NATIONAL RURAL ISSUES Transformative Internet …...The internet of things (IoT) is a wirelessly connected network of objects and devices enabling computers, machines, infrastructure,

NATIONAL RURAL ISSUES

Transformative technologies

A fact sheet series on new and emerging transformative technologies in Australian agriculture

Internet of things

� The IoT integrates data from objects and devices giving businesses better insight into their operations and better information for making decisions.

� In agriculture, the IoT can identify efficiency gains through monitoring resources and equipment, developing predictive models and making decisions based on the data collected.

� The IoT can apply to a whole supply chain, enabling producers, processors and consumers to trace a product from paddock to plate.

� The range and functions of IoT devices available to Australian agriculture is sophisticated and diverse, but access to adequate telecommunications is a major impediment to adoption.

Snapshot

The internet of things (IoT) is a wirelessly connected network of objects and devices enabling computers, machines, infrastructure, animals and people to transfer data between each other, without human interaction. It creates a new form of communication between humans and objects, and between objects.

The IoT enables objects and devices to be sensed and controlled remotely, through existing

networks, to integrate and exchange data in the physical world and on computer-based systems.

The data generated, often called ‘big data’, has a wide range of uses but is commonly used to

determine the status of inanimate objects or living things.

The IoT is a collection of hardware (sensors, equipment and machine components), software,

data and services (people and processes) that is brought together to achieve a specific task.

The front end of the IoT is the hardware, i.e. the devices or equipment that sense or respond to

the external environment. The back end is the software and process architecture that determine

how the devices will be organised and function together effectively.

The information gathered through the IoT supports better decision-making about the objects

being monitored, resulting in improved efficiencies, performance accuracy and economic benefits.

The digital relationship between objects can be supported through many types of infrastructure,

including an ethernet, radio-frequency identification (RFID), near field communication (NFC)

Bluetooth, WiFi, and 3G, 4G and the future 5G mobile telecommunications services.

The IoT may refer to regional, national or global networks of connected objects, or it may

be a network customised for use by one business or a group of businesses.

A fact sheet series on new and emerging

transformative technologies in Australian agriculture

Agricultural applications

The internet of things (IoT) has been adopted by a wide range of industries, from manufacturing to retail, to gain efficiencies and gather data. The IoT gives all businesses the opportunity to gain better insights into their operations and better information on which to make decisions.

The IoT has application to all primary industries, and at all levels within individual businesses. The IoT enables

farmers to generate data about soil, water, crops, pastures and animals, providing high levels of precision in

decision-making. The IoT identifies where efficiency gains can be made through the monitoring of equipment

and processing of data through software applications along the supply chain. By enabling traceability of goods

throughout the supply chain, the IoT will empower consumers to make more deliberate purchasing decisions

in terms of provenance and production systems.

Guiding inputs and operationsThe adoption of global positioning systems (GPS) in the 1990s to guide machinery in grain industries

was agriculture’s first step towards the IoT. The GPS in machinery was soon enhanced with autosteer

technology and yield mapping systems linked to office-based computers. These were mainly proprietary

devices integrated into agricultural machinery, and therefore farmers’ use of the technology was linked

to the machine manufacturer.

Agricultural machinery has advanced to include variable rate technology for planting and spraying, enabling

growers to increase yield through precise application of farm inputs and reducing overall crop inputs. Harvesters

can be constantly connected to the internet and yield assessed over a detailed scale in real-time, together with

machinery performance. Drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) collecting data remotely are being

connected to an IoT to monitor crop or pasture performance.

Sophisticated software, proliferating apps and cloud data storage options mean farm managers and advisers

now have access to comprehensive, integrated decision support tools to guide farm management decisions.

The applications of the IoT are more advanced in the cropping sector of the US than in Australia; and within

the US, generally more developed in the cropping sector than in livestock. In the US corn industry, it is

estimated that up to 40% of growers (producing 70% of the crop) use IoT applications to monitor and manage

their cropping program, for example varying planting density and precision fertiliser and pesticide application,

to optimise productivity and profitability.

