Martha’s Vineyard is a busy place these days, and it has nothing do to with the tourists. Customdesigned sensor devices that detect and respond to input from the physical environment are being deployed everywhere on the island, measuring light, heat, motion, moisture, pressure, traffic flow or any one of a great number of other environmental phenomena, writes Emil Berthelsen, the principal analyst at Machina Research
These sensor networks are not deployed by a single organisation, but also by community members themselves. From 12 year olds to 60 year olds, everyone is getting involved. Spearheading this unique, inclusive movement is Vineyard-based HereLab. This island-wide network for internet-connected sensing enables new access to valuable public data; life-long learning, and water, land, air and built environment measurement and management.
“We are out in the field with town officials deploying Internet of Things (IoT) pilots for building energy, trash collection information and traffic flow, while also working with students in a lab environment to build sensors and program radios measuring temperature in real time,” says Patrick Phillips, an initiator at HereLab. “Our goal on a local 40-acre farm [with a 30,000 sq. ft. greenhouse], for example, is to enable local farmers to understand growing conditions at a glance and to drive down the energy cost of running a community-centred farm and greenhouse. We are excited to offer the island of Martha’s Vineyard a technology solution that is not only educational, but has the capability to significantly impact the future and health of this exceptional place and community that enjoys it.”
HereLab’s role on the island is multi-faceted. Networks-in-a-Box or sensor kits are also available for air, water and soil measurement, and HereLab supports their use with applied, purposeful education. Data from the sensors can be custom branded for public or private access while mobile-ready interfaces support alerts and actuation. “The local, real-time data produced by sensors can help farmers – land and aquatic, teachers, students, policy-makers, conservationists and others receive real-time alerts about environmental events and data that matter,” continues Phillips.
A partnership that uses new technologies
Critical to HereLab’s success is its partnership with MultiTech, a machine-to-machine (M2M) and IoT solutions provider that, like HereLab, understands the potential of the IoT to impact lives. MultiTech solutions help to capture and manage the valuable data from the geographically dispersed sensors located throughout the island. The MultiTech IoT gateway allows users to securely aggregate, share and filter the sensor data for analysis, ensuring that real-time data can be viewed at a glance. MultiTech IoT solutions do not rely on cellular communication, which can be unreliable in many environments, but rather MultiTech utilises new wireless technologies such as low power, wide area networks (LPWAN).
LPWAN is a wireless wide area network technology that is specialised for interconnecting devices with low-bandwidth connectivity, focusing on range and power efficiency. For hard to reach places on the island, where cellular struggles to reach, LPWAN offers a solution for communication between the dispersed sensors and the gateways that collect their information. LoRa technology facilitates a type of LPWAN that can drastically reduce complexities associated with traditional methods of connectivity and serve as excellent additions to cellular and satellite networks. The unique technology allows public or private single-or multi-tenant networks to connect multiple applications in the same space – coexisting to enable new IoT, M2M, smart-city, sensor-network and industrial-automation applications. Facilitating the impact of IoT on people’s lives MultiTech products use LPWAN and LoRa to effectively move IoT from concept to implementation.
“LoRa technology is an affordable way to implement resource management in and around parks, reservoirs, production plants and busy intersections – all to provide the information needed to manage the environment and continue to sustain our post-modern lifestyles,” explains Stefan Lindvall, the chief executive of MultiTech. “MultiTech delivers a deeper level of functionality to trailblazers like HereLab who are transforming the way we live, work and play. Their demonstration of our IoT solutions in action helps to reinforce the value and potential of MultiTech’s IoT solutions.”
How it works
MultiConnect mDot, LoRaWAN-certified, lowpower wide area network (LPWAN) access RF modules, provide two-way communication from all sensors in the field. MultiTech Device HQ allows HereLab to easily deploy and scale pre-developed applications onto their MultiConnect Conduit gateway, and connect numerous devices. Through DeviceHQ, HereLab can easily manage and provision gateways via a Web interface. MultiTech’s Developer Kit (including the MultiConnect Conduit Accessory Kit for LoRa Technology) provides HereLab with a convenient platform for testing, programming and evaluation across the entire implementation.
In its search for the right vendor, HereLab considered other IoT solutions but ultimately selected MultiTech based on cost, flexibility and the proven power of its IoT products. “We could not have done what we’re doing without MultiTech support. It would have been next to impossible,” adds Phillips. “This work is hard and requires focus and determination, but MultiTech understands the potential impact of LoRa on the world. Having a committed partner, products that work and people who understand the complexities of getting a network up and managing it effectively, is crucial.”
What’s next
For HereLab and MultiTech the future looks bright with a pipeline of additional new implementations constantly being launched, including similar implementations in additional cities and countries. Community-developed solutions, such as those recently implemented with the Polly Hill Arboretum are putting sensors in trees to measure the effects of climate change on local forests. Within the Great Pond Foundation in Edgartown, sensors are measuring dissolved oxygen and temperature to help monitor and manage pond health.
“MultiTech products work and the people at MultiTech are down to earth. They answer the phone and say ‘hello’ and that’s vital for us,” says Phillips. “An organisation developing a socially valuable network needs people who care on both ends of the network. Our goal is to provide a core and highly functional public service to our community and to share our successes and ideas with other communities worldwide. MultiTech is a central technology partner in all of these efforts and shares our vision of a broader impact.”
