Smart Aquaponics System for Industrial

Internet of Things (IIoT)

 Authors
 Authors and affiliations
 Mohanad Odema
 Ihab Adly
 Ayman Wahba
 Hani Ragai

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Conference paper
First Online: 31 August 2017
 1Citations
 
 2.2kDownloads
Part of the Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing  book series (AISC,
volume 639)

Abstract
Aquaponics is the production cycle combining traditional aquaculture with hydroponics. The
quality of water is the main factor in determining the success of aquaponics. This quality can be
determined through measuring various water parameters; most importantly are the dissolved
oxygen, water temperature and the level of acidity. Taking advantage of the advancements in
Internet of Things (IoT), embedded systems and cloud computing has eased the task of
evaluating the water quality by deploying various sensors and actuators around the aquaponics
platform. The parameters are constantly monitored and kept under control. The system proposed
is based on Modbus TCP communication protocol which is widely used as a standard within
industrial applications. The use of Modbus and IoT technology has permitted the development a
smart aquaponics system for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
citation:
Odema M., Adly I., Wahba A., Ragai H. (2018) Smart Aquaponics System for Industrial Internet
of Things (IIoT). In: Hassanien A., Shaalan K., Gaber T., Tolba M. (eds) Proceedings of the
International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Systems and Informatics 2017. AISI 2017.
Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 639. Springer, Cham

2 http://www.smart-aquaponics.com/indexEN.html#aquaponie

WHA T I S A Q UA P O NI CS ?
Aquaponics is a specific technique for agricultural production that combines aquaculture (farming fish and
other water organisms) with hydroponics (growing vegetables in a nutrients solution). Both techniques offer
the best performance in their respective domains. By uniting them, we can get rid of all waste materials by
using them as supply for another system: water with fish excrements is used to feed the plants. In turn, the
plants filter the water which can then be added to the water with the fish again.

Unlike any currently available systems, the aquaponics system manages to limit the water usage, the amount of
waste materials in the water and the need for synthetic vegetable fertilisers. Aquaponics also allows to build
horticulture farms in areas where this normally would not be possible: polluted soil, urban areas or infertile
areas. The presence of fish and vegetables in the same system also ensures no pesticides or antibiotics are
needed. As a result, aquaponics manages to produce fresh vegetables and fish while drastically limiting its
impact on the environment.

S MA RT A Q UA P O NI CS :
O B JE CT I V E S
Expertise in aquaponics is taking shape in the French-Belgian region and is facing several challenges that are
typically associated with innovation: lack of training, expertise and tools that are accessible to everyone. To
contribute to solving these challenges, the Smart Aquaponics project was introduced by several secondary
schools, colleges and universities.

The Smart Aquaponics project is an Interreg project for transnational cooperation between France, Wallonia
and Flanders to promote aquaponics among local administrations and the corporate sector. Within the project,
three digital tools will be developed which will become available through an application (smartphone and PC):
an online training program, a design support tool and a monitoring tool. An aquaponics guide will also be
published at the end of the project.

The online training tool is composed of an educational game with several theoretical modules. The game will
allow the user to adjust virtual aquaponics systems with varying complexity and experiment with an extensive
range of possibilities. The game combines all practical aspects with the required biological concepts for
designing and managing an aquaponics system. The target groups are technical secondary schools, colleges
and universities as well as self-taught people and the local community. In a later phase, we may also establish a
network of practical trainings. Access to the tool is free of charge.

The support tool for designing aquaponics systems allows users to compose virtual aquaponics systems and
perform simulations. These simulations will estimate the expected efficiency and stability of the systems and,
in this way, allow to finetune the designs. The simulation covers the entire design process of aquaponics
systems as well as the online purchase of different components. The tool must be adjustable to as many
aquaponics systems as possible. Access to the tool is free of charge.

The aquaponics system monitoring tool allows the user to follow the status of the system and to anticipate
potential problems. The monitoring is based on connected sensors (pH, temperature, NH4, water level, …) and
will be compatible with self-made systems and smaller companies. The monitoring system is so special
because it is based on a dynamic model that can predict potential accidents by monitoring the evolution of
different parameters. Access to the tool is free of charge for small users. Professional users require a paid
subscription.

S MA RT A Q UA P O NI CS :
A P P RO A CH

The Smart Aquaponics project is set up around a multi-disciplinary approach for creating the different tools.

The different tools for Smart Aquaponics (online training, design support and monitoring) are based on a
computer model that predicts the evolution of the aquaponics systems (plant growth, fish growth, biofilter
activity, nutrient concentration, …) based on parameters such as amount of food delivered to the fish,
temperature, nutrient concentration, pH, etc. The specific nature of this model lies in its ability to model
aquaponics systems of different sizes and designs. This model was designed as part of a thesis at the Faculty of
Agro-Bio Tech – Uliège in Gembloux.
The model will be connected to a data acquisition system that allows to collect data from the aquaponics
systems. This data will then be linked to the computer model. The data acquisition system will be composed of
(i) sensors installed on the aquaponics systems, (ii) a sensor cloud connection and (iii) data management in the
cloud. In addition to the computer model, the data acquisition system will also be adjusted to the different
aquaponics setups: a system managed by a city administration does not have the same requirements as a
professional system in terms of precision and number of sensors. Howest will take care of the sensor selection,
Vigo Universal manages the wireless cloud connection of the sensors and Yncréa ensures the data management
in the cloud.
Initially, the data acquisition system and the model will be tested in the aquaponics pilot projects of the project
partners. These first tests will allow us to (i) test the functioning of the data acquisition system and (ii) validate
and improve the computer model. In a later phase, the data collected by the monitoring system will be used to
improve the computer model, which means Smart Aquaponics will become more accurate as the number of
users grows!
The Smart Aquaponics system is equipped with a modern, user-friendly user interface. The tools for
monitoring and decision support as well as the educational game will be accessible through a mobile app and a
PC. This aspect will be performed by Vigo Universal, a company that specializes in developing digital
applications and educational (or other) video games.
The educational game is composed of practical scenarios and theoretical information. The theoretical content
and scenarios will be developed by teachers who are passionate about education and aquaponics, at the level of
technical secondary (PTI), college (Odissée and Howest) and university education (Yncréa and Uliège). Vigo
Universal will use its expertise to create the educational games for the purpose of Smart Aquaponics. With this
educational game, Smart Aquaponics wants to help future professionals and passionate people in the field of
aquaponics to step up and grow animal and vegetable proteins in a sustainable manner.

Smart Aquaponics wants to integrate in the entire transnational network France-Wallonia-Flanders to promote
the use of these tools, but also to connect with the many players in aquaponics. Groupe One, Pôle Aquimer,
Vlakwa and Pôle légume Nord will organise the propagation of the tools and the anchorage of the Smart
Aquaponics community.