Development of a Data Integration Architecture for Modern Sustainable Farming Systems: A Greenhouse Test Case

[Virtual Presenter] Today I'm here to discuss the development of a data integration architecture for modern sustainable farming systems, based on a greenhouse case study. The project I’ll be presenting is a research work studied and developed at the University of Almería, focusing on the implementation of a data integration architecture applied to an agro-industrial district. This architecture has the purpose of allowing the exchange, storage, and integration of different types of data coming from different sources in the district. Thus, the core of this architecture consists on a three-tier software model, composed of different tools and components designed to continuously collect, store, and analyze data from the district. Once implemented, the architecture was tested in a greenhouse case study, which aimed to validate the feasibility of the architecture, its performance, and its capability of handling large amounts of data. In the slides that follow, I will present the context of the agro-industrial district by explaining the research project, the scope of the research, and the objectives of the work. I will also present the proposed data integration architecture with its structure, components, and software tools. Additionally, I will show the specifics of the implementation of this architecture in a greenhouse case study. Lastly, I will conclude by presenting results gotten from the application of this architecture in the greenhouse and by discussing them..

[Audio] I am going to be discussing the development of a data integration architecture in an agro-industrial district for modern sustainable farming systems, with a greenhouse test case. This project is being conducted by Rubén Gonzalez, a PhD student and member of the Automatic, Robotics and Mechatronic Group from the University of Almería. The presentation will be divided into four sections. Firstly, I will explain the motivation behind the work. Then, I will describe the study plant intended for the architecture to be implemented. Once the required data is provided, I will present the proposed architecture. Lastly, I will give some concluding remarks and future work related to this project..

Motivation. SECTION 1.

[Audio] Almería province in the south of Spain is renowned for its plentiful greenhouses, which total an area of 350 square kilometers - much larger than the city of Barcelona and almost double the size of Liechtenstein. Agriculture has been a dominant part of the area for many years, however, farming methods have not seen any significant progress. This is why Rubén Gonzalez, a PhD student from our university, has been working to revolutionize sustainable farming practices in Almería by researching ways to modernize the area. He has developed a data integration architecture to test modern sustainable farming systems, introducing modern technology and data integration methods to help optimize agricultural yields while reducing environmental impact. We are looking forward to learning more about the results of Rubén's work and its potential to redefine agricultural production in Almería and beyond..

[Audio] In Almería province, greenhouse production yields over 3 million tons of vegetables and greens annually, bringing in estimated revenues of 1.5 billion euros to the growers. Tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers are the most popular produce, and Germany, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom comprise nearly 70 percent of total exports. This demonstrates the critical importance of Almería's agriculture sector to its economy, and its capacity for further growth in the future..

[Audio] My name is [Name], and I'm here to present the research done by Rubén Gonzalez, a PhD student and member of the Automatic, Robotics, and Mecatronic Group from the University of Almería. His work focuses on the development of a data integration architecture in an agro-industrial district, which is used to create modern and sustainable farming systems, with a greenhouse being the test case. This architecture is based on a previous work done by some of the authors, and it has already been implemented and tested with greenhouses from local farmers as well as from our research group. The platform, called Iveg, contains two Decision Support Systems, one of which is the climate model for a greenhouse. It helps predict the climate inside the greenhouse 72 hours in the future, and it bases its predictions on data from the sensors installed inside the greenhouse like temperature, humidity, radiation, and so on. It also consults the future weather forecast outside the greenhouse, using the GPS positioning of the greenhouse to connect to the nearest station and extract the data. Using this model, users are able to make decisions, like postponing or advancing an irrigation based on future weather conditions, or acting on the ventilation if the humidity is at 100%. The output variables used are temperature, humidity, and solar radiation. The current results from the sensor data and the Climate Model for the next 72 hours have been satisfactory..

[Audio] A combination of data from current and historical sensors inside the greenhouse, from the climate model, and from the GMaaS platform (which provides 72-hour weather forecasts) is utilized by this irrigation model. Its output variables, comprising of watering time, irrigation volume and nitrogen requirements can be used to make decisions regarding the irrigation system, contributing to water and nitrogen saving when such inputs are not necessary..

[Audio] An example of the data integration architecture developed in this work is the Platflorm Iveg. This model predicts 72 hours in advance the values of temperature, humidity and solar radiation inside an experimental greenhouse from our research group. It takes into account the current operational state of the greenhouse, whether the ventilation is open or closed, to provide farmers with more information to prepare the optimal environment for their crops..

