BINDURA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

“Android enabled smart irrigation system (via Internet)”

BY

TONDERAI MAKUMBORENGA
B1440786
SUPERVISOR: MR MUYAMBO

A RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF BSc

HONOURS DEGREE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

June 2018
Approval form
The undersigned certify that they have supervised the student Makumborenga Tonderai
(B1440786) dissertation entitled “Android enabled smart irrigation system (via Internet)”
submitted in Partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Computer Science
Honour’s Degree of Bindura University of Science Education.

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……………………………………………. ……………………………
STUDENT NAME DATE

……………………………………………. ……………………………
SUPERVISOR DATE

……………………………………………. ……………………………
CHAIRPERSON DATE

……………………………………………. ……………………………
EXTERNAL EXAMINER DATE

Dedications
Dedicated to mom and dad who couldn’t be here to see this day.

To my family for the love and support, Thank you guys.

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Abstract

Irrigation automation is a technique, which has been of interest to many especially in the academia
merging it with microcontrollers and wireless technology such as GSM, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and
ZigBee. This approach devised the ways of interaction between humans and the environment.
Convenience and comfort to farmers was provided for they will control irrigation pumps and valves
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with just a click on their mobile devices. More so, they will monitor the soil moisture levels and
status or irrigation valves from anywhere around the world and anytime. Android phones has hit
the market and many people embraced it due to its ease of use and affordable prices. In this thesis,
an authenticated based remote irrigation automation system controlled via the internet is developed
which allows only authorized users to control irrigation tools and components. Almost every
android mobile phone has a Wi-Fi facility in it that will be of importance in providing connectivity
to farmers so that they control the irrigation system at home or anywhere around the world. Wi-Fi
protocol 802.11 offers a low energy consumption facility vital for conserving battery life and secure
protocol to ensure confidentiality. This project focuses on design and implementation of a mobile
android application with biometric and/or password security for controlling irrigation pumps and
valves via the internet. An interactive application allows the use of cell phone to send commands
to the Arduino microcontroller, which responds by turning on/off the irrigation valves, and send
back the soil moisture level recorded by sensors to the mobile application. A user can program the
system to trigger events under explicit conditions thereby controlling water supply to the plants.
The Wi-Fi signal strength depends on transmission power, the bandwidth and the rate of absorption
of the medium. However, the strength is not weakened by increase in distance between
communicating devices.

Acknowledgements

Let me take this opportunity to pass my regards to all our computer science lecturers for
moulding me to be a better person in society. The computer science team showed constant
support from the onset of my project and provided suggestions on way to improve my thesis.
Specifically, I would like to say thanks to Mr Magomelo, Mr Zano, Mr Chaka and Mr
Mavhemwa for the motivation, overseeing this project and support both technical and financial.
If it wasn’t for them, this research tour could have been a bizarre. My special thanks goes to

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my supervisor Mr. Muyambo for leading me through this tough, interesting and tiresome
journey.

I will not forget my colleagues, classmates and my roommate Isheanesu Chiwenga for being
patient with me when I messed the room with my project hardware items and tools. My big
brother Joe and my family also helped me a lot working towards my objectives and the constant
support they provided during my four-year study period. It all goes without saying thanks to
Mona Lisa, my special someone, thanks for your support.

Finally, I would like to thank the Almighty God for guiding me through thick and thin. I
couldn’t have reached this far without him.

Contents

Approval form .......................................................................................................................................

ii Dedications ...........................................................................................................................................
iii Abstract
................................................................................................................................................. iv
Acknowledgements ...............................................................................................................................
v

CHAPTER 1: Problem Identification .................................................................................................

1

v
 1.0 Introduction .................................................................................................................................
1
1.2 Background .................................................................................................................................
2
1.3 Problem Statement ......................................................................................................................
2
1.4 Project aim ...................................................................................................................................
3
1.5 Research Objectives ....................................................................................................................
3
1.6 Research Questions .....................................................................................................................
3
1.7 Research Hypothesis ...................................................................................................................
4
1.8 Significance of the Study ............................................................................................................ 4
1.9 Scope.............................................................................................................................................
5
1.10Assumptions of the research ..................................................................................................... 5
1.11 Limitations .................................................................................................................................
5
1.12 Definition of terms .................................................................................................................... 5
CHAPTER 2: Literature Review .........................................................................................................
7
2.0 General Overview ....................................................................................................................... 7
2.1 Smart Irrigation System .............................................................................................................
7
2.1.1 Artificial Network Controller Irrigation System .............................................................. 8
2.1.2 Evapotranspiration and fuzzy inference method irrigation system ................................
8
2.1.3 Programmable Device for Remote Control and Monitoring of Irrigation .....................
8
2.1.4 GSM based ZigBee Controlled Solenoid Valve for drip irrigation .................................
9
2.1.5 Solar Power Based Smart Irrigation System .....................................................................
9
2.1.6 PC-Based Automated Drip Irrigation System ................................................................. 10
2.1.7 Smart Irrigation System Using Internet of Things ......................................................... 10
2.1.8 Automation System Using WEB and GSM Technologies ..............................................
10
2.1.9 Irrigation Monitoring and Control System for Continuous Move Systems .................
11

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 2.1.10 Internet of Things (IoT) Based Smart Irrigation with ZigBee .....................................
11
2.1.11 IOT Based Automatic Watering of Plants using Raspberry Pi and Android ............
12
2.1.12 Centre Pivot Irrigation Systems ..................................................................................... 12
2.2 Internet Technology ..................................................................................................................
12
2.3 Overview of Android Technology ............................................................................................ 13
2.4 Irrigation Agriculture ...............................................................................................................
14
2.5 Challenges of Internet Technology .......................................................................................... 14
2.6 Benefits of Proposed System .................................................................................................... 14
2.7 The Proposed System ................................................................................................................
15
2.8 Chapter Summary .................................................................................................................... 16
CHAPTER 3: Methodology ...............................................................................................................
16
3.0 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................
16
3.1 System Development Model ..................................................................................................... 17
3.2 Research Design ........................................................................................................................ 18
3.3 Design methods ..........................................................................................................................
20
3.31 System Architecture ............................................................................................................ 21
3.32 Software Description .......................................................................................................... 22
3.33 Android Application Development .................................................................................... 22
3.4 Functional Requirements ......................................................................................................... 22
3.5 Non-functional Requirements ..................................................................................................
23
3.6 Use Case Diagrams ................................................................................................................... 23
3.7 Sequence Diagram .................................................................................................................... 24
3.8 Flow Chart .................................................................................................................................
25
3.9 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................
29
CHAPTER 4 ........................................................................................................................................
30
4.1 Discussion ...................................................................................................................................
31
CHAPTER 5: Recommendations and conclusions .......................................................................... 33

