The Role of Wireless Communications in Agriculture

摘要

This paper is an overview of how wireless communications has made contributions to farming in the past and how it could and should impact the industry in the future. Agriculture is an industry that is often overlooked for a variety of reasons. It is an old primary industry that does not have the glamour of the new so called "high tech" industries. Yet agriculture, in many jurisdictions, is the primary industry. In Saskatchewan, for example, it is the number one provincial industry. And since it is a primary industry many other secondary industries are affected by its performance. In the past wireless communications and the associated technology has had very little to do with farming. Yes, farmers have used mobile radios, which has saved them an enormous amount of time in obtaining parts, and organizing a harvest; but this is only a tiny fraction of the potential impact wireless communications could have on farming. With the introduction of GPS positioning in the 1980s, there was some movement to introduce this technology to the farmer. However the method in which this was done was flawed from the very beginning and consequently it has yet to fulfill the promise proclaimed twenty years ago. This paper discusses the reasons that "precision-farming" is not in common practice today. The results from various tests taken over the past twenty years will be summarized in this paper. These include overlap measurements, field efficiencies and field pattern studies, along with accuracy tests for GPS. The trials and tribulations of on-going tests with auto-steering will also be presented. The future for wireless communications in farming is quite remarkable. Many suggestions will be put forward as to what these possibilities might hold along with their economic impact. It is possible to lower input costs by as much as fifty percent with the adoption of wireless and electronic technology. This paper will explain how this is possible and hopefully convince others of the enormous opportunities.