Project 2-366 Jordan

Partnerships for enhanced engagement in research (PEER) SCIENCE
Cycle 2 (2012 Deadline)

Optimizing water usage of irrigation systems using wireless sensor networks in Jordan

PI: Samer Samarah, with co-PI Mohammed Ghazi Al-Zamil (Yarmouk University)

U.S. Partner: Mehmet Can Vuran (University of Nebraska)
Project Dates: August 2013 to November 2015

Project Website: http://ais.yu.edu.jo/

2-366_Part of the research team at IT's scientific day at Yarmouk University

Research team at IT's scientific day at Yarmouk University. Photo courtesy of Prof. Samarah

Project Overview

Jordan faces a limited supply of water resources, an issue expected to become more significant as the country’s population increases. Researchers are looking for practical solutions for water saving in the agriculture sector, of which the largest use is irrigation water. The aim of this PEER project was to develop an automatic irrigation system using a wireless sensor network, collecting readings from different layers of soil to prevent under or overwatering. Deploying sensor nodes capable of determining the field capacity at each layer within a planted field helps to determine the optimal amount of water that should be pumped. The project’s wireless sensor network generated data from the field and controlled the irrigation process. The researchers also developed a model to analyze collected data to help understand irrigation patterns and optimize the use of water resources.

The Jordanian researchers collaborated with a partner from the United States who had implemented a similar project previously. Cooperative activities involved exchange visits and the organization of summer workshops at the University of Nebraska for the graduate students working on the project and a workshop at Yarmouk University. The project also developed a website and mobile application with real-time data, summaries, and timely recommendations intended for individuals and institutions interested in irrigation in Jordan.

Final Summary of Project Activities

In approaching the project, Dr. Samarah and his colleagues first reviewed similar systems across different countries and developed project requirements to match the culture of farmers in Jordan and available resources. Agriculture specialists analyzed available soil, water resources and decided on the field design for the project, while a wireless network specialist developed an abstract network design that specified the best places for the sensors in order to communicate with the data logger. The team installed the wireless sensor network and controllers to operate the smart irrigation system and planted the field with tomato crops. Dr. Samarah and his team then used data mining and machine learning techniques to analyze the collected data and extract behavioral patterns that model the automatic irrigation process. They also analyzed data collected from the field to minimize power consumption, prolonging the lifetime of the sensor’s battery. A software engineering specialist and a programming student helped design the main website and mobile applications, adding additional services to the app to enhance data visualization and thus better serve both expert and amateur users alike.

The team presented five research papers at international conferences based on their results, focusing on integration of wireless sensor networks with cloud computing infrastructure and concurrency issues that arise as a result of simultaneous interactions among different software components. The papers help support basic technical solutions to the smart irrigation process in Jordan. To further disseminate their work and promote linkages with other PEER-supported researchers, in April 2015 Dr. Samarah and his group also organized the second Jordanian PEER Science workshop jointly with another PEER team from the Jordan University of Science and Technology. As for capacity building, the PEER project provided research opportunities and training for ten undergraduates and three Master’s students, and the researchers designed a new syllabus for a special topics course based on Web services created during the lifetime of the project. The course focuses on creating Web services based on mobile applications. The infrastructure at Yarmouk University was also enhanced thanks to PEER-funded equipment, including a new greenhouse, computers, software, and the wireless sensors and data loggers used in the research.

Publications

Samer Samarah. 2015. A Data Predication Model for Integrating Wireless Sensor Networks and Cloud Computing. Procedia Computer Science 52, 1141-1146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2015.05.148

Mohammed Gh. Al Zamil. 2015. Verifying Smart Sensory Systems on Cloud Computing Frameworks. Procedia Computer Science 52, 1126-1132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2015.05.130

Samer Samarah and Mohammed Al Zamil. 2014. The Application of Wireless Sensor Smart Irrigation Systems in Jordan: Case Study. In Proceedings of ICNGCCT 2014, Dubai, UAE.

Mohammed Al Zamil and Samer Samarah. 2014. The Application of Semantic-based Classification on Big Data. In Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Information and Communication Systems (ICICS 2014), Jordan.

Mohammed Gh. Al Zamil and Samer Samarah. 2014. Application of Design for Verification to Smart Sensory Systems. In Proceedings of the Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference, Issue 1, November 2014, Volume 2014, ITPP0366. https://doi.org/10.5339/qfarc.2014.ITPP0366

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