Practical implementation of self-powered wireless sensor networks for paddy field monitoring

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been widely used in various monitoring applications, each with its own deployment challenges. For instance, in the case of paddy field monitoring, such outdoor issues as antenna placement, node density, node positioning, energy constraint, base station design, and data collection have to be considered. This paper highlights the implementation challenges of WSNs for paddy field monitoring and proposes practical solutions to these challenges. In particular, solar panels are employed to address the energy constraint of the WSN. Experiments were conducted in a paddy field of size 12,000m2 within a period of seven months. The experimental data are shown and analyzed in this paper to justify our design. (6 pages)