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 5.0 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................
33
5.1 Aims and Objectives Realization ............................................................................................. 33
5.2 Challenges Faced .......................................................................................................................
33
5.3 Recommendations for future work ......................................................................................... 33
BIBLIOGRAPHY ...............................................................................................................................
35

List of figures
Figure 1 shows block diagram of Smart Irrigation System ............................................................ 16
Figure 2 Waterfall Model ................................................................................................................... 18
Figure 3 System Architecture ............................................................................................................ 21
Figure 4 shows use case diagram ....................................................................................................... 23
Figure 5 shows a sequence diagram for authentication ................................................................... 24
Figure 6 shows sequence diagram for valves operation .................................................................. 25
Figure 7 flow chart .............................................................................................................................. 27

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List of Tables
Table 1 comparison of planned vs final ............................................................................................ 31
Table 2 Testing different location and network access .................................................................... 31

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Screenshots
Screenshot 1 .........................................................................................................................................
27
Screenshot 2 .........................................................................................................................................
27
Screenshot 3 .........................................................................................................................................
28 Screenshot 4
......................................................................................................................................... 28 Screenshot
5 ......................................................................................................................................... 29
Screenshot 6 .........................................................................................................................................
30

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CHAPTER 1: Problem Identification

1.0 Introduction
Agriculture is a primary sector of Zimbabwean Economy and other developing countries
making it essential to automate it to improve efficiency in this sector. Lot of labor is required
on a typical farm. Automation can make farming easier and faster through moderating the
amount of manual labor. Automation involves the use of machinery, information technologies
and other control systems in optimizing productivity in the production and provision of goods
and services. Thus it helps to answer to Zimbabwe‘s pursuit for being self-sustainable and food
security. Zimbabwean agriculture mechanization and computerization is progressing at a fast
pace yet it is one of the areas that is difficult to admire and achieve- it requires continuous
innovation and identifying technological trends and innovations that stabs the application of
computerization and mechanization in the country and foreign countries. Zimbabwe being one
of the Sub-Saharan countries’ fastest growing economies banking on agriculture and farming,
has not taken to technology at a relatively quick pace.

Internet of Things and agricultural irrigation: Most of Zimbabwean agriculture is supported by

natural rains (The World Fact Book. 2017). Almost 50% of the population depends on
agriculture therefore the need to improve agriculture productivity through automation. Internet
of Things Irrigation Controlling and Automation system is the answer to the need for
automation and computerization of irrigation agriculture. IOT irrigation monitoring and control
system is a collection of hardware and software to support the computerization and automation
of agriculture, irrigation agriculture and exactitude(precision) agriculture. Cisco said that IOT
will create, from 2013 to 2022, a 14.4$ Trillions of value at stake for companies and industry.

Gartner(2013), the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company,
further postulated that, IoT will grow to 26 billion units in 2020, resulting in 1.9$ trillion in
global economic value-add through sales into diverse end markets. Through connecting
everything to the internet, there is creation of unimaginable business opportunities available and
advancement in irrigation agriculture automation. As a result, small devices and objects
connected to the Internet, a new pattern surfaces and bring stimulus on irrigation agriculture
automation and people’s lives and. However, there need for a lot of work to be done for IoT to
be a success in agriculture especially be truly applicable to irrigation: need for standards to
achieve interoperability, security and confidentiality to protect data. Without these, IoT will be
a failure and be hard to apply be it in agriculture.

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1.2 Background
Due to the need to supplement rain and the need to support agriculture and farming all year
round people introduced various forms of agriculture some of which is irrigation agriculture.
Before the existence of modern and internet technologies irrigation was being carried out using
canals and this can be dated back to the Egypt and Kush era where they dug canals in the fields
as a form of irrigation. In addition, irrigation on small scale was being carried out using
containers and scotch carts but due to the need to increase the size of irrigated land these
methods become obsolete. More so, the recent changes in climate especially in southern Africa
due to various weather phenomenon like El Nino increase the need for irrigation on a large scale
and the only answer to that was mechanization. The need for mechanization leads to invention
of various technologies to ease irrigation such us the use of water pressure controlled sprinklers,
expensive center pivot irrigation systems and other manually controlled irrigation machinery
which requires the user to control (turn on and off) manually. However, these irrigation
mechanization and automation methods improve irrigation agriculture but most of them are
expensive to set up and maintain, requires the user to be at the location to be able to control
them and some require experts to run them. As the field of irrigation agriculture was racing
invention and innovations, internet technology took the stage and tends to find its position in
every aspect of our daily lives. It makes it possible to connect every object, tool or gadget
together and be able to monitor and control devices from anywhere and anytime through
communication between these devices through the internet. This ability to make all devices
connected and communicate with one another is termed Internet of Things and irrigation
agriculture is taking advantage of this new technology. The answers to total automation of
irrigation agriculture lies within Internet of Things though it is taking time for farmers to accept
these automation technologies

1.3 Problem Statement

Internet of Things, mobile phones, websites and web technology has recently creeped into our
lives, turned out to be inseparable part of our everyday lives, and cannot be overlooked but
instead take advantage of these technologies and use them in irrigation automation. Due to the
increase in irrigated land because of climatic changes, farmers tend to work on large portions
of land to grow crops. It is difficult for one person to keep track of the entire farmland all the
time. Sometimes it may happen that a given patch of land receives more water leading to water
logging or might receive little or no water resulting in dry soil. In any of these cases, crops can
get damaged leading to losses hence the need to keep updates of moisture levels of each patch
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and supply water per each patch’s need. In addition, most of current irrigation mechanization
technologies still requires a lot of manual input and need user to be at the location to start them
up or open and close water sources and require human labor and technical expertise, which is
costly, and tend to make mistakes such as forgetting to close a water supply to the reservoir.
Farmers needs to be in control of their irrigation and get updates about their farmland from
anywhere anytime yet current irrigation technology is not giving them that. There is need to
automate the irrigation systems to reduce human labor needed and improve efficiency or
irrigation systems. More so, existing irrigation systems are expensive to setup and maintain.
Nevertheless, by one click on their smart phones and some cost equipment, they can get total
control of their irrigation systems as well as get updates of moisture levels of various farmland
patches.