The John Deere Field ConnectTM system is an IoT system that assists farmers in making more precise irrigation

decisions for their crops. It utilises a network of sensors to monitor moisture levels throughout the root zone

of a crop, soil temperature, wind speed, humidity, solar radiation and leaf wetness and sends data over a

wireless connection to either hand-held or office-based monitors. Trend data can also show how changes

in seasons affect moisture retention.

The US company TempuTech uses IoT and big data to provide grain storage monitoring systems for small and

large facilities. The systems ensure optimal storage conditions and detect potential hazards, including broken

belts or bearings in grain elevators. Computer dashboards show the moisture and temperature in grain bins,

allowing aeration and fan settings of large operations to be altered automatically to compensate. Weather

station data is also sent to farm operators, who can use it to predict moisture and temperature changes in

their own silos, and therefore change aeration settings.

3


Internet of things

Providing precise informationAs horticultural industries have high levels of management, high levels of inputs and high value of production

per hectare they are ideally suited to the adoption of IoT. The technology can provide precise information on

irrigation requirements and minimise nutrient loss in systems. Additionally, it can provide for trace back of

products and provenance information to consumers.

The Australian company Taggle Systems Pty Ltd has been working with landowners from Barwon Water

and the Irrewarra Farm Care group in Victoria to trial automatic meter reading technology to better manage

potable water in agriculture. The company’s aim was to implement efficient water use systems, saving money

and reducing the pressure on drinking water resources. In the Irrewarra catchment, 25 farmers tracked their

farm’s water usage on an hourly basis using transmitters fitted to farm water meters. The data was transmitted

to a Taggle-supplied secure website. The data identified 60 water leaks, which upon fixing resulted in significant

water bill savings. Further improvement to the system has been the addition of opt-in SMS mobile alerts to

notify growers of irregular water usage.

Reducing stock handling In the livestock sector, the IoT is used to monitor animal health, reproductive status and productivity, and

tailor diets and medical treatment to individual animals. It also provides the opportunity to trace product

through the supply chain.

The Digital Homestead being developed by CSIRO, James Cook University and Queensland University

of Technology is an initiative for beef producers in northern Australia to enable improved decision making.

It brings together a browser-based dashboard showing information from farm sensors and external data

sources, including weather forecasts, market pricing and herd condition (such as weight determined by

walk-over weighing systems). The dashboard aims to provide information to assist producers make timely

and well-informed decisions about marketing livestock before rather than after mustering. It is anticipated

that information from the system will result in a substantial reduction in mustering costs, which can be high

on vast properties.

Improving supply chains New methods of tracing produce from paddock to plate are evolving in many agricultural industries. With

an IoT approach, goods can be traced throughout the supply chain and feedback loops established to improve

efficiency or optimise a supply chain. Such a network may integrate on-farm and livestock identification sensors

with food-packaging sensors and sensors at the storage and retail stages of the supply chain. The consumer

will have information on the management practices and growing conditions of the produce, how and where it

was processed, and if there are any related health alerts. Consumers will be able to gain much more knowledge

on the provenance of produce, including sustainability and ethical aspects of production, to inform their

purchasing decisions.



Photo - GRDC

The issue Darrin Lee is the managing partner of Bligh Lee

Farms, a mixed livestock and cropping property near

Mingenew in the northern grain growing area of

Western Australia. The business is made up of several

properties covering 6880 hectares and has five

full-time employees.

Regularly inspecting properties of this size to assess

the progress of crops throughout the season was

time consuming and subjective crop assessments

by multiple staff members was creating inconsistent

data sets that hampered decision-making.

Wanting to improve the quality of crop information,

and introduce efficiencies that would provide him

with more time to manage the business, Darrin started

exploring ways to farm smarter through the adoption

of new technologies that could monitor and relay

farm data to a centralised system for decision-making.

