Leaders from across the globe visited the University of Iowa College of Engineering as a stop on a tour of U.S. agriculture and technology innovation that is supporting farmers.
The visit was part of the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program, which brings emerging and established leaders to the United States to exchange ideas and learn about areas of innovation. The group included 22 professionals from more than 15 countries including, Germany, Kenya, and Sri Lanka.
Visitors heard from Jun Wang, the Lichtenberger Family Chair in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, about I-Canopy, a network of environmental sensors that provides hyperlocal, real-time weather and environmental data to farmers. Data collected by the sensors are transmitted to the cloud via a solar-driven wireless network and displayed through an online dashboard, allowing users to access real-time information from virtually anywhere.
"Farmers often make important decisions based on conditions that can vary dramatically from one field to the next," Wang said. "By providing real-time, location-specific data such as soil moisture, relative humidity, and temperature at your fingertips, I-Canopy helps producers make more informed decisions about irrigation, fertilizer application, and other farm operations, saving resources while improving efficiency."
Source : uiowa.edu