1.4 Project aim

To solve the need to automate irrigation, we design a prototype of irrigation controlling and
monitoring systems using Internet of Things that can be remotely monitored and controlled
through a mobile application via the internet and can automatically start irrigation using soil
moisture level values read by sensors.

1.5 Research Objectives

On completion of the study, the system should be able to:

1. Automatically turn on/off irrigation water pump by checking soil moisture levels using
sensors
2. Enable authenticated user to control the irrigation system by switching the water pump
using an android application connected via the internet
3. Read soil moisture levels using a sensor and send to an android application for display to
the authorized and authenticated users

1.6 Research Questions

1. Will the irrigation pump start/stop automatically when soil moisture reaches a certain
threshold?
2. Does the system provide remote control of irrigation valves and motors using a smart phone
via the internet?
3. Does the system allow the farmer to see the moisture levels of various farmland zones from
a remote location on a smart phone?

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1.7 Research Hypothesis Null
Hypothesis (H0):
Irrigation can be monitored and controlled from a remote location through internet using IoT
and a secure mobile application and can start/stop automatically depending on soil moisture
level read by sensors.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1):

Irrigation cannot be monitored and controlled from a remote location through internet using IoT
and a secure mobile application and cannot start/stop automatically depending on soil moisture
level read by sensors.

1.8 Significance of the Study

Internet of Things remote irrigation monitoring and controlling system is one of milestones in
the development of IoT (Internet of Things) as well as agriculture automation. Technological
advances has resulted everything computerized easing the life of many people and farmers are
no exception. There is exponential increase in the availability and accessibility of small
computing devices such as laptops, tablets etc. which clearly shows that consumers favor a
speedier access of systems. The use of current and available technologies will make it much
easier for farmers to cope up, control and monitor their irrigation gadgets remotely. Farmers
will be able to be in control of their irrigation anywhere anytime and be able to get real time
information about various farmland areas and enable the irrigation systems to run automatically
with little or no human involvement. Embracing the challenge of agriculture automation and
mechanization improvement is a major milestone towards Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable
Socio-economic Transformation (ZIMASSET) goals. Self-sustainability through agriculture
can be realized through automation of agriculture by blending new technologies of Internet of
Things into already existing agriculture mechanization and irrigation practices. It opens eyes to
see real life unlimited possibilities towards economic empowerment and self-sustainability. The
project inclines to open up gates that requests extra exploration to heighten one’s skills

1.9 Scope
The project will mainly focus on irrigation and controlling system for small-scale farmers such
as green houses that records moisture level data from a remote site and allow remote control of
the small irrigation kit via internet. This will consent the system to be controlled from any
distance since it will be using internet for connections between gadgets and irrigation kits and
the controlling device

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1.10Assumptions of the research
• The farmer is aware of the moisture level needs of the crops and know moisture levels of
when to initiate or stop water supply to the land.

• Proper hardware components are available for the implementation of the system.
• Internet connection is available and accessible at the farmland and wherever the
farmer/user is and every smart phone has Wi-Fi connection facility.
1.11 Limitations
• The system will only work on the availability of internet

1.12 Definition of terms

Internet of Things ability to make all devices connect, pass data between themselves and
communicate with one another via various protocols and methods especially internet Android
is a mobile operating system developed by Google, based on the Linux kernel and designed
primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and watches IOT
Irrigation monitoring and controlling system is a technique, which manages and controls
irrigation equipment automatically or remotely by networking the devices and equipment

Internet consists of computers spread all over the world, connected through wired and wireless
transmission media, which contain software codes that allow them to talk to each other Mobile
application is a form of application software that is designed to run on a mobile device such as
a smart phone

Microcontroller is a small computer on a single integrated circuit

Device is any type of system that is able to communicate with other devices using diverse
communication protocols and is able to send and receive data
Irrigation Agriculture is the process of applying regulated and controlled amounts of water to a
plant at regular intervals in the process of growing crops and rearing of animals
Relay is a simple electromechanical switch made up of an electromagnet and a set of contacts and
used to drive high voltage circuits that are controlled by low voltage circuits
Sensor is a device that is capable of detecting and responding to some type of input from the
physical environment

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CHAPTER 2: Literature Review

2.0 General Overview

Smart Irrigation System came into to actuality due to limitless prospects it can offer and the
need for continuous improvement and advancement of agriculture technology to supplement
Zimbabwean economy. When the farmer is away, irrigation needs to run on its own or they
need to remain in control of the water supply to the plants. Due to the evolution of wireless
technologies and Internet of Things, scholars and researchers has been presented many openings
to go further into exploring different approaches. This chapter’s focus is on analysis of how
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other scholars and researchers have addressed the concept of android enabled smart irrigation
systems using Internet of Things

2.1 Smart Irrigation System

Literature reviewing is a process of understanding a field of study by analysing published and
unpublished scholarly and research work. Many systems concerning remote and automated
irrigation monitoring and controlling systems and irrigation mechanization systems has been
designed and developed for large-scale farmland as well as for commercial and non commercial
platforms. Many irrigation systems exits and the following list shows most of the research work
carried out,

• Artificial Neural Network Based Irrigation agriculture

• Fuzzy logic controlled systems for irrigation controlling
• Centre Pivot Irrigation System
• Wireless Sensor Based Remote Monitoring System for Agriculture Using ZigBee and GPS.

