Development and Testing of a Low-Cost Portable Apparent Soil Electrical Conductivity Sensor Using a Beaglebone Black

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-355
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Queiroz ◽  
Emanoel D. T. S. Sousa ◽  
Won Suk Lee ◽  
John K. Schueller
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Mountainous Area ◽  
Soil Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Resistivity Method ◽  
Conductivity Sensor ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite

Abstract.The adoption of apparent soil electrical conductivity (soil ECa) sensors has increased in precision agricultural systems, especially in systems pulled by vehicles. This work developed a portable soil sensor for measuring soil ECa that could be used without vehicles in mountainous areas and small farms. The developed system was based on the electrical resistivity method. The system measured the electrical conductivity by applying a square wave signal at frequencies defined by the user. The acquired data were georeferenced using a low-cost global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver. The sensor system was developed using a BeagleBone Black, a low-cost single-board computer. A user interface was developed in C++, and a touch screen with a resolution of 800×480 pixels was used to display the results. This interface performed statistical analysis, and the results were used to guide the user to identify more field locations to be sampled to increase mapping accuracy. The system was tested in a coffee plantation located in a mountainous area and in a sugarcane plantation in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The system worked well in mapping the soil ECa. The apparent soil electrical conductivities measured using frequencies of 10, 20, 30, and 40 Hz were highly correlated. In the sugarcane field that had more variation in soil texture, a greater number of soil properties presented a significant correlation with the soil ECa. Keywords: Electrical conductivity, Geostatistics, Precision agriculture, Soil properties, Soil sensing, Spatial variability.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Soil Electrical Parameters and Compaction of Sandy Clay Loam Soil

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 114
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Pentoś ◽  
Krzysztof Pieczarka ◽  
Kamil Serwata
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Magnetic Susceptibility ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Soil Compaction ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Soil Parameters ◽  
Soil Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Electrical Parameters ◽  
Management Zones ◽  
Additional Information

Soil spatial variability mapping allows the delimitation of the number of soil samples investigated to describe agricultural areas; it is crucial in precision agriculture. Electrical soil parameters are promising factors for the delimitation of management zones. One of the soil parameters that affects yield is soil compaction. The objective of this work was to indicate electrical parameters useful for the delimitation of management zones connected with soil compaction. For this purpose, the measurement of apparent soil electrical conductivity and magnetic susceptibility was conducted at two depths: 0.5 and 1 m. Soil compaction was measured for a soil layer at 0–0.5 m. Relationships between electrical soil parameters and soil compaction were modelled with the use of two types of neural networks—multilayer perceptron (MLP) and radial basis function (RBF). Better prediction quality was observed for RBF models. It can be stated that in the mathematical model, the apparent soil electrical conductivity affects soil compaction significantly more than magnetic susceptibility. However, magnetic susceptibility gives additional information about soil properties, and therefore, both electrical parameters should be used simultaneously for the delimitation of management zones.

scholarly journals A Low-Cost Water Depth and Electrical Conductivity Sensor for Detecting Inputs into Urban Stormwater Networks

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 3056
Author(s):  
Baiqian Shi ◽  
Stephen Catsamas ◽  
Peter Kolotelo ◽  
Miao Wang ◽  
Anna Lintern ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Water Depth ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Urban Drainage ◽  
Urban Stormwater ◽  
High Resolution Data ◽  
Conductivity Sensor ◽  
Level Sensor

High-resolution data collection of the urban stormwater network is crucial for future asset management and illicit discharge detection, but often too expensive as sensors and ongoing frequent maintenance works are not affordable. We developed an integrated water depth, electrical conductivity (EC), and temperature sensor that is inexpensive (USD 25), low power, and easily implemented in urban drainage networks. Our low-cost sensor reliably measures the rate-of-change of water level without any re-calibration by comparing with industry-standard instruments such as HACH and HORIBA’s probes. To overcome the observed drift of level sensors, we developed an automated re-calibration approach, which significantly improved its accuracy. For applications like monitoring stormwater drains, such an approach will make higher-resolution sensing feasible from the budget control considerations, since the regular sensor re-calibration will no longer be required. For other applications like monitoring wetlands or wastewater networks, a manual re-calibration every two weeks is required to limit the sensor’s inaccuracies to ±10 mm. Apart from only being used as a calibrator for the level sensor, the conductivity sensor in this study adequately monitored EC between 0 and 10 mS/cm with a 17% relative uncertainty, which is sufficient for stormwater monitoring, especially for real-time detection of poor stormwater quality inputs. Overall, our proposed sensor can be rapidly and densely deployed in the urban drainage network for revolutionised high-density monitoring that cannot be achieved before with high-end loggers and sensors.