His development of an on-farm information system

using a range of devices to exchange and share data,

combined with external and regional data sets has

created an IoT approach to running his business.

IoT saving time and resources in broadacre farming

Bringing a unique skill set from the finance industry, where decisions are based on data, grain grower Darrin Lee has made significant efficiency gains introducing an internet of things to his farm business.

The technology In 2013, Darrin installed soil moisture probes and

weather stations across the properties that track

rainfall, available soil moisture, temperature and

relative humidity throughout the seasons. The

network of devices feeds data into software he

can access anywhere from his mobile phone. Plant

phenology, pests and weeds are tracked with other

computer-based tools that use artificial intelligence

combined with climate information to extrapolate

development rates. The combination of seasonal

information with historical data can be used to alert

him to potential problems.

“The real-time information is collected seamlessly

through a tailored computer interface application

and sent to mobile devices, I can check the available

moisture content of soils in every paddock, check on

root growth of crops and their stage of development.”

Darrin went on to fit sensors to all his equipment

and machinery and can now remotely manage water,

monitor the performance of his machinery, and

monitor yield and protein content while harvesting.

“This is great for asset monitoring. Not only can

you monitor fuel consumption and predict when you

have to send the fuel cart but you can do predictive

maintenance on the machinery. We can download

data and send it directly to our service contractors

to get the machinery remotely assessed. This saves

both time and costs.”

Darrin uses Crop Manager, a web-based decision

support software designed by Data into Profit that

uses artificial intelligence to merge new data with

historical data and can also link to regional data sets

to enable informed crop planning, including variety,

sowing time and fertiliser application.

He also works closely with Annie Brox from Origo,

who is assisting him fit Open Remote Devices to

his equipment to improve the interoperability of the

devices. The devices are able to be retrofitted to older

machines to integrate them into Darrin’s internet

of things.

Wanting to collect better

data and use time more

resourcefully, an internet

of things was set up on a

grain growing property.


Internet of things

5


Internet of things

Case study

Contact detailsDarrin Lee

Bligh Lee Farms

E: blighleefarms @bigpond.com

T: 0427 281 021

Connectivity is critical,

especially the download

and upload speeds, so Darrin

circumvented the public

system and built his

own network.

Farm vehicles

Observation stations

InternetDigital

agriculture

Sheds

Farm server

Cooperating organisations

Agronomists and advisers

Farmer away from farm

Connecting a farm business to the internet of things Schematic inspired by an Origo Agriculture concept

The benefits By installing the network of observation stations

around the farm and installing sensors in machinery

and equipment, Darrin said that many more decisions

are based on information rather than reaction.

“Using this IoT approach, our decisions become

pre-emptive. As it works from historical data specific

to our property, if the same weather conditions and

the same crop growth stage, phenology-wise, come

up, the IoT will actually send my phone a warning.

It may say “four years ago this happened at this plant

development stage — so check for heliothis or stripe

rust or whatever pest and disease is seasonally

significant now”.

“It also enables me to make more precise decisions

during the growing season. For example, in 2015

the data was indicating a dry finish, so I held off

applying additional nitrogen and this was a significant

cost saving.”

The data collected from Darrin’s sensors can be

combined with local historical data to predict crop

yield and profit per paddock.

This IoT approach to gathering data means that

Darrin, his partners and the farm staff no longer

rely on manual data recording and potential double

handling with data entry on the farm computer. The

IoT enables everyone involved to use their time much

more efficiently.

The future Darrin has teamed up with farmer groups in his region

and technology specialists to develop the Digital

Agriculture Program (DAP) and set up a demonstration

farm for IoT.

Frustrated with the lack of connectivity to

telecommunications, the group is developing

a system to improve mobile coverage, internet

access and download speeds. Darrin has constructed

three transmitter towers on his farm giving complete

coverage of the property. He will then fit servers in

tractors, harvesters, utes and have a radio network

across the farm enabling rapid transfer of data.

