SMARTER IRRIGATION WITH SMARTER TECHNOLOGY
06 Sep 2017
As the industry moves towards smarter and more sustainable consumption of resources, smart irrigation controllers can help your water program to become a more data informed, reflexive and water efficient process.
Smart Water Corporation remains committed to their long-term goal for irrigation: “Use the least amount of a precious resource to achieve and exceed desired outcomes.”
The cornerstones to achieving this goal remain: considered design; appropriate equipment selection; sound installation process; regular maintenance; and responsive scheduling.
It is, however, in the area of scheduling and remote central control, that great leaps forward have been made in recent years.
The Irrigation Control Box on the wall has served the industry and the public well, however, it is time consuming to have to continually reprogram these controllers to meet ever changing conditions, not to mention keeping track of these changes and knowing how much water is being used.
We as a community now have smart phones, smart tablets, smart TVs, smart fridges, smart automation systems, smart activity trackers - you name it the list goes on! Following on from this advances in technology, Smart Irrigation Controllers are here and now and communicate predominately via the cloud.
The common link for a smart irrigation controller is connectivity via WiFi or GPRS and the internet with the ability to send and receive data or instruction either automatically or by request.
Managing single or multiple sites still requires a skilled operator that understands the principles of water efficient irrigation and the outcomes required, but now Smart Connected Control Systems work to reduce the time taken to actually manage these sites while providing real time data.
The information that can be gleaned from these systems and the devices they are connected to; such as water meters, sensors, weather stations etc. puts all the power in the hands of the user. It also makes for full accountability and a smarter approach to resource management.
Some other Smart Irrigation Controller tools available include, but are not limited to:
- Connection to web based software, giving the user access from a smart phone/tablet or PC anywhere in the world to monitor, program and record irrigation activity.
- Connectivity to local weather stations, which permit the system to take into consideration any rain, wind or extreme high and low temperatures and reschedule its program accordingly.
- Flow sensors to determine the amount of water used to irrigate that can also have parameters set to alert the owner of high/low flow occurrences without the need to physically inspect the site.
- Rain and moisture sensors which can be installed on location to give accurate, actual, on-site conditions.
- Flow sensors to determine the amount of water used to irrigate that can also have parameters set to alert the owner of high/low flow occurrences without the need to physically inspect the site.
- Smart controllers provide and maintain a healthy, turf and landscape while reducing overall water consumption; and more importantly, water wastage.
We can achieve the above by undertaking regular site inspections; however, as time also becomes a precious commodity in this day and age, smart controllers and automation play a larger and larger role. This not only allows us to achieve more but enhances the overall outcome as less time is required to monitor, program, replace plants (which in itself is detrimental to the environment) and as a whole, maintain healthy irrigation sites.
Water has now become one of the most precious resources on Earth. As an irrigation system owner or operator that cares about sustainability and our footprint on the environment, who is also mindful about reducing costs, there is no doubt that smart control systems are an integral part of the way forward.
The Rainbird IQ Cloud Control System is one of many products that can help to enhance your irrigation program.
Smart control systems are easily applied to current water management systems and processes and Smart Water Corporation is able to help you select a system to suit your irrigation needs from their vast supply of options. Find out more at their website or contact the expert team today.