scholarly journals Design of a Multiband Global Navigation Satellite System Radio Frequency Interference Monitoring Front-End with Synchronized Secondary Sensors

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 2594
Author(s):  
Aiden Morrison ◽  
Nadezda Sokolova ◽  
James Curran
Keyword(s):  
Radio Frequency ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite System ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Radio Frequency Interference ◽  
Navigation Satellite ◽  
Inertial Measurement ◽  
Front End ◽  
Global Navigation ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite

This paper investigates the challenges of developing a multi-frequency radio frequency interference (RFI) monitoring and characterization system that is optimized for ease of deployment and operation as well as low per unit cost. To achieve this, we explore the design and development of a multiband global navigation satellite system (GNSS) front-end which is intrinsically capable of synchronizing side channel information from non-RF sensors, such as inertial measurement units and integrated power meters, to allow the simultaneous production of substantial amounts of sampled spectrum while also allowing low-cost, real-time monitoring and logging of detected RFI events. While the inertial measurement unit and barometer are not used in the RFI investigation discussed, the design features that provide for their precise synchronization with the RF sample stream are presented as design elements worth consideration. The designed system, referred to as Four Independent Tuners with Data-packing (FITWD), was utilized in a data collection campaign over multiple European and Scandinavian countries in support of the determination of the relative occurrence rates of L1/E1 and L5/E5a interference events and intensities where it proved itself a successful alternative to larger and more expensive commercial solutions. The dual conclusions reached were that it was possible to develop a compact low-cost, multi-channel radio frequency (RF) front-end that implicitly supported external data source synchronization, and that such monitoring systems or similar capabilities integrated within receivers are likely to be needed in the future due to the increasing occurrence rates of GNSS RFI events.

scholarly journals Applying Nitrogen Site-Specifically Using Soil Electrical Conductivity Maps and Precision Agriculture Technology

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 767-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.D. Lund ◽  
M.C. Wolcott ◽  
G.P. Hanson
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Soil Texture ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Soil Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Variable Yield ◽  
Wide Range

Soil texture varies significantly within many agricultural fields. The physical properties of soil, such as soil texture, have a direct effect on water holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, crop yield, production capability, and nitrogen (N) loss variations within a field. In short, mobile nutrients are used, lost, and stored differently as soil textures vary. A uniform application of N to varying soils results in a wide range of N availability to the crop. N applied in excess of crop usage results in a waste of the grower’s input expense, a potential negative effect on the environment, and in some crops a reduction of crop quality, yield, and harvestability. Inadequate N levels represent a lost opportunity for crop yield and profit. The global positioning system (GPS)-referenced mapping of bulk soil electrical conductivity (EC) has been shown to serve as an effective proxy for soil texture and other soil properties. Soils with a high clay content conduct more electricity than coarser textured soils, which results in higher EC values. This paper will describe the EC mapping process and provide case studies of site-specific N applications based on EC maps. Results of these case studies suggest that N can be managed site-specifically using a variety of management practices, including soil sampling, variable yield goals, and cropping history.

scholarly journals Using Multivariate Geostatistics to Assess Patterns of Spatial Dependence of Apparent Soil Electrical Conductivity and Selected Soil Properties

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glécio Machado Siqueira ◽  
Jorge Dafonte Dafonte ◽  
Montserrat Valcárcel Armesto ◽  
Ênio Farias França e Silva
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Clay Content ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Soil Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Multivariate Geostatistics ◽  
Northwestern Spain

The apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa) was continuously recorded in three successive dates using electromagnetic induction in horizontal (ECa-H) and vertical (ECa-V) dipole modes at a 6 ha plot located in Northwestern Spain. One of the ECadata sets was used to devise an optimized sampling scheme consisting of 40 points. Soil was sampled at the 0.0–0.3 m depth, in these 40 points, and analyzed for sand, silt, and clay content; gravimetric water content; and electrical conductivity of saturated soil paste. Coefficients of correlation between ECaand gravimetric soil water content (0.685 for ECa-V and 0.649 for ECa-H) were higher than those between ECaand clay content (ranging from 0.197 to 0.495, when different ECarecording dates were taken into account). Ordinary and universal kriging have been used to assess the patterns of spatial variability of the ECadata sets recorded at successive dates and the analyzed soil properties. Ordinary and universal cokriging methods have improved the estimation of gravimetric soil water content using the data of ECaas secondary variable with respect to the use of ordinary kriging.