“It is the connectivity that is critical — the download

and upload speed — so I’ve circumvented the public

system and built our own network.

“Ultimately we want to showcase to growers the

step change that adopting the IoT can achieve for

Australian grain growers.”



The adoption of the internet of things (IoT) has the potential to transform agriculture through improving farmer decision-making, reducing input costs, lowering the reliance on scarce labour and improving the lifestyle and safety of farming.

Worldwide, the use of IoT devices is expected to increase at a rate of 23% from 2015 to 2021, driven by new

users taking up the technology. In total, around 28 billion connected devices are forecast by 2021, of which

close to 16 billion will be related to IoT.

One benefit of the IoT is its scalability, as it is composed of any number of devices and can be customised

for any user and use. The IoT may start on a relatively simple scale and be built sequentially, increasing in

sophistication as users increase their understanding of the system’s potential and achieve a return on

investment. IoT is driving the development of hierarchical systems such as smart homes and smart cities,

and this thinking can be applied to agriculture.

The IoT will facilitate a ‘sharing economy’ as people, businesses and communities become more connected.

New services and new business models will develop that previously were not economically viable, as people

are better able to monitor elements of the world at a finer detail. Higher levels of connection within communities

will foster IoT adoption and drive the co-creation of new devices and IoTs to address new challenges.

For farmers, the ability to monitor many aspects of their production environment and integrate new information

with historical data sets will mean they can deal with the risks inherent in their production systems in a much

more informed way. Management decisions will move from paddock and herd averages to the square metre

or individual animal level, which will result in significant productivity gains.

The benefits of adopting IoT in agriculture are numerous, including remote monitoring, better asset tracking,

and optimised supply chains and resource use. While the benefits result in much better decision making,

IoT has the potential to change the make-up of the agricultural workforce. In the future, adoption of IoT in

Australian agriculture will demand new skill sets including technical, analytical and business management.

The Australian Farm Institute reported in 2016 that through the adoption of digital technology, overall gains

in cropping systems may be in the order of 10–15% with approximately half of this achieved through yield

improvement and half through input cost savings. Use of data from a walk-over weighing system, within

an IoT system for livestock enterprises, could save 10% on mustering costs.

Remote monitoringEquipment, machinery, paddocks and animals can be remotely monitored using IoT. The use of sensors

integrated into a system with corresponding alerts allows farm inventory, paddocks and livestock to be

maintained and serviced in ways that have not been possible before. The results will be significant savings in

time, labour and costs in many agricultural operations as regular physical observation will not be required and

decisions can be made remotely. Remote monitoring will mean that agricultural activities may become more

office based, which will reduce some of the safety risks inherent in large and isolated agricultural businesses,

freeing up time and labour for other activities.

Transforming agriculture

7


Internet of things

On-farm efficienciesIoT allows for more sophisticated management of machinery, such as tracking its location by GPS and receiving

information about engine performance. Information such as running time, speed and temperature could be

relayed directly to the manufacturer for diagnosis of problems or to signal the need for maintenance to avoid

future downtime of equipment.

Historically, agricultural inputs have been applied according to best-fit averages. The sensors and analytics

integrated into an IoT will determine input requirements more accurately, reducing wastage and improving crop

and livestock productivity. The welfare of animals will improve as IoT enables real-time monitoring of feed, water

and physical wellbeing.

Consumer informationSupply chain optimisation using an IoT will entail the installation of farm and livestock identification sensors

through to food-packaging sensors, and retail supply chain monitoring with in-built feedback loops. Producers

will benefit from improved supply chain risk management and reputational benefits, as well as finding it easier

to comply with increasingly strict regulations. Consumers will benefit as IoT adoption enables full traceability

of a product from paddock to plate, meeting their increasing demand for greater transparency of agricultural

production. Accountability and management throughout the supply chain will drive the production of

agricultural goods that meet consumer expectations in terms of sustainability and ethics.

