Proposal: A Smaller BIOTIC

Environmental Data Acquisition Services

(EDAS)
J. Aaron Crews
Thomas A. Mullen

August 16, 2001

 Problems with current BIOTIC

 Expense – Campbell Scientific products

 Bulk – Almost unmanageable for one person
 Difficulty in weatherproofing
 Lots of connections – Many things can go
wrong, and do go wrong
 Advantages to having a smaller
BIOTIC
 Potentially cheaper
 Smaller, more manageable device
 Fewer connectors – less possibility for failure
 If something were to go wrong, we could fix it ourselves
 Less power consumption
 Easier to weatherproof
 More marketable, more practical for farmers
 Technology becomes more accessible
Our Device

 The EDAS Irrigation

Scheduling System
Prototype
 What we have right now

 Features:
 It can read an IRT and determine whether or not the plant
is stressing
 It contains a clock which allows it to determine whether
or not time threshold is met
 It can alert those using the system of an irrigation signal
 It can display the data to an LCD screen, as well as send
the information to a computer via a serial connection
 It is programmable for a variety of time and temperature
thresholds
 Short-Term Development
(1-6 months)

 Within this timeframe we have the ability to

add many features to the device, including:
 Multiple IRT compatibility (up to 8+)
 Air temperature measurement
 Humidity measurement
 Full data logging capabilities – storing data,
ability to download either manually or remotely
 Short-Term Development
(1-6 months), continued
 Modem – connect to a cell phone, or potentially integrate
the phone for nightly remote dialups
 Programmable: call-up windows, time and temperature
threshold for a variety of crops, remote setting of time
 Full compatibility with wireless IRT system currently
under development
 Windows-based software to program and download the
data
 Ability to be used as a data logger for a variety of
environmental-monitoring applications
 Overall Short-Term Prognosis

 In 1-6 months, thousands of dollars and tens

of pounds of equipment can be replaced
(including the display, CR10X, DAC,
modem, and potentially the analog phone),
with a simple-to-operate, small, lightweight,
dependable solution
 Longer-Term Development
(12-18 months)
 Many exciting possibilities exist on a longer
term timeline, including:
 Integration of wireless IRT system into a one-
box solution
 Scaling of time and temperature thresholds using
budgetary constraints defined by user
 Fully developed GUI for software control of
system
 Potential development of additional applications
 Possible Additional
Applications
 Automated control of home sprinkler
systems
 Design similar to what you see today
 Commercial/private irrigation systems (golf
courses, etc)
 Longer-Term Prognosis

 In 12 to 18 months, we can produce a

completely affordable, highly marketable
irrigation scheduling system for farmers and
others interested in applying this technology.
 What We Want

 ARS to allow the implementation of a

EDAS device in a proof-of-concept field
demonstration in the summer of 2002
 This will allow our unit to provide ARS
researchers with important information
pertaining to plant stress and the BIOTIC
method of irrigation scheduling, while we are
provided with an arena in which to test the
reliability and usefulness of our product.
 What We Want, Part 2

 Subsidization of development costs for the

production of prototype units for this
purpose.
 We want to maintain ownership of the device
design, but we would be willing to modify
the design on a per-cost basis.