Identifying Soil Properties that Influence Cotton Yield Using Soil Sampling Directed by Apparent Soil Electrical Conductivity

2003 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 352-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Corwin ◽  
S. M. Lesch ◽  
P. J. Shouse ◽  
R. Soppe ◽  
J. E. Ayars
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Soil Sampling ◽  
Soil Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Cotton Yield

scholarly journals SPACE DEPENDENCE OF SOIL MOISTURE AND SOIL ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY IN ALUVIAL REGION1

Irriga ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Iug Lopes ◽  
Abelardo A. A. Montenegro
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Spatial Dependence ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Gravimetric Method ◽  
Research Unit ◽  
Soil Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Agricultural Engineering ◽  
Space Dependence

SPACE DEPENDENCE OF SOIL MOISTURE AND SOIL ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY IN ALUVIAL REGION1     IUG LOPES2 E ABELARDO ANTONIO DE ASSUNÇÃO MONTENEGRO3   1Paper extracted from the doctoral thesis of the first author. 2Department of Agronomy, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Baiano, BR 349, Km 14 - Zona Rural, CEP: 47600-000, Bom Jesus da Lapa - BA, Brazil; [email protected] - ORCID: 0000-0003-0592-4774. 3Department of Agricultural Engineering, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros, Dois Irmão, CEP: 52171-900, Recife - PE, Brazil; [email protected] -ORCID: 0000-0002-5746-8574.     1 ABSTRACT   Spatial information on soil characteristics is essential to proper decision-making regarding to the environment and land use management. The objective of this work was the investigation of cross - variance between soil moisture and apparent soil electrical conductivity (CEa), under different land uses in an alluvial valley of Pernambuco. The study was developed at the Advanced Research Unit of Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), located at  Brígida River Basin, municipality of Panamirim-PE. Soil samples were collected in a regular mesh of 20 x 10 m, for soil moisture by gravimetric method and, following a regular 10 x 10 m mesh, CEa measurements were performed using EM38® device. Cross-semivariograms were assessed and spatial dependence was verified by geostatistical procedures. It was verified in geostatistical procedures  low variation for soil moisture and intermediate variation for CEa. The use of geostatistics allowed identification of covariance between soil moisture and ECa, as well as spatial dependence for both variables, for agricultural areas. It was verified that soil moisture, even at levels close to residual, constitutes a relevant secondary component for increasing soil salinity maps precision, and hence to precision agriculture.   Keywords: geostatistics, semi-arid, precision agriculture     LOPES, I. E MONTENEGRO, A. A. DE A. DEPENDÊNCIA ESPACIAL DA UMIDADE DO SOLO E CONDUTIVIDADE ELÉTRICA EM REGIÃO ALUVIAL     2 RESUMO   Informações espaciais sobre as características do solo são essenciais para uma tomada de decisão adequada em relação ao meio ambiente e ao gerenciamento do uso do solo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar a variância cruzada entre a umidade do solo e a condutividade elétrica aparente do solo (CEa), sob diferentes usos do solo em um vale aluvial de Pernambuco. O estudo foi desenvolvido na Unidade de Pesquisa Avançada da Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), localizada na bacia do rio Brígida, município de Panamirim-PE. As amostras de solo foram coletadas em uma malha regular de 20 x 10 m, para a umidade do solo pelo método gravimétrico e, seguindo uma malha regular de 10 x 10 m, as medidas de CEa foram realizadas usando o dispositivo EM38®. Os semivariogramas cruzados foram avaliados e a dependência espacial foi verificada por procedimentos geoestatísticos. Verificou-se procedimentos geoestatísticos, uma baixa variação da umidade do solo e variação intermediária para CEa. O uso da geoestatística permitiu identificar a covariância entre a umidade do solo e o CEa, bem como a dependência espacial para ambas as variáveis, para as áreas agrícolas. Verificou-se que a umidade do solo, mesmo em níveis próximos ao residual, constitui um componente secundário relevante para o aumento da precisão do mapeamento da salinidade do solo e, consequentemente, para a agricultura de precisão.   Palavras-chave: geoestatística, semiárido, agricultura de precisão

scholarly journals Kinematic PPP Using Mixed GPS/Glonass Single-Frequency Observations