New skills The adoption of IoT in agricultural industries will mean a fundamental shift in the skills base from practical

and physical skills to skills driven by objective data assessment. Data scientists will formulate the algorithms

to process the data generated; business analysts will interpret the business implications of the data; information

technology experts will service and develop data storage systems; security professionals will guard against

breaches of data sets; and data programmers, database developers and app developers will construct

new interfaces to view information.

Changing communities The adoption of IoT by agricultural businesses will see impacts on rural and regional communities. It will enable

activities to be undertaken remotely, potentially from capital cities, which may appeal to a new generation of

professionals required to service and drive the new technology. This may impact adversely on rural communities

as fewer people may be required to manage and operate farms. The adoption of IoT and other transformative

technologies may contribute further to the decline of rural populations. A positive change may be that property-

based farmers and managers may find that the adoption of IoT will create additional time for other pursuits,

such as new business opportunities or community and family-orientated activities.



Challenges for adoption

Photo - Darrin Lee

The main challenge to the adoption of the internet of things (IoT) in Australian agriculture is the quality of the networks to support the use of devices. There is inconsistent access to reliable and affordable telecommunication services in some parts of rural Australia.

The basic driver for the adoption of new technology is that it should deliver a return on investment. As at 2016,

there is a lack of successful business cases in agriculture that demonstrate the scale of return that matches

the required investment in IoT. However, it is expected that IoT, at a range of scales, will be incorporated into

agriculture over coming years but there are barriers to adoption.

Quality and cost of hardwareFor the most part, IoT hardware or devices have been developed in the US, making the compatibility of some

equipment in Australia difficult to predict. While the cost of embedding the technology into devices will be

marginal, the cost of exploiting it for business advantage could be considerable. The devices must also be cost

effective, robust and reliable (including extended battery use).

Internet accessAccess to the internet can be a major impediment to connectivity and the adoption of IoT in parts of rural and

regional Australia. The next wave of IoT adoption is predicted with the introduction of 5G (estimated in 2020),

however its cost and availability in Australia is unknown.

Data quality and accessAn IoT is only as good as the data it is processing, and therefore improved data quality, in terms of context,

resolution, accuracy, scale and quantity is required. In agriculture, access to several years of data is required for

agricultural operations to be able to make decisions of value. In addition, devices need to be interoperable and

scalable to build more extensive networks, and data streams from different devices in different formats must

be made compatible to enable analysis. Further, each device in an IoT may have different terms and conditions

covering access and use of the data it generates, therefore different management approaches will be required.

Perceived value of dataThere is a challenge to demonstrate to farmers the benefit of collecting data at both the farm scale and a

wider regional scale. Farm-based data has a clear benefit for on-farm decision-making but regional data can

be used for benchmarking farm performance or establishing regional trends. Data collected on a regional scale

also has benefits for the industry, including for research, natural resource management, policy formulation and

biosecurity management.

Security and privacyInterpretation will be critical to determining the value of data, and therefore a number of advisers and experts

may require access to the data. Individual farmers will have different thresholds for sharing data externally.

Further, the integrity of cloud-based storage may also concern some farmers, and they may delay IoT

integration or use an internal (intranet) option instead.

Skills and capacityA 2014 report by PwC showed that Australia’s digital IQ is 2% lower than the global average. Accordingly, new

skills and capacity need to be developed throughout the population but particularly in the agricultural sector

to generate the knowledge to underpin and service IoT adoption.

9


Internet of things

The rapid adoption of the internet of things (IoT) has meant that the policy and regulations required to govern its use in Australia have not necessarily kept pace. This issue is complex as it covers the devices used in an IoT, the communication networks and the data generated.

The use of the IoT in Australian agriculture is an emerging technology and attempts to impose restrictive

policies and regulations may impede innovation. However, there are a number of new regulatory and legal

questions around the use of IoT as well as related existing issues around the use of the internet. As at 2016,

standards and regulations have not been developed for many devices used in IoT systems; with the exception

of UAVs, which are regulated by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).