• Wireless Sensor Networks Agriculture

• Automated Irrigation System Using a Wireless Sensor Network and GPRS Module
• Automated Irrigation System Using Solar Power
• Remote Sensing and Control of an Irrigation System Using a Distributed Wireless Sensor
Network
• Review for ARM based agriculture field monitoring system
• GSM modules using Short Message Services(SMS) Protocols
• Wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Bluetooth and Radio Frequencies • Different
approaches based on Internet
Automation and remote controlling with Internet of Things has found its use in irrigation
automation, security systems and in home automation. A lot of research work on automated and
remote irrigation monitoring and controlling has been carried out across the globe using various
platforms some of them afore-mentioned. The most crucial aspect of distant controlling and
computerization is to allow users to carry out tasks and control gadgets and equipment from
anywhere and anytime as well as lessen human effort and intervention through linking devices
and sensors.

2.1.1 Artificial Network Controller Irrigation System

Umair & Usman, (2010) proposed and implemented a simple approach to Irrigation control
problem of using Artificial Network Controller (ANN). This system is compared with On/Off
controller and it fails miserably due to its limitations. However, ANN based system has resulted
in possible implementation of better, more efficient control, and these controllers do not require
prior knowledge of system and have innate ability to adjust to changing conditions unlike
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conventional methods. It is noteworthy that ANN based systems can save many resources
(energy, water and labour) and can deliver heightened results to all types of agriculture.

2.1.2 Evapotranspiration and fuzzy inference method irrigation system

Mousa, Croock, & Abdullah,(2014) proposed a system based on computing evapotranspiration
(ET) and the required quantity using fuzzy inference methodology and it aims to schedule
irrigation according to the specific requirements of a crop and variations in various
climatological factors. This avoids over or under-watering which considerably affect crops and
yields. More so, the algorithm lessens the power switching conserving energy. Results show
that the model of fuzzy is speedy and precise tool for calculating evapotranspiration and
required water and in this system a wide-ranging algorithm was introduced to compute
irrigation time making it suitable for all categories of irrigation with diverse sizes. However,
more advanced algorithms require high computing power to run efficiently which is in turn
expensive to implement and maintain.

2.1.3 Programmable Device for Remote Control and Monitoring of Irrigation

Baker (2014) proposed a Programmable Device for Remote Control and Monitoring of
Irrigation system, which have three levels that are: the microcontroller for information
processing using atmega32 that has a control program for real time measurement and control,
GSM unit to provide wireless communication with cell phones for monitoring of field
parameters and control requirement with aid of sensors. Radio Frequency transmitter is used to
collect and transmit data from field to the controller, which includes Radio Frequency receiver.
This system work with parameters fed by the user through the system keypad according to plant
requirements (temperature, humidity). The use of a system by typing in parameters and values
requires extra care. If the user make a typing error and enter wrong values, a catastrophic
damage to plants can occur and a better way to send information to the irrigation apparatus have
to be used that doesn’t require the user to memorize values and type in them manually. The
author did not mention exactly how the mobile phone will be used i.e. the signals and control
messages will be sent through SMS or a native application. Also, radio frequencies are prone
to interference.

2.1.4 GSM based ZigBee Controlled Solenoid Valve for drip irrigation
Jyothipriya et al, (2013) designed a GSM based ZigBee Controlled Solenoid Valve for drip
irrigation which is a real time feedback system that monitors and controls all activities of drip
irrigation system efficiently. By this system, labour, water is saved and power consumption is
reduced by 20% and 30% when compared to existing irrigation systems. However, ZigBee is
accessible to a limited distance and it is less secure compared to Wi-Fi.

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2.1.5 Solar Power Based Smart Irrigation System
Amol, Bhaskar, Svpm, & Malegaon, (2017) proposed a Solar Power Based Smart Irrigation
System By Using PIC (Peripheral Interface Controller) Controller which uses solar panel to
provide power supply to the motor and main system control. This system curb the waste of time
of today’s chamber ON/OFF system that is done manually by automatically checking status of
soil sensor for controlling the chamber using solenoid valve which operates on 12 volt DC
supply. Valves are opened or closed based on the output of the sensor. The author propose that
one can control the main motor via mobile through messages using GSM model. These SMS
need to be compiled into meaningful programmable hardware device operations. However, the
system requires the user to remember AT commands needed to control devices because there is
no graphical user interface. In addition to that, the use of solar power has limitations such as
during the summer cloudy conditions and nights the system may not have enough power supply
hence not functional at those times. The proposed system will have mobile application with
GUI widgets for user interactions hence no need for the user to remember any technical
commands. More so, the proposed system will be using electricity power that is not affected by
the weather conditions hence functional all the time given the electricity supply is present.
2.1.6 PC-Based Automated Drip Irrigation System
Guerbaoui & Afou, (2013) developed a PC-Based Automated Drip Irrigation System which is
an integrated system for automate the drip fertilizing irrigation in greenhouse. The solution
adopted involves a data acquisition card PCL-812PG controlled by PC. The data acquisition
and supervision of the drip irrigation system is controlled by a micro-PC. The electronic
interface cards (card conditioners, protection and signaling card, power card) will be connected
to a PC via a data acquisition card PCL812-PG. A hydraulic circuit based on an electric pump
provides the irrigation. Water needs are evaluated by measuring soil water status by soil
humidity sensor. The system has multi graphical user interfaces. The one for monitoring the
drip irrigation station (used to view the water levels in well and reservoir and the operator can
enable or disable the registration status of various equipment in time). Another one for
management of the irrigation and fertigation (enables the user to view, in real time the status of
ground water through detector soil moisture and set the duration and frequency of the irrigation
and fertigation). The system is PC-Based yet these days’ mobile smart phones are more common
and a smarter way to access the system anywhere and anytime. The proposed system will use
minimum possible widgets and controls and a user-friendly interface with improved usability
and simplicity on an android application.

2.1.7 Smart Irrigation System Using Internet of Things

Kumbar, Galagi, shankar, & Honnalli, (2016) implemented a Smart Irrigation System Using
Internet of Things that uses the concept of Internet of Things. This system connects to the
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internet using a Wi-Fi module (ESP8266-12). This module controls a motor and two solenoid
valves for supplying water to the field on the information obtained from a water level indicator
and two soil moisture sensors. MQTT (Message Queue Telemetry Transport) server (My
MQTT android App) controls this system through the internet. However, Wi-Fi protocol has
weaknesses and loopholes that needs to be addressed to limit unauthorised users access to the
system and services. MQQT do not provide encryption since it is a protocol designed to be
lightweight and adding any encryption will increase significant overhead The author did not
mention ways of securing the system or ensuring that information and data is not being
intercepted and modified and the mobile application security was not discussed.

