IoT in the Environmental Sector
Environmental Sector IoT
The environmental sector is a highly interdisciplinary and a broad, widely-debated topic. Thus, the potential IoT applications and their benefits to the environment are just as versatile.
While several technological milestones have had major industrial benefits, they also came with severely negative consequences from an environmental perspective. IoT-technology may be seen as the one that will help us clean up some of this “mess”. Using IoT, we are able to monitor and control our environment closely.
We can also use this technology to predict environmental disasters and initiate damage-control early-on. IoT can be used to bring transparency into industries, that are notorious for their malpractices, harming the environment and its inhabitants.
Keeping track of air and water pollution
While the technology for monitoring air and water safety has already matured, it has always required a lot of manual labor to handle advanced instruments and processing samples in the lab. IoT can streamline these procedures and take humans out of the equation. Thus, eliminating the most significant cost factor, which allows us to gather and analyze samples more frequently, precisely and consistently.
By drastically reducing the interval between sampling, we can use real-time data sets to spot substantial contamination early on. Early detection of chemical waste spills or other forms of contamination sets the path for effective damage control.
Protection of wildlife’s habitat and preventing potential disease outbreaks
Using IoT-enabled technology, such as drones, beacons or GPS sensors, animals can be detected and tracked in real-time. A potential outbreak on infectious diseases (like African swine fever) can be controlled and prevented much more efficiently.
Livestock can be equipped with RFID chips, and RFID scanners could be placed in specific areas that need to be monitored closely. Thus quarantining some animals is based on an informed decision supported by factual data. Scientists are already using applications, such as eBird to track bird populations and their migration patterns.
Applying the same technology, systems can be created that alert authorities about uncontrolled deforestation or emerging bush fires.
Combating overfishing
The exploitation of aquatic diversity is a global problem, that is mainly fought on the “wild west” international waters. Our global fishing practices endanger even fishes that are not economically valuable.
An IoT system called ThisFish may be a part of the solution. With ThisFish, end-consumers and investigators can trace the origins of the fish back to the fisherman who caught it, which is also combined with GPS data.
Using this data, immoral or illegal fishing practices can be detected and penalized. Users can also check whether the monthly catch of a specific vessel exceeded its allowance set by governmental regulations.
Managing wastewater
S-can is an IoT-system that monitors wastewater and provides a system-wide reporting solution for potential sewer overflow or discharge. It relies on water level sensors located inside manholes. These IoT-sensors relay information to a server that alerts users via an App or SMS about the potential spill-over and overflow.
Reducing E-waste
Millions of broken electronic devices get shipped around the globe to only to be discarded in the most wasteful way possible. Not properly disposing or recycling such waste can be seen as a waste of billions of dollars every year.
To mitigate this problem of improper disposal, tech-companies use recycled materials or materials which have a low environmental footprint, to begin with. With sophisticated techniques, discarded devices can be refurbished and reused, which could save big enterprises like Apple billions.
Additionally, businesses can implement IoT systems and AI technology, to monitor their hardware. Besides the refurbishing aspect of this issue, the system may have the capability to inform the consumer, when the life cycle of a part is expiring. If a part has turned faulty, the system may even redirect the consumer to the nearest authorized repair shops to initiate the repair or replacement process.
While there are obvious privacy concerns that would need to be addressed; an efficient IoT based system may help to significantly reduce our carbon footprint with regards to our electronic waste.
Smart data centers
Even though it is not that visible to their customers, data centers are actually one of the biggest electricity consumers. Large businesses work with huge volumes of data. The data volume is increasing every single day, often at an exponential rate.
The power consumption of data centers that handle and store this data increases at a similar rate. These data centers need to be reliable and stay online 24/7 in such a competitive, globalized market that also has a relatively low barrier of entry. Fortunately, there are a handful of projects in the making, that may provide a solution to this ever-increasing problem.
Using IoT technology, different servers and data centers can be connected. The big benefit: Data centers connected through IoT technology will be able to monitor their servers in real-time and tailor their energy consumption based on the server’s energy requirements. As such, money and energy can be saved, whenever the server load is lower than usual.
More efficient transport systems
IoT may also drastically improve the efficiency of different transport systems. With city populations continually increasing, the load on transport systems is immense. IoT may be used to make our daily commute more fuel-efficient.
For example, many drivers, especially in congested cities, waste a considerable amount of time and money trying to find a parking space. Cities would be able to employ systems that automatically alert nearby drivers of empty parking spaces. Additionally, autonomous vehicles (which always rely heavily on IoT-enabled devices) will significantly minimize safety hazards that result from human error.
More efficient transport systems
IoT may also drastically improve the efficiency of different transport systems. With city populations continually increasing, the load on transport systems is immense. IoT may be used to make our daily commute more fuel-efficient.
For example, many drivers, especially in congested cities, waste a considerable amount of time and money trying to find a parking space. Cities would be able to employ systems that automatically alert nearby drivers of empty parking spaces. Additionally, autonomous vehicles (which always rely heavily on IoT-enabled devices) will significantly minimize safety hazards that result from human error.
Smart agriculture
IoT technology will be a crucial component in smart agriculture. By attaching different sensors to crops and trees, one can gain insightful data on hydration level, nutrient levels, diseases etc. This may also decrease the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, as their preventional application would be deemed unnecessary overkill.
As mentioned in our article on IoT in agriculture, the potential benefits of IoT applications in small-, medium- and large-scale agriculture are enormous. It will not only result in better yields but also greatly reduce the manual labor involved in handling machines, spraying pesticides and applying fertilizers.
References
https://www.fastcompany.com/1745760/cleaning-oil-spills-swarm-autonomous-sailboats
https://www.idigitalhealth.com/news/how-internet-of-things-helps-detect-and-control-infectious-disease-outbreaks-in-realtime
https://www.orange-business.com/en/blogs/can-iot-help-us-tackle-air-pollution
https://smartwaterjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40713-017-0005-y
https://ebird.org/home
https://this.fish/trace/
https://www.s-can.at/applications/waste-water
https://www.rcrwireless.com/20161004/telco-cloud/green-iot-e-waste-tag31-tag99
https://itunews.itu.int/En/4850-E-waste-and-the-Internet-of-Things.note.aspx
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328767716_Energy-efficient_Sensors_in_Data_Centers_for_Industrial_Internet_of_Things_IIoT
https://www.parking-net.com/parking-industry-blog/get-my-parking/iot-in-parking-an-overhaul-in-the-making
https://easternpeak.com/blog/iot-in-agriculture-5-technology-use-cases-for-smart-farming-and-4-challenges-to-consider/