Cross-border flow of data, where data is generated in one jurisdiction and transmitted to another with different

laws for data protection create inconsistencies in addressing the misuse of data.

The use of IoT offers potential benefits in stock safety, through monitoring and surveillance devices.

However, legal implications relating to surveillance and the possible infringement of civil rights, data

retention and destruction policies, legal liability for unintended uses, security breaches and privacy lapses

need to be considered.

Data collected from IoT devices could potentially be used in a range of legal proceedings. As IoT devices

operate in more complex ways than a stand-alone product, more complex liability scenarios need to be

considered. For example, IoT data can track people’s actions and potentially be used for either beneficial or

discriminatory purposes. Associated complexities relate to which part of the IoT system should be regulated,

the device, the flow of data, the gateway, the use of the data or the cloud in which the data is stored.

In order to maximise the potential of an IoT in agriculture, industry groups continue to call for an upgrade to

regional telecommunications infrastructure and associated service obligations to ensure reliable and affordable

internet access. The NBN Sky MusterTM service started operation in April 2016, which may provide some regional

areas with additional internet access and capacity.

Policy and regulation



Photo - Sense-T

Integrating data and technology for better vineyard decisions

Environmental data from years of research is being integrated using sensor technology and cloud computing to build an internet of things approach to support decision-making in the viticulture industry.

The issue Tasmania has a reputation as one of Australia’s leading

producers of premium wines. However, partly due

to its cool temperate climate, vineyards are regularly

subjected to frost and fungal diseases like botrytis

and powdery mildew. These can cause serious

damage to the vines and fruit, and in turn reduce

production and profit.

Frost damage to grapevines can occur from early

growth stages of the vines through to flowering and

fruit set. If frost occurs at any of these stages, it will

result in economic losses and may also affect

production in the subsequent season.

Botrytis and powdery mildew can cause substantial

economic loss through the reduction of grape yield

and downgrading of fruit quality. Managing both

fungal pathogens can be a challenge as many factors

contribute to infection and disease development.

Conventional approaches to managing both frost and

fungi involve regular monitoring of internet weather

sites and observing the farm and plant conditions.

Integrated practices are then used to manage the

constraints, including planting sensitive varieties in

appropriate sites and applying fungicides to reduce

disease risk; and applying overhead irrigation and

cutting ground cover to mitigate against frost.

Managing these production constraints requires local

knowledge, while management practices are labour

intensive and time consuming.

The technology Researchers from the CSIRO and the Tasmanian

Institute of Agriculture (TIA) at the University of

Tasmania, have worked closely with Wine Tasmania

and local vineyards to develop a solution for

managing the risk of frost and disease — enabled

by Sense-T technology.

The system starts with sensors that monitor

environmental data, such as relative humidity, soil

temperature and moisture, and leaf wetness, which

are used to describe conditions influencing grape

yield and fruit composition.

Sense-T integrates the environmental data with

forecast information from the Bureau of Meteorology

that growers can then access using a web-based app

(VitiApp) that will provide patch or block- specific

weather-based risks for frost, botrytis, powdery

mildew and other production issues.

Kathy Evans is the Convenor, Industry Development

and Extension at TIA, involved with the development

of Sense-T.

“VitiApp tells a farmer what’s happening in their

environment right now.

“The system combines data from multiple types and

locations of sensors with a wealth of research on

diseases to provide actionable knowledge for

viticulture growers.”

When user-specified thresholds are exceeded, such

as a minimum temperature for a frost event, warnings

will be sent to farmers by SMS, email or via the app.

Monitoring levels are based on the density of the

sensors placed on a farm, meaning farmers can hone

in on particular blocks of their property that may

require higher or different levels of management.

VitiApp enables the

integration of data

from years of research

with cutting-edge

technology to inform

production decisions.