2.1.8 Automation System Using WEB and GSM Technologies

Srija & Krishna, (2015) implemented agricultural automation system using WEB and GSM
technologies. This system’s main objective is to optimize water usage. It uses soil moisture
sensor and temperature sensor to detect moisture levels and water level sensor is used for
detecting water level in the reservoir. The status of sensors are monitored through the WEB and
GSM technology. In this system, soil moisture and water level can be monitored on web page
through micro controller and information send by SMS and the page contains information about
sensors status. This information can be viewed at remote location by using GPRS technology.

2.1.9 Irrigation Monitoring and Control System for Continuous Move Systems Francis,

Todd & Robert, (2010) developed a A Remote Irrigation Monitoring and Control System for

continuous move systems and it is a system that uses Single Board Computer(SBC) using the
Linux operating system to control valves(solenoids) connected to nozzles group or individual
nozzles. The SBC linked to a senor network radio, an Ethernet radio forming a wireless link to
a remote server and a GPS (Global Positioning System) unit are all housed in the main control
box. It uses the C-Software control program to send signal to control nozzle group using time
on application map developed remotely and SBC interfaces with sensor networks for moisture
and plant data recording populating a remote database in real time through the Internet. Since
Linux systems caters for Wi-Fi and internet security to some level for itself, this system is secure
hence limited danger of data interception and signal manipulation. Most Linux systems do not
provide Graphical User Interface (GUI), which make them difficult or unusable to non-technical
users and sometimes need to type in commands on to the system terminal. The author also did
not mention any further security methods to ensure maximum security of the data and system
on the Internet World since it is sending data and signals through the Internet. The proposed
system will ensure usability and simplicity by providing users with GUI mobile application,

10
which does not require any technical knowledge. GPS has its own disadvantages such as system
speed is affected and distant factor so the proposed system will not use GPS.

2.1.10 Internet of Things (IoT) Based Smart Irrigation with ZigBee

Raut, Sable, & Toraskar, (2016) proposed an INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) BASED SMART
IRRIGATION with ZigBee as a wireless transmission. The system enable the user to control it
remotely using other IOT devices by the use of sensors to collect temperature, humidity,
wetness and pH level of the farmland. These sensors pass data to the Internet of Things
Technology and offers an interrupt signal to Arduino controller so the farmer will monitor and
manage irrigation from anywhere. In this system, the author further describes the use of ZigBee
as a method of wireless transmission of data between wireless sensor node and remote servers.
Although the system can provide a certain level of remote connection, the range of transmission
is limited therefore this need to be addressed and use other methods that allow worldwide access
to the system. In addition, ZigBee is less secure compared to Wi-Fi and the author did not
address the issue of system security. The proposed system will ensure security by enforcing
user authentication by password and/or biometric before getting access to the system and
sending any signal.

2.1.11 IOT Based Automatic Watering of Plants using Raspberry Pi and Android
Kamthan, (2017) proposed the implementation of IOT Based Automatic Watering of Plants
using Raspberry Pi And Android and this system makes use of Raspberry Pi and Arduino as
centre of processing of signals and handles all the communications. It uses the wireless models
to pass and receive data from sensors and user input respectively. This system managed to
provide remote control to the irrigation but the use of a raspberry pi simply increase unnecessary
nodes in the network because an Arduino alone can carry out these simple repetitive functions.
Since Raspberry Pi is like a full feature computer it is vulnerable to attacks and the author
mention no security ensuring methods and ways to the system. The system used tweets as way
of sending data collected by sensors as well as receiving input commands from the user. The
notification area is not secure and the author further proposed the addition of security to the
notification area of the system by the application of multiple encryption algorithms such as
Blowfish and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).

2.1.12 Centre Pivot Irrigation Systems

Energy & Alliance, (2015) defined centre pivot irrigation as a method of crop irrigation where
the irrigation equipment rotates around a pivot and the pivot naturally irrigates a circular area,
often creating a circular pattern in crops for example when viewed from above. This system
makes it easy to apply agro-chemicals and there is very little annual setup required. However,

11
the centre pivot systems are affected by topographic changes causing potential operating
pressure variations. More so, they operate in a circular pattern, which leaves dry corners, and
potentially lower yields and they tend to have operational challenges requiring human
interventions. Centre Pivot Irrigation systems have a potential risk of injury if the operator is
not familiar with the system.

2.2 Internet Technology

According to (Goodwill Community Foundation, 2013), internet is the largest computer
network in the world , interconnecting millions of computers worldwide where a network is a
group of computers systems or nodes connected and linked together to communicate and share
information. Computer Internet technology can be defined as a collection of devices, software,
hardware and transmission protocols used to connect computers and devices together with the
purpose of sending and receiving data from one computer to another sometimes within a small
network or as part of small network within a larger network such as the internet. With recent
advancements in technology, there was birth of Internet of Things (IoT). IoT according to
(Evans, 2011) is a collection of objects and devices interconnected to one another
communicating and passing data between each other over internet mainly or other
communication protocols as well as controls allowing control of one device through another
device for example controlling a Direct Current(DC) motor through an android mobile phone.
This new technology of internet and IoT allows us to access any device and control it from
anywhere around the world as long as both devices are connected to the internet and we have
permission to access it. Modern mobile android cell phones come with built in capability to
connect to Wi-Fi which allow them to connect to the internet and any native application can
connect to the internet given it has internet permission.

