Using GPS sensors to economize on irrigation while increasing crop yields
Domosys Corporation, a leading provider of Power Line Communication (PLC) technology, has announced that Lindsay Corporation, a leading provider of irrigation systems and infrastructure products, has selected Domosys’ PowerBus™ RHINO Technology to significantly improve its irrigation systems.
Lindsay’s irrigation system, also called a center pivot, uses Domosys’ PLC technology and products to provide communication between their various irrigation Control Panels and a GPS sensor.
The center pivot consists of a 6” to 10” diameter water pipe that can be more than 800 meters (half a mile) long with sprinklers evenly spread along the way. It is supported by towers on wheels that provide propulsion. The pivot rotates around one of its ends to supply water and/or various nutrients to increase crop yields while using less water, energy, labor and chemicals. A GrowSmart™ controller manages the irrigation while communicating with a GPS sensor at the other end of the pivot, using Domosys’ PLC technology and products.
Previous generations of the system used mechanical gears to determine location within a field but the new system use a GPS sensor, thus providing accurate location, which is critical for determining watering rates as well as what part of the field the pivot is currently irrigating. Different types of crops requiring varying amounts of nutrients and water can be grown in the same field, using Lindsay Corporation latest precision farming solution can greatly improve yields while reducing production cost.
“The ever increasing price of copper and the growing theft interest for this raw material has pushed us to think out of the box. We came to the conclusion that using the existing power lines already protected would not only take care of the theft issue but offer a cost effective solution by the same token. We evaluated various technologies to communicate with our GPS sensors and Domosys’ was the perfect choice.” said Reece Andrews, Lindsay GrowSmart Product Manager, and he continued “We always strive to offer our customers the best and we were glad to provide state-of-the-art GPS and PLC technologies in our solution, there again demonstrating Lindsay’s leadership in offering its customers appropriate tools to improve their crops.”
Lindsay is currently using Domosys’ OEM PLC Modem Cards (OPMC) in a Pass-Through topology, thus requiring no modification on their actual system. The solution is truly plug & play and its installation is very simple, quick and economical. Lindsay has already fielded over 200 systems last year and these numbers should significantly increase in the years to come.
“It is an honor for Domosys to have its technology used in yet another green solution like Lindsay’s GrowSmart products.” says Bernardino Camba, Domosys Sales & Marketing Director. “We realize that these systems perform in very critical applications where one farmers’ crop could be wasted if communications went down so we take great pride at delivering a reliable technology and providing a solution that exceeds Lindsay’s requirements.”
Lindsay manufactures and markets irrigation equipment primarily used in agriculture markets which increase or stabilize crop production while conserving water, energy, and labor. The Company also manufactures and markets infrastructure and road safety products through its wholly owned subsidiaries Barrier Systems Inc. and Snoline SPA.
Founded in 1994, Domosys Corporation is a leading provider of Power Line Communication (PLC) technology for the control networking market. Domosys’ PLC technology transforms any stand-alone product into a device that can be controlled or monitored either locally or remotely over the Internet. Domosys is designing and manufacturing custom products for Original Equipment Manufacturers as well as marketing and selling generic products to system integrators. Domosys’ products and solutions are used in a number of vertical markets such as but not limited to: energy management, street lighting controls, automatic meter reading (AMR), SCADA and transportation. Domosys Corporation is a privately held corporation based in Quebec City, Canada.
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