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 97-112
Author(s):  
Mostafa Hamed ◽  
Ashraf Abdallah ◽  
Ashraf Farah
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Single Frequency ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Frequency Data ◽  
Dual Frequency ◽  
Trajectory Data ◽  
Average Improvement ◽  
Kinematic Ppp ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite

Abstract Nowadays, Precise Point Positioning (PPP) is a very popular technique for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning. The advantage of PPP is its low cost as well as no distance limitation when compared with the differential technique. Single-frequency receivers have the advantage of cost effectiveness when compared with the expensive dual-frequency receivers, but the ionosphere error makes a difficulty to be completely mitigated. This research aims to assess the effect of using observations from both GPS and GLONASS constellations in comparison with GPS only for kinematic purposes using single-frequency observations. Six days of the year 2018 with single-frequency data for the Ethiopian IGS station named “ADIS” were processed epoch by epoch for 24 hours once with GPS-only observations and another with GPS/GLONASS observations. In addition to “ADIS” station, a kinematic track in the New Aswan City, Aswan, Egypt, has been observed using Leica GS15, geodetic type, dual-frequency, GPS/GLONASS GNSS receiver and single-frequency data have been processed. Net_Diff software was used for processing all the data. The results have been compared with a reference solution. Adding GLONASS satellites significantly improved the satellite number and Position Dilution Of Precision (PDOP) value and accordingly improved the accuracy of positioning. In the case of “ADIS” data, the 3D Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) ranged between 0.273 and 0.816 m for GPS only and improved to a range from 0.256 to 0.550 m for GPS/GLONASS for the 6 processed days. An average improvement ratio of 24%, 29%, 30%, and 29% in the east, north, height, and 3D position components, respectively, was achieved. For the kinematic trajectory, the 3D position RMSE improved from 0.733 m for GPS only to 0.638 m for GPS/GLONASS. The improvement ratios were 7%, 5%, 28%, and 13% in the east, north, height, and 3D position components, respectively, for the kinematic trajectory data. This opens the way to add observations from the other two constellations (Galileo and BeiDou) for more accuracy in future research.

Soybean Root Distribution Related to Claypan Soil Properties and Apparent Soil Electrical Conductivity

Crop Science ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 1498-1509 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Brenton Myers ◽  
Newell R. Kitchen ◽  
Kenneth A. Sudduth ◽  
Robert E. Sharp ◽  
Randall J. Miles
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Root Distribution ◽  
Soil Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Soybean Root ◽  
Claypan Soil

scholarly journals Terrain changes from images acquired on opportunistic flights by SfM photogrammetry

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 827-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc Girod ◽  
Christopher Nuth ◽  
Andreas Kääb ◽  
Bernd Etzelmüller ◽  
Jack Kohler
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Light Transport ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Accuracy And Precision ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Gnss Data

Abstract. Acquiring data to analyse change in topography is often a costly endeavour requiring either extensive, potentially risky, fieldwork and/or expensive equipment or commercial data. Bringing the cost down while keeping the precision and accuracy has been a focus in geoscience in recent years. Structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetric techniques are emerging as powerful tools for surveying, with modern algorithm and large computing power allowing for the production of accurate and detailed data from low-cost, informal surveys. The high spatial and temporal resolution permits the monitoring of geomorphological features undergoing relatively rapid change, such as glaciers, moraines, or landslides. We present a method that takes advantage of light-transport flights conducting other missions to opportunistically collect imagery for geomorphological analysis. We test and validate an approach in which we attach a consumer-grade camera and a simple code-based Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver to a helicopter to collect data when the flight path covers an area of interest. Our method is based and builds upon Welty et al. (2013), showing the ability to link GNSS data to images without a complex physical or electronic link, even with imprecise camera clocks and irregular time lapses. As a proof of concept, we conducted two test surveys, in September 2014 and 2015, over the glacier Midtre Lovénbreen and its forefield, in northwestern Svalbard. We were able to derive elevation change estimates comparable to in situ mass balance stake measurements. The accuracy and precision of our DEMs allow detection and analysis of a number of processes in the proglacial area, including the presence of thermokarst and the evolution of water channels.

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