2.3 Overview of Android Technology

Android is an open source and Linux Based Operating System for mobile devices such as
smartphones and tablet computers. Open Handset Alliance led by Google Inc. and other
companies developed android. Android offers a unified approach to application development
for mobile development meaning developers need to develop only for Android and their
applications should be compatible with different devices powered by Android (Tutorials Point
Pvt Ltd, 2014). Android, By Google Inc. is a comprehensive open source platform designed for
mobile devices (Evans, 2011). The Android Framework is distributed under the Apache
Software License (ASL/Apache2), allowing for distribution of both open and closed source
derivations of the source code. Android developed for Android can be distributed under any
licensing scheme preferred by the developer. Java Programming Language is used to write
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android applications and some are developed with JavaScript using react-native. After agreeing
to SDK license terms, one can get SDK Tools free from the Android website. SDK tools come
prepacked with tools for code creation and data packaging and then stored with ‘apk’ file
extension. Android devices to install the application then use the ‘apk’ file. The integration of
android with Wi-Fi connection APIs allows wireless connection to any device of choice
worldwide that has internet access to and given authority to connect and control. Therefore,
connection with other internet nodes and objects can be established, pass information, data and
control signals between the interconnected devices and manage numerous connections.
2.4 Irrigation Agriculture
Irrigation is the process of applying regulated and controlled amounts of water to a plant at
regular intervals (Wikipedia.org, 2018). Agriculture is the growing of crops and rearing of
animals to sustain life through food and other outputs. It assists growing of agricultural crops
and maintain landscapes and during periods of inadequate rainfall and can be used for frost
protection. It comes in various form, scales and methods that include sprinkler irrigation, centre
pivot and drip irrigation. With emerging technologies, there is introduction of small motors,
which can be controlled by microcontrollers and other small electronic components. In addition,
there is use of solenoid valves and DC water pumps, which can be controlled by Arduino
microcontrollers and Raspberry pi allowing them to be controlled by the use of mobile phones
or any other modern devices. Irrigation agriculture is now led by smart irrigation and automated
methods that are the newest emerging technologies in the field of irrigation. The integration of
some irrigation equipment with microcontroller devices and internet access capabilities makes
it possible to control irrigation remotely from anywhere around the world with one click on a
mobile smart phone.

2.5 Challenges of Internet Technology

Internet and internet of things and technology associated with come with its own challenges.as
stated below

• Lack of security – if security protocols are not implemented correctly the data and control
signals can be intercepted and modified for examples a mobile phone with application to
control irrigation hacked and the hacker start irrigation when the land is already wet leading
to drowning of plants.

• Lack of privacy- smartphones can be tracked and contains private information.

• Increase in energy demands – as devices connected to internet increases they all need power
and leads to increase in the energy consumption.

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 • Its coverage is not 100% some remote areas still do not have internet access.
• It has costs associated with setting up and usage.
• Lack of standardization(Lu and Singh, 2018).

2.6 Benefits of Proposed System

The adoption of remote irrigation monitoring and controlling system come along with several
advantages to the farmers and users as mentioned below

• The system assist you have improved control of land and irrigation needs alongside with
peace of mind that the system will be running automatically.

• Because of recent droughts water is a precious resource and using smart irrigation system
we will be able to steward water resources which is good for the environment.

• Significant increase in crop yields as plants will be getting enough moisture, which suit
their needs.

• Works automatically according to soil moisture state.

• Ability to monitor farmland moisture from anywhere in the world on one’s mobile smart
phone.

• Very sensitive, low cost and dependable circuit

• Integration of internet is a benefit since most smart phones allow internet access and mobile
devices can be easily incorporated as they can allow easy accessibility so long the device
is in Wi-Fi range

• Time and a lot of effort is saved

• Deployment of wireless technology is much at ease and inexpensive a some nodes may be
sited anywhere where wiring is difficult

2.7 The Proposed System

The author is to present a system interconnected with Arduino Uno board (microcontroller), DC
water pump or solenoid valve, soil moisture sensors and an android based mobile application.
The mobile application provides a communication mechanism between the microcontroller and
the user over internet. The system control and connection utilities is provided on user interface
of android mobile phone. The mobile application also provides utilities to manually start and
stop irrigation valves in case automatic start/stop needs to be overridden for any reason. The
system is different from the ones listed above as it will have both automatic starting and

14
stopping of irrigation valves and manual controls to control as per user needs. More so the
system will consists of an android mobile application. Moreover, the system will use biometric
(fingerprint) and/or password as an authentication mechanism for security to guard against
malicious users. The researcher will use relay drivers, soil moisture sensors, Wi-Fi module and
DC Water Pump or Solenoid Valve for the hardware development.

Main Features of the Proposed System

Figure 1 shows block diagram of Smart Irrigation System

2.8 Chapter Summary

The researcher has managed to gather information that is relevant for this project. Some of the
concepts from research journals, internet, textbooks and unpublished materials reveal a gap to
be filled. The information gathered is going to be used in the subsequent chapters to meet the
set objectives.

15
CHAPTER 3: Methodology

3.0 Introduction
This section focuses of identifying how the research was carried out, data collection methods for
the research project and gives the description of the qualitative and quantitative techniques used.
The researcher’s objective was to develop an automated irrigation system accompanied by an
interactive mobile application that has the ability to remotely switch on or off irrigation valves and
display data on moisture levels and valves status with the help of a microcontroller and other
electronic components to achieve hardware simplicity. This chapter mainly focused on
methodology, data collection techniques, research design, requirements (functional and non-
functional) which govern the results of the research process.

3.1 System Development Model

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is short process and well-defined structured
sequence of stages involved in the design, development, integration and testing of a software to
come up with intended software product. It contains of a comprehensive plan that gives the
description of the development, maintenance, integration and enhancement of a specific
software. SDLC outlines a procedure for refining the whole development process and the
software quality and it goals to produce extraordinary quality software that meets or surpasses
end user anticipations. More so, it aims to reach software completion within costs and time. The
researcher made use of the waterfall model on the system development process (TutorialsPoint,
2018).

Waterfall model is a development model where system development is carried out in linear
sequential stages and each stage must be completed before the next phase can begin and
overlapping of phases is not allowed. Outputs of one phase are the inputs of the next upcoming
phases. The researcher as a system development process used waterfall model because it is best
for small projects where requirements are well understood and milestones were justly
understood. In addition, no overlapping of activities as each phase has to be completed before
the next begin and this best suits the work force that was present. The phases of waterfall model
are:

Requirements Gathering and Analysis: Focus of this stage is gathering all possible system
requirements of our system to be developed and they are then documented. At the end of this
phase, the researcher had come up with a document containing analyzed and detailed system
requirements called requirement specification document.
16
System Design: To acquire an improved understanding of the problem in question, requirement
specification document was studied. An in-depth review was carried out and the researcher got
a clear picture of the problem and how others attempted to get solutions to it.
Business process analysis related to the proposed system was conducted and information were
gathered from various sources and data objects. During this stage, hardware and software
requirements were visibly outlined. Overall system architecture was designed and action
diagrams that define the associations between data and processes.

