
>
>
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