[Audio] The Agroconnect Plant is an agro-industrial district located in the Spanish region of Almería. Rubén Gonzalez from the university’s Automatic, Robotics and Mecatronic group is performing tests and developing a data integration architecture to create modern and sustainable farming systems, with the help of a greenhouse test case. This architecture will enable monitoring and control over all elements of the district, from plants to irrigation systems..

[Audio] With the AgroConnect facility, we are able to collect data from various meteorological and crop variables. This gives us the opportunity to research and develop more efficient and sustainable solutions for food production. We have implemented a heating system containing a biomass boiler and a heat pump to provide additional heating or cooling if needed. We also use the combustion gases to capture CO2 with a patented system and inject it into the greenhouse. Finally, we use a reverse osmosis desalination unit and a membrane distillation unit to produce distilled water and brine for supplying the irrigation system, complemented with well water. All of this will help us to test and optimize control systems for modern and sustainable agricultural systems..

[Audio] Rubén Gonzalez's work on the development of a data integration architecture for modern sustainable farming systems with a greenhouse test case in La Cañada, Almería, is the focus of the presentation. The facility includes desalination units, which are fed by sea water and brine storage. To meet the MD unit heat requirements, solar thermal collectors are used and distillate water is stored in tanks that supply the fertigation system. The greenhouse is around 1900 m2 and is located next to the heating, cooling and Co2 systems. The PV field supplies electricity to all systems..

[Audio] We propose an architecture for the data integration of an agro-industrial district. Describing the architecture of the integration of the existing contents in the greenhouse test case from the overall architecture and the specific components, we explain the software components that would be integrated into the architecture. Additionally, we provide an overview of challenges associated with the integration of distributed systems into the proposed architecture..

[Audio] Rubén González, a PhD student and member of the Automatic, Robotics and Mecatronic group from the University of Almería, has proposed an architecture to develop a data integration for modern sustainable farming systems with a greenhouse test case. This architecture is composed of three layers: an edge layer, a fog layer, and a cloud layer. The edge layer handles devices and sensors, collecting data from various sources. The fog layer performs data processing and analysis, optimizing the data collected. It also includes ETL processes to extract data from the edge layer and store it in the cloud layer. The cloud layer works as a centralized repository and service provider, delivering the data to applications. This proposed architecture has presented a viable solution for the modern sustainable farming systems with the greenhouse test case..

[Audio] Our research has identified that a data integration architecture can be used to effectively manage and control a greenhouse subsystem to enable enhanced efficiency and productivity. This architecture is based on well-known core components and technologies that are easily applicable in the modern agro-industrial context. This work provides promising opportunities for developing sustainable farming systems, and adds to the design of energy-efficient and operable systems. Going forward, our objective is to improve the architecture presented here and experiment with it in a real environment. We also intend to maximize scalability and performance of the system, as well as access data from multiple sources for smooth and efficient data transfer between sources, leading to a better understanding of the underlying processes..

[Audio] Rubén Gonzalez has proposed an innovative architecture for data management that is well-suited for modern, sustainable farming systems. This architecture provides a tool for effective data management, achieving integration of multiple data sources from a single source – the University of Almería server. This allows for the setup of dynamic control panels to provide real-time monitoring and control, with access to external services for a more comprehensive set of models. This architecture is also highly scalable, allowing for easy addition of new subsystems. An illustration of its capabilities is its ability to integrate actual or predicted selling prices of vegetables, enabling the evaluation of benefits of a certain greenhouse, defining its operation schedule, or optimizing the use of renewable energies. Thus, Rubén Gonzalez's architecture provides an effective solution for efficient data management for modern, sustainable farming systems..

[Audio] Our objective in the AgroConnect project is to build a highly efficient data integration architecture in an agro-industrial district with a test case involving a greenhouse. To accomplish this, we need to create ETL processes for each of the AgroConnect subsystems to guarantee effective data extraction, transformation, and loading. Furthermore, we will install decision support systems regarding some subsystems or the entire facility of AgroConnect. This makes possible the construction of various decision support and visualization systems or the testing of different control algorithms inside the plant in real time..

[Audio] I would like to express my appreciation to all of you for joining and taking part in my presentation. I trust you found it valuable and educational. Your questions and remarks are always appreciated, so please do not hesitate to contact me with any additional queries or questions you may have. You can reach me at rgm399@ual.es. Once more, thank you for your time..