Internet of Things (ITS67404) – February 2025
Assessment Task 1: Individual Assignment
(Weightage: 30%)
based on
MLO1: Propose an IoT-based system with an entrepreneurial mindset for a real-world problem.
IoT-Based Smart Irrigation System for Urban Farming:
An Entrepreneurial Venture
Problem: Urban farming is gaining popularity, but inefficient watering practices often lead to water waste, nutrient runoff, and suboptimal yields. Manual watering is time-consuming and inconsistent, while traditional irrigation systems are often too complex and expensive for small- scale urban farms.
Proposed Solution: AnIoT-based smart irrigation system designed specifically for urban farming, targeting both individual hobbyists and community garden projects.
System Components:
1. Moisture Sensors: Placed in the soil at different depths, these sensors measure the soil moisture content and transmit the data wirelessly.
2. Weather Station: A small, localized weather station collects data on temperature, humidity, rainfall, and sunlight intensity.
3. Microcontroller (e.g., ESP32, Arduino): The brain of the system, it receives data from the sensors and weather station, processes it, and controls the irrigation system.
4. Water Valves/Pumps: Electrically controlled valves or pumps regulate the flow of water to the plants.
5. Cloud Platform. Data from the microcontroller is sent to a cloud platform. (e.g., AWSIoT, Google Cloud IoT Core, Thingspeak) for storage, visualization, and analysis.
6. Mobile Application: A user-friendly mobile app allows users to monitor soil conditions, weather data, and control the irrigation system remotely. It also provides customized watering schedules based on plant type and environmental conditions.
7. Optional Features:
• Nutrient Dosing: Integration with a nutrient dosing system to deliver precise amounts of fertilizer along with the water.
• Leak Detection: Sensors to detect leaks in the irrigation system and alert the user.
• Integration with other Smart Home Systems: Compatibility with existing smart home platforms for seamless control and automation.
Entrepreneurial Aspects:
Target Market: Urban farmers (individuals, community gardens, vertical farms, rooftop gardens), nurseries, and educational institutions.
Value Proposition:
Water conservation through optimized irrigation.
Increased crop yields through consistent and precise watering.
Reduced manual labor and time savings for urban farmers.
Remote monitoring and control of the irrigation system.
Data-driven insights into soil conditions and plant health.
Business Model:
Hardware Sales: Selling the complete smart irrigation system kit (sensors, microcontroller, valves, etc.).
Subscription Service: Offering a cloud-based platform with advanced features (data analytics, customized reports, remote support) on a subscription basis.
Installation and Maintenance Services: Providing professional installation and maintenance services for the system.
Partnerships: Collaborating with nurseries, seed suppliers, and urban farming communities for distribution and marketing.
Competitive Advantage:
User-friendly interface and easy setup.
Affordable pricing compared to complex commercial systems.
Scalability to cater to different sizes of urban farms.
Focus on specific needs of urban farmers.
Question:
Part 1: System Design and Functionality (15%)
1. Detailed System Architecture Diagram: Illustrate the interaction between all components (sensors, microcontroller, cloud, app).
2. Sensor Selection and Justification: Explain the type of moisture sensors and other sensors chosen and why they are suitable for this application.
3. Watering Algorithm: Describe the logic used by the microcontroller to determine when and how much to water (consider factors like soil moisture, weather data, plant type).
4. Data Management and Analysis: Explain how data will be stored in the cloud and what type of analysis will be performed (e.g., trends, alerts).
5. Mobile App Features: Outline the key features of the mobile app and how it will enhance user experience.
Part 2: Business Plan and Market Analysis (15%)
1. Market Research: Analyze the size and potential of the urban farming market in a specific target region (e.g., a major city in Urban or rural Malaysia). Support your statements based on newspaper articles or latest research papers.
2. Competitive Analysis: Identify existing solutions and their strengths/weaknesses. How will your system differentiate itself?
3. Marketing Strategy: Describe how you will reach your target market (online marketing, partnerships, community events).
4. Financial Projections: Develop a basic financial model, including estimated costs (hardware, software, development, marketing) and potential revenue streams (hardware sales, subscriptions).
5. Scalability and Future Development: Discuss how the system can be scaled to accommodate larger projects and potential future features (e.g., integration with other smart agriculture technologies).
Deliverables:
• A comprehensive report (PDF) covering all aspects of the assignment.
Report Template Details:
1. Font type: Times New Roman
2. Font size: 12
3. Line spacing: 1.5
4. Alignment: Justify
5. Document type: PDF
6. Number of pages: approximately 10-15 pages
a. Your full report (one PDF file) should consist of the following:
b. Cover Page (Student Name, ID and Signature)
c. Table of Content
d. Marking Rubric
e. Complete Turnitin Report
7. Start each task on a separate page
8. All figures and tables should be labelled properly.
9. In-text citations and Reference list must be provided.
10. File naming convention:StudentID_Assessment-01.pdf
Additional Note:
Students are not allowed to transcribe directly (cut and paste) any material from another source into their submission.
Include in-text citations to support your work and add the list of references at the end of your report (IEEE format). The list of references is required to be in proper format.
The Turnitin similarity is 20% overall and less than 2% from a single source.