Implementation: Small programs called units were developed using inputs from the system
design, which are unified in the subsequent stage. Before integrated together, functionality of
each unit was tested.

Integration and Testing: After unit testing was completed, the units developed in the
implementation phase were integrated into the system. System testing was carried out to find
bugs, faults and failures.

System Deployment: Upon completion of thorough system testing of functional and nonfunctional
requirements, the system was deployed to the end users.

Maintenance: When a system is deployed in the customer environment, issues tend to rise,
those issues are fixed by patching the system, and the system can be enhanced by releasing
better versions that come with new features and fixes.

Figure 2 Waterfall Model

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3.2 Research Design
The process commences by determining on a research design that answers the research
questions. This section focuses on decisions about data collection methods, the data to be
collected and the kind of the data to be collected, data analysis techniques and data sources.
Data Collection approaches
In order to achieve set objectives, quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to gather
data. By doing so, the author gained enough knowledge and understanding of required system
development. The methods used for this research to collect data were background reading and
observations.

Background Reading

To gain an insight of how other scholars and researchers tackled the same problem, the
researcher carried out a thorough and detailed background reading and as a result, the gap was
realized. Online journals, books and documents of existing systems were the main sources of
information retrieved

Advantages of Background reading

• It was a revelation for the researcher to prepare for other methods of data gathering.
• An enhanced understanding of the problem in question was extended.

Disadvantages of Background reading

• Some sources contains obsolete information

• Written documents and reality contains inconsistences.

Observations

Observation is the act of watching people while they are executing their work and activities in
a natural setting or environment. Observation assists the observer with better understanding of
the activities and jobs compared to interviews and questionnaire, which sometimes forget about
exceptional situations and interruption that can occur but focuses on normal activities of the
job. In addition to that, it enables the analyst to get the information that people use to carry out
their tasks and jobs and an observation to be successful it needs adequate preparation. (Begg,
2005)

The researcher had to observe how farmers interact with their mobile phones in different
irrigation schemes and farms in Mashonaland Central Zimbabwe. The researcher observed how
the farmers were operating the current irrigation systems, which includes center pivot irrigation

18
system that is powered by motors. These motors have to be manually turned on and off and
requires an expert and some technical knowledge. The observations made assisted in observing
if the system will improve the means activities of irrigation being currently used and be of any
importance to the end user. More over the researcher noted the type of equipment currently
being used, the size of manual labor (workers) being used in operating the current irrigation
systems and sizes of the farmland under irrigation. Advantages of observation

• An improved understanding of how current irrigation systems work

• Real time and real world environment data has a high level of validity given the technique
is conducted in the right way.

• Cheaper to prepare and administer Disadvantages of Observation

• Requires skills and training for accurate results

• Subjects may act differently if they realize that they are being watched and observed
leading to distorted results.

• Some schemes are restrict access to their premises especially where their machinery is
located; they only allow their staff and authorized personnel only to those areas

3.3 Design methods

Remote irrigation monitoring and controlling system via Internet is implemented using:

i. Arduino Microcontroller
ii. Wi-Fi(internet) enabled Android smart phone
iii. Esp8266 Wi-Fi Module
iv. Soil Moisture Sensors
v. Solenoid Valves/DC water Pump
vi. Relays

Hardware Description

Control Components

• Microcontroller is the brains of the project that transfers suitable commands to turn.
on/off appropriate devices as well as reading sensor data.
• Wi-Fi Module provides a wireless communication channel between devices.
• Relays are electromagnetic switches, which turn on/off the irrigation valves.
• Soil Moisture Sensors read data from the soil and pass it microcontroller for processing.
• Smart mobile devices uses android version 7.0.
This complete system is powered by 5V DC and when 9V DC is supplied into the Arduino
Power jack, it is regulated by the built in Arduino regulator to 5V. The rest of the parts gets

19
their power form the Arduino Board to dodge voltage transients, which can damage the whole
system or the Arduino board.

3.31 System Architecture

Figure 3 System Architecture

This project aimed at designing an Internet based Remote Irrigation monitoring and controlling
using Arduino Uno. It will allow the end user to use his or her android smart phone to view data
on levels of soil moisture of various farmland sections read by sensors and controlling irrigation
valves in the irrigation field using an android application. Arduino is the mastermind of the
project. Mobile application has the capability of turning ON/OFF the solenoid valves to
start/stop watering of the land. Commands are send from android phone to the microcontroller
through the Wi-Fi module causing the microcontroller to respond to send commands by
comparing them to predefined ones. After identifying the signal, the microcontroller activates
the corresponding relay by passing 5V through. 0V signal to the respective relay from the
microcontroller will turn off the solenoid valve

3.32 Software Description

This system consist of two major fragments of software, the first one is the Arduino software
(programmed in C Programming Language, running at the backend ) and the second one is for

20
the android application(the frontend designed in Java Android Programming Language). The
Android application is responsible for displaying sensor data values to the client and directing
user demand commands to the microcontroller through internet. The microcontroller executes
those commands and responds to user request by passing suitable commands to solenoid valves
or sensors and pass data between components of the system and android application

3.33 Android Application Development

Itel A20 with Android version 7.0(Nougat) is the smartphone used for this project. Android
application developed work with android version 6.0 or above that works with fingerprint sensor
operations, and the application was implemented on Android Development Kit. Fingerprint
facility is embedded within the Android version seven (Nougat) systems for security purposes).
Android six and above come with feature for saving power to extend battery life of a mobile
device called Doze. Doze lessens battery usage by deferring background activities when the
device is not interacted with for long periods (Google Inc, 2018).

