A state-of-the-art facility
UNE’s SMART Farm is a state-of-the-art facility to manage the Farm’s externally-accessible R&D data streams and to conduct collaborative research, training and education.
The facility is linked via AARNet, NBN (fibre, terrestrial wireless and satellite) and a farm-wide telemetry architecture facilitating a landscape laboratory.
The latest on-farm technologies
The SMART Farm is used as a national demonstrator site showcasing the latest on-farm technologies.
Networked tree sensors Tracking carbon storage levels above and below ground.
Motion-triggered cameras — A camera trapping grid used to monitor wildlife.
Virtual fencing & ear-tag tracking — R&D is being undertaken on controlling and monitoring livestock movements, behaviour and health via virtual, real-time systems.
Multi-scale, satellite-based imaging — Tracking the growth and yield forecasting of row and tree crops and pastures and identifying disease areas.
Networked weather stations — Monitoring the Farm’s climate and temperature every 5 minutes.
Walk-over livestock weighing system — Gauging growth trends in a quick and easy manner
Wireless monitoring stations — Sampling soil moisture, soil temperature, soil electrical conductivity every 5 minutes.
Networked water sensors — Remotely monitoring rainfall and mapping stream flows to manage water in natural and agricultural landscapes
Genomic Profiling — Genetic data collected on farm is used to predict growth rate, worm resistance and meat quality
Self-healing mesh of soil and plant sensors — If damaged, this network heals itself by creating new paths to direct its signal.
