Case Study:
IoT Intelligent Farming System
The goal
Create software that can manage and track offline mechanical equipment, extract and process relevant data, differentiate cultivated from uncultivated land
How to achieve
Develop a 3-part interconnected system based on IoT technology
Technologies used
AWS, GPS, Google Maps, PHP, NodeJS
The Results
20+ farms have been connected onto this system so far, 150+ connected machines, 700+ Gb data processed
Requirement
NuPoint, our client, who is a farming software solutions provider from Australia, understood that farmers needed a powerful, unified, intelligent farming system that connects all the relevant touchpoints and processes the received data to streamline the farming processes. In order to optimize all the farming processes and bring abundant harvests, this new farm cultivation system needed to:
- Monitor and report weather conditions
- Be very responsive to all immediate systemic changes
- Connect all the data points and extract data in real-time for reporting and benchmarking purposes
- Triangulate and track each machinery and mechanical equipment used in the cultivation processes in real-time, thereby increasing overall safety on the farm
Our client already created a hardware prototype based on the Internet of Things approach and would address the requirements and solve the problem farmers encountered. They wanted to extend their software development capacity and found Shinetech’s experience suited them perfectly, so we started a long-term collaboration.
The Solution – bring a IoT-based intelligent farming system into the industry
We assembled a four-developer team who undertook all the software development and hardware integration tasks, including:
- Developing a fully functional website used by the client and their customers
- Developing a custom web app with a detailed user interface
- Fully integrating the client’s custom-built hardware into the intelligent farming system
Develop a working solution in three months
Through our unique approach to how we work with the clients and develop the software, Shinetech managed to send the product to the client in just three months.
The overall development process was entirely transparent for the client, and they knew exactly where the software stood during its development phases. Through the use of daily email updates, instant messaging platforms, and project management tools, the customer understood the development progress directly and, based on it, provided adequate feedback on time. Our team was very keen on receiving the said feedback as it helped tremendously improve the submitted functions and quickly solve the issues our team encountered. It also provided the appropriate support for coordinating the resources.
We also established weekly video conferences to further strengthen the customer and the Shinetech team’s contact. Not only did constant and consistent communication build trust and provide support for both sides, but it was also the key to delivering great working software at a steady pace. Our client relied on receiving updates regularly as it helped them with their daily operations.
Continuous integration by Two-week Iteration Process
We needed to ensure that the intelligent farming system consistently met the client’s needs. To achieve this goal, we adopted the ‘continuous integration, two weeks iteration’ practice so that we could enable the client to use, evaluate, and voice their thoughts in all software development stages. That’s established the development phase that consisted of several bi-weekly sprints. After completing each development sprint, we received extensive feedback and then promptly implemented it into our software. The received feedback, in turn, allowed our team to find and solve problems effectively, thus achieving higher development efficiency and mitigating the potential risks.
Working in the field
Our experts accompanied machine operators in the cabins and experienced first-hand how the hardware was used. While being in the cabin with the drivers, they thoroughly tested the system, discussed all the details with the end-users, and examined how the system and all its parts performed under poor network connectivity. We then established frequent visits to retest the system and ensure all the components worked as intended.
The Results - a fully functional intelligent farming system
The software Shinetech built supports more than 20 farms today; the system connects over 150 cultivation machines and has processed more than 700 Gb of data. The project is still active, and our experts are working on expanding it further, so we expect these numbers to increase in the near future.
- Data extraction and processing: Connecting various devices to be used as one coherent system
- Amazon Web Services: Employing AWS was the right choice in terms of security, versatility, and ease of use
- Google Maps: the Shinetech team successfully implemented the required functions and complex operations such as marking, drawing and presenting data from Google Maps due to each team member's sufficient experience and strong technical capabilities
- Live GPS data capturing: Accurately capturing large volumes of GPS data is always challenging. After rigorous testing and numerous algorithm revisions, the system was finally able to meet the end customers' demands and requirements
Lance Nuttall CEO, NuPoint
“Leon and his team were responsible for developing our software system and the hardware integration. His technical knowledge, leadership and experience working in software technology has been impressive. The team are talented, efficient, dedicated and extremely resourceful, they have developed a system which is adaptable to any industry.”
The Development team
Leon is a veteran team leader in Shinetech; he has worked with ten clients in the past several years. Leon is always keen to think about problems on a business level and puts himself in the perspective of a product owner so that he can plan the project with the client. Leon has been specializing in IoT for the last three years and has already led several IoT projects in the Asia Pacific, Australia, and the US.
Coco was deeply integrated with both the team and the client for this project. Because of this, she developed a deep understanding of the client's business and helped implement new ideas while delivering software of the highest quality. Coco's ability has grown with Shinetech; she continuously learns new skills and is always eager to help others.
Django has been an essential member of the NuPoint team for over four years; he always designs excellent architecture and helps with team mobilization. The client has given him a perfect rating and has used Django to help improve other areas of their business. Django’s knowledge of several programming languages is impeccable, some of which are PHP, NodeJS, VUE, and Python.
Leon is a veteran team leader in Shinetech; he has worked with ten clients in the past several years. Leon is always keen to think about problems on a business level and puts himself in the perspective of a product owner so that he can plan the project with the client. Leon has been specializing in IoT for the last three years and has already led several IoT projects in the Asia Pacific, Australia, and the US.
Coco was deeply integrated with both the team and the client for this project. Because of this, she developed a deep understanding of the client's business and helped implement new ideas while delivering software of the highest quality. Coco's ability has grown with Shinetech; she continuously learns new skills and is always eager to help others.
Django has been an essential member of the NuPoint team for over four years; he always designs excellent architecture and helps with team mobilization. The client has given him a perfect rating and has used Django to help improve other areas of their business. Django’s knowledge of several programming languages is impeccable, some of which are PHP, NodeJS, VUE, and Python.