Internet of things

11


Internet of things

Case study

Contact detailsDr Katherine Evans

E: Katherine.Evans.utas.edu.au

T: 03 6226 6364

W: www.utas.edu.au/tia and

www.sense-T.org.au

Photo - Matthew Pooley, Pooley Wines Tasmania

The benefits Growers using the system are more pro-active

when armed with real-time information. Use of

the technology can also strengthen the working

relationships of people involved in a farm business,

as with accurate real-time data they can justify

decisions for extra labour, materials and logistics,

Kathy explained.

“A farmer will receive advice from the app to say

conditions have been very conducive for a particular

disease, even though you may not see it. So it is

power in the grower’s hands and each grower can

personalise the alert threshold for disease or frost.”

By accumulating data for several years, patterns and

trends may be seen that were not apparent before,

giving more insight into managing the business.

“Growers can transpose data and decisions from

similar past seasons to learn from experience and

update their management practices.”

Use of the app enables remote monitoring, which

can provide reassurance when not on site and can

also lead to greater working efficiencies and free

people up to do other activities.

“The technology can also be used to determine

growing conditions for new production sites.”

The future VitiApp is in the final stages of pre-commercial

development. Kathy and her team are actively

seeking partners to commercialise and deliver

the app in Tasmania and beyond.

“The next challenge is to roll it out to other regions

in Australia and to adapt the tool to other plant

production based industries.

“The system forms the building blocks for an internet

of things as it is scalable, where a vineyard block

becomes a field, an orchard block or an irrigation

circle. It is also applicable to other crops — it just

needs different support information for the relevant

production constraints in each industry.

“It is also quite feasible to integrate the Sense-T

infrastructure with third party technology to increase

its usability.”

Kathy foresees the next step change will be integrating

the sensor technology with artificial intelligence to

provide tailored information to growers using predictive

capabilities based on historical or forecast data.

The use of sensor technology

and cloud computing in the

viticulture industry ensures

the delivery of consistent,

high-value product.

The Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) invests in research and development to support rural industries to be productive, profitable and sustainable. RIRDC’s National Rural Issues program delivers independent, trusted and timely research to inform industry and government leaders who influence the operating environment of Australia’s rural industries. This research informs policy development and implementation, identifies future opportunities and risks, and covers multiple industries and locations.

Published by the Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation, C/- Charles Sturt University, Locked Bag 588, Wagga Wagga NSW 2678, August 2016

© Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation, 2016. This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968.

ISBN 978-1-74254-885-2

RIRDC publication no. 16/039

Please note This fact sheet has been developed through research of publicly available information and interviews with industry participants and experts. The content is for general information purposes only and should not be relied upon for investment decisions. Case studies were prepared from interviews conducted in 2016 and reflect the use of the technology at that time.

More information � What the internet of things (IoT) needs to

become a reality

www.nxp.com/files/32bit/doc/white_paper/

INTOTHNGSWP.pdf

� Home tweet home

accan.org.au/our-work/research/1154-home-

tweet-home

� Sense-T, www.sense-t.org.au/

� Australian Farm Institute ‘The implications of

digital agriculture and big data for Australian

agriculture’ (for purchase)

www.farminstitute.org.au/research-program/

research-reports.html

Series detailsThis fact sheet is one of a series on new and emerging

transformative technologies in Australian agriculture.

You may also be interested in reading about:

� Sensors

� Robots

� 3D printing

� Nanomaterials

� Artificial intelligence

EnquiriesE: [email protected]

W: www.rirdc.gov.au

The components of the food and fibre

supply chain that may be transformed by the

internet of things.

Processing

Farm operations

Natural resources

Consumers

Labour and skills

Logisitics

Inputs

Documents

NATIONAL RURAL ISSUES Transformative Internet …...The internet of things (IoT) is a wirelessly connected network of objects and devices enabling computers, machines, infrastructure,