3.4 Functional Requirements

Sommerville, (2011) defined functional requirements as ”statements of services the system
should provide, how the system should provide , how the system should react to particular inputs
and how the system should behave in particular conditions”(p.84). Functional requirements can
explicitly state what the system must not do. Functional requirements of the proposed system
are listed below.

• A user shall be able to scan and store their fingerprints for use in the authentication process

• Authorized or authenticated users will be allowed by the system to control the irrigation
valves or equipment.

• The system should display sensor data values for soil moisture of the farmland as well the
valve or pumps status (i.e. ON or OFF).

• The system must have the facility to start or stop irrigation based on the moisture levels
automatically.
3.5 Non-functional Requirements
These are restraints on the utilities and services that are offered by the system and they include
constraints on the development process, timing constraints or those constraints imposed by
standards (Sommerville, 2011). Non-Functional requirements of the proposed system are:

Confidentiality – security of data in transit is required at all times and necessary security measures
to ensure data is not being intercepted and manipulated on the way.
21
Reliability –Expected and specified services must be provided to users.

Speed –User events response time or transaction processing must be as fast as possible.

Usability –the user interface must be simple and user friendly that any kind of user naïve or
sophisticated must find it easy to learn and operate.

Portability –the application of the system should be transferable to other android 7.0 mobile
devices with ease.

3.6 Use Case Diagrams

Use case diagrams are used to identify the users or actors involved in an interaction and names
the type of interaction with a system. They are used to model functional requirements of a
system. The diagram bellow illustrates the use case diagram of the proposed remote irrigation
monitoring and controlling system.

Figure 4 shows use case diagram

User acts as the main actor who can view the status of the irrigation valves in ON/OFF state and
view the data of soil moisture level of different farmland zones through the mobile application
and Liquid Crystal Display (LCD).To identify authorized users, an authentication service is
provided to the end users. In addition, users control irrigation valves and equipment by sending
request to the microcontrollers, which then responds to user needs.

22
3.7 Sequence Diagram
Sequence diagrams shows the interactions between system users, the system and the
components found in the system. A mobile device is responsible for facilitating communication
between microcontroller and the end user. Remote control system is used to operate the Smart
Irrigation System. Authentication

Events Flow

1. When the user is connected to the remote system, the user is requested for a valid
fingerprint that is used to log into the system. Login attempts are limited to 5 after which
the system will lock as a security measure.
2. A user shall logout when done to terminate the session

Figure 5 shows a sequence diagram for authentication

Operate irrigation valves Events

flow

1. When the user log in, the remote device displays available valves of farmland zones and
sensors data values of respective zones.
2. The user selects the valve of farmland zone then send the commands to the controller to
switch ON/OFF the valves

23
 3. The valves will respond to the command and resulting status is send back and displayed on
remote device

Figure 6 shows sequence diagram for valves operation

3.8 Flow Chart

24
25
Figure 7 flow chart
The flow chart illustrates the logic of the code and the implementation of real time algorithm

SCREEN SHOTS
The screen shots below shows the home screen of the application

Screenshot 1

Screenshot 2
The picture above shows home page of the application. The homepage will be shown when Wi-
Fi facility is enabled on user’s mobile device. On clicking on the toggle button to turn on the
water pump, a finger print scanner will be prompted to authenticate the user.

26
Screenshot 3

Screenshot 4
The picture above shows the android application operation in auto mode where the user is only
allowed to view pump status which is running on its own without user interaction

The diagram below shows the prototype hardware setup where the smartphone is the transmitter
and the Wi-Fi module acts as a receiver. DC water pump represents the irrigation water pump
or irrigation solenoid valves.

27
Screenshot 5

3.9 Conclusion
This chapter tells the procedure to be used in the software development process and hardware
designs and setup. It also outlines different matters relating to research design. The next chapter
will focus on the results of the design and appropriate techniques of testing carried out.

28
CHAPTER 4

This unit shows the outcomes of the final product which is shown below in the document.

Screenshot 6
The researcher carried out some test as seen in the screenshots above to see if the system
requirements were fulfilled. Section 3.4 defines the system requirements namely:

• A user shall be able to scan and store their fingerprints for use in the authentication process

• Authorized or authenticated users will be allowed by the system to control the irrigation
valves.

• The system should display sensor data values for soil moisture of the farmland as well the
valve or pumps status (i.e. ON or OFF).

• The system must have the facility to start or stop irrigation based on the moisture levels
automatically.

The above mentioned were successfully implemented with the exception of the Field Y section
which made use of dummy data instead of actual moisture levels and valve status.
Table 1 comparison of planned vs final

Feature Planned Product Final prototype

Arduino as control unit X X

29
 Valves controlled by an X X
android app and soil
moisture levels and valve
status displayed on the
mobile app via the internet

Authenticate with X
Fingerprint

Use soil moisture sensor to X X

read moisture level from the
filed

Show water expenditure X

Among planned features, not all were used due to financial constraints although the main objectives
were successfully met.

Measurements for different locations and network access

Table 2 Testing different location and network access

Location Same Network Different Networks Control

On site Connected Connected Automatic/Manual
Remote Location N/A Connected Automatic /Manual

Different type of measurements were taken on location and off location (remote location) as
well as connecting our system to the same network and different network to test the system
accessibility from various locations. Different kind of operation modes that is automatic or
manual where the system was being controlled by a mobile phone were recorded.

4.1 Discussion
In agriculture automation systems, crops and environment safety, security and privacy are major
issues, which needs to be addressed with concern. There is unpredictable and dynamic
developments in the future that may compromise environment safety. Additionally, the use of
internet which is the largest network and highly unsecure as a communication medium pose a risk
of packets modification and eavesdropping by intruders. User privacy maybe compromised also
as some systems may work with information about utility charges such as water consumption.
Automatic supply of water to plants without user interaction may fail and lead to the drowning of
30
crops or starve the crops from water supply. Also security breaches on end users’ mobile phones
which will be used in automated irrigation may lead to undesirable controls send by hackers or
unauthorized users and water supplies to pants leading to drowning of crops or damaging the
environment through water logging and water deficiency to the land damaging the land. In this
system, the researcher planned to use fingerprint authentication as it covers major pillars of security
such as authentication, privacy, authorization (access control