A MAJOR Federal Government-funded ag-tech project in the Riverland has reached its first milestone, with the District Council of Loxton Waikerie completing its first five LoRaWAN gateways.
The gateways will allow locals to send information through ‘The Things Network’, an open standard network allowing the community and industries to connect sensors that share information on soil moisture, weather, GPS locations, and much more.
Riverland councils will also use the technology installed during the project to identify efficiencies and make evidence-based decisions about their own assets.
Project manager Ella Winnall said it was “exciting” to be at the forefront of the LoRaWAN project.
“Agriculture is so important to our economy in the Riverland, and it’s important council does what it can to assist and understand the industry,” she said.
“Technology like this can be out of reach for some of our local businesses and our councils so we are really excited to be on the forefront with a project like this.
“We hope that it will increase knowledge and adoption of innovative technologies in the community, and attract more technology-based businesses to have a presence in the region.”
Member for Barker Tony Pasin said the project, funded by the Federal Government’s Murray-Darling Basin Economic Development Program, showed the “breadth of good ideas” in regional communities.
“Diversification is more than a buzz word – it’s about capitalising on the strengths of communities and using new and innovative ways to ensure the economic prosperity of river communities into the future,” he said.
“Projects like this show the breadth of good ideas our communities have to secure prosperous futures for themselves.
“Our government is getting behind those ideas with these grants and I congratulate the council for this project that will have an enduring positive impact for the Riverland community.”
Local LoRaWAN supplier Steve Brauer from ETS Envirotek Solutions said he could see the network being “a huge benefit for local growers”.
“With gateways already established with growers across the region, adding the council gateways will definitely help improve the LoRaWAN coverage in our area,” he said.
“This will enable growers that, in the past, couldn’t justify the cost of using monitoring solutions as a tool without the need to set up their own gateway.
“So growers win, not just because of the lower cost per site of LoRaWAN when compared to mobile phone-based systems, but also because they can save on the cost of the gateway.
“But if they do choose to install their own gateway, it will provide extra capacity in the system.
“The hope is, that as growers become more aware of the technology, there will be extra gateways spread across the Riverland giving more security to those operating the LoRaWAN solution.”
The project will also fund digital up-skilling for high schools across the Riverland, providing them with sensors to connect to the network and training for teachers so students around the region can be exposed to the new technology.
This upskilling will be delivered by not-for-profit group The Growing Data Foundation in the coming weeks.
For more information on The Things Network, visit www.thethingsnetwork.org.au.