Project
# | Title | Team Members | TA | Documents | Sponsor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
29 | Soil Analyzer |
Joseph Wightman Paul Sikora |
Yangge Li | design_document1.pdf design_document2.pdf design_document3.pdf design_document4.pdf final_paper1.docx other1.docx presentation1.pptx proposal1.pdf |
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Student Names: Joseph Wightman: jww2 Paul Sikora: psikor3 Title: Soil Analyzer Problem: With the current uncertainty of weather patterns, we would like to keep the farmers informed of the quality of their soil. It is very important that a fields soil maintain an adequate amount of moisture and nutrients for the crops to grow. Without this, the farmers crops might fail. Currently John Deere has developed a tractor attachment that can analyze the soil. We would like to instead develop a solution that can stay in the field year long. Solution Overview: We plan to construct a small structure that can fit in a cube with sides about 8" long. This device will have a moisture sensor on the end of a probe along with two other probes responsible for testing the resistance of the soil being probed. We plan to use to any generic moisture sensor found on amazon. We have found a few possibilities on amazon that are relatively affordable. To find the resistance reading of the soil, we plan to use 2 copper sticks as the probes. Basically, it will have the form factor of an oil platform at sea. A soils resistance can indicate the presence of adequate fertilization, and the moisture of the soil can indicate proper irrigation being provided. We intend to have multiple devices distributed in an array within a field. These devices will send all their data to a computer, where the data will be collected, and then formed over a GIS map to indicate the bigger picture of soil quality in a given field. We plan to send all the information to a computer station, and then from there hope to overlay our information over a GIS map. If we cannot achieve communication to a computer, we will instead try to display the information on an LCD on the device. We plan to use two probes inserted into the soil about 5 in. apart. With these probes we hope to measure the resistance between these two points. Soil resistance, or soil resistivity, is the measure of electrical conductivity of a sample of soil. This is often observed when considering grounding methods for bigger applications. Resistance appears from conductivity through moisture or through the raw material. A change in the composition of materials can create a different resistance. Measuring resistivity is the completed with DC circuits. Taking measurements will be taken once a day, but for presentation purposes we can adjust the timing. Solution Component: 1. Soil Resistance Component -Should test and report the resistance of the soil across to separate probes 2. Soil Moisture Component -Should test and report the volumetric water content in soil and report it 3. Data Communication -Should transfer data between the array of probes and report it to a main hub. 4. GIS display -We will be using ArcGIS software to map out a GIS system that contains soil quality data throughout the entire plot of land, which will be displayed onto a LCD screen 5. Power Supply - We plan to use to a small rechargeable battery attached to a solar cell, in order to provide year long service. Criterion for success: To be considered a working device, the system needs to collect the resistive nature of the soil, the volumetric water content in soil, and be able to transmit that data to a hub that keeps track of the geographical location of each data point. With these geographical data points, we need to have a working GIS display of the soil quality throughout the specified plot of land. |