New technologies find its way not only into an industry, an infrastructure or agriculture, but also into sport or tourism. Deployment of IoT technologies at golf courses is an interesting example. Except of strategically distributed common weather stations with rain gauges, IoT sensors are getting into the soil or on administrative buildings. Thanks to wireless power delivery (batteries and solar panels) these sensors can be placed anywhere within the area without need to build the cable infrastructure.
IoT system application advantages
Golf course marshals does not have to perform daily area inspection and manually write down measured data. Deployed IoT system regularly monitor, send, analyze and visualize data about golf course’s current status. Our sensors are able to operate and precisely measure data at various depths of sandy soils.
In case multiple sensors are deployed at different depths of single locations, our software calculate a soil water evaporation rate. Combining data from rain gauges and humidity meters, an irrigation is controlled at a branch level for separate course locations. Acquired data can be combined with public weather portals data in order to optimize irrigation – watering will not be triggered in case of incoming precipitation.
Excessive watering can cause moldy, or rotting grass. Another advantage of regular soil humidity monitoring is an early prediction of incidence of these diseases.
Iot sensors are, except of meteorological data collection, used for irrigation water temperature and pH value monitoring. These sensors are placed directly inside water tanks and distribution pipes.
Irrigation system activity can be easily visualized – our software displays current status of water pumps and irrigation branches as well as electricity and water consumption in user-friendly charts.
Our software is able to analyze and control the irrigation in already existing, automatic irrigation systems. Controlling system is highly compatible and can be deployed also into older irrigation models.
Acquired data can be integrated into company ERP software. Thanks to that, golf course manager gains easy access to energy consumption and costs overview.
All data are available via web application. Different sections of green, soil temperature and humidity, precipitation, consumed energy and irrigation activity are organized in easy-to-read visualizations.
IoT systems can be used also for:
- mower movement and complex mowing effectivity monitoring,
- players monitoring at different greens – alerts for marshals whether course is blocked.
IoT infrastructure
Data transfer from sensors to server is not limited by a terrain segmentation. We use wireless LoRaWAN network (5 – 10 km reach) as a standard solution in vacant, flat area or wolds. LoRaWAN reach and intensity analysis is performed during preparation phase of the project. After final assembly, our clients receive full ownership of the LoRaWAN network – data transfer is not charged.
In some cases the terrain is too segmented and the LoRaWAN network is not sufficient enough. There we use a NB-IoT network, based on cellular data networks. This data transfer is not free of charge, as it reflects current prices of telecommunication companies.
Where IoT technologies are deployed, there we achieve lowering costs, process optimization and relieving employees of many routine tasks.
