Design of Water Information Management System in Palm Oil Plantation

Abstract

The water level on peatlands is a critical factor in the production of oil palm plantations on peatlands because oil palm requires water but should not be inundated. The optimal water depth from the surface should be controlled from 70 to 80 cm by opening or closing the drain gate. Currently, most measurements are made with a piezometer. Then the opening and closing of the sluice gate at the end of the primary channel are done manually. In many cases, the distance between the plantation block and the floodgate is quite far and is limited by inaccessible infrastructure (roads), so opening or closing take a lot of time and money. Currently, a water level measurement system has been designed automatically using a microcontroller. This study aims to develop a design of a drainage management information system in oil palm plantations. The information system includes the water level of peatlands data in oil palm plantations taken from the water level sensor in the drainage system. The system uses the data from the water level sensor to manage the drainage system's sluice gates. This system was developed using the SDLC waterfall method. The final result of this research was a design of a water information management system that can regulates automatic and real-time peatland oil palm plantations water level.