A GSM-based remote wireless automatic monitoring system for field information: A case study for ecological monitoring of the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel)

Monitoring field conditions is the foundation of modern agricultural management. In order to improve the efficiency of the data collection procedure, and to improve the precision with which agricultural operations are managed, it is necessary that we have an automated system that collects environmental data, especially to record long-term and up-to-the-minute environmental fluctuations. The purpose of this study was to design a remote pest monitoring system based on wireless communication technology. This system automatically reports environmental conditions and traps pest in real-time. The data we acquired was integrated into a database for census and further analysis. The system consists of two components, a remote monitoring platform (RMP) and a host control platform (HCP). Furthermore, based on the bio-characteristics of the oriental fruit fly, a high precision automated trapping and counting device was designed. This device counts the number of trapped flies and then sends the information back to the RMP. The RMP is in charge of acquiring the environmental data and the number of trapped flies, and it sends all the data back to the HCP in the form of a short cell phone message through the wireless Global System of Mobile Communication (GSM). Our system then transmits the data via a commercial base station. The system can work properly based on the effective coverage of base stations, no matter the distance from RMP to HCP. The function of the HCP is to receive and store, display, and analyze the database on line. It also provides functions like inquiries, early warning, and announcements. The system was field tested over a 1-year period (March 2006 to July 2007), and the experimental results demonstrated that it can monitor the environmental parameters and population dynamics of the oriental fruit fly in real-time. Based on the long-term monitoring database acquired by our system, the relationship between the population dynamics of the fruit fly and the environmental changes can be easily analyzed. With the help of this system, researchers can judge the correlation of the occurrence of the oriental fruit fly and climate conditions. Since the long-term database provides us with the details of the population dynamics of the fruit fly, the system allows us to control the pest in time and reduce agricultural losses. The experimental results demonstrate that large scale, long distance, and long-term monitoring for agricultural information can be achieved by using our proposed monitoring system. Much improved spatial resolution and temporal resolution is obtained compared to traditional methods for monitoring the data of the oriental fruit fly based on environmental changes.