Mesh Protection
Robust and reliable
There is typically one co-ordinator node connected to a central PC or to Indigo's servers. The client can log onto the website and access to the data. At that point the information is relayed back automatically. On the website, the vineyard's nodes are pictured on an aerial map and by clicking on each icon the grower can access historical data, graphed to show trends in temperature, for example. It is essentially an end-to-end system with controllers and sensors at one end to collect the data through to the visualisation and web display.
"The whole network is robust and reliable. If you can talk to one radio on the network you can essentially talk to all the radios in the network," says Dr Rankin. "It is easy to add more units to the network – they automatically talk to one another."
The system allows growers to manage their resources more effectively and efficiently. Often vineyards use a water-based system to fight frost and this can be expensive or the water can be in short supply. Using the mesh network, wastage is minimised by accurately forecasting frost conditions and only spraying suitable volumes onto the vines, thus saving energy while reducing side effects caused by over-watering.
At certain times of the year, too much water can also damage the vines by encouraging the growth of harmful fungi and other disease-causing organisms. It can also cause water-logging in poorly-drained soils and result in root rot of the vines.
Frosts occur in spring and autumn in New Zealand so the vines and grapes need protection in both seasons. A major contributor to the severity of frosts is hour-to-hour variation in the weather, particularly in cloud cover. Wind direction and strength both have a strong influence on cloud cover. The wind can influence where cold spots occur in vineyards, shifting a known cold spot some distance away from a stationary sensor. Monitoring this variability is very difficult for growers using a manual system.
Dr Rankin's system interfaces with watering systems, wind machines and helicopters in the fight against frost. It is important that pilots know when they should begin flying because of the expense of keeping helicopters in the air. By using his system, growers can see how effective the helicopters are at raising the temperature and can direct them to where they are needed.
"Typical vineyards have only one sensor connected to a cell phone and if this is in the wrong spot that could be a problem," says Dr Rankin. "If you are monitoring in real time over the entire vineyard you don't have this problem. You can get the trend of what is happening and monitor it and see how effective your actions are and maximise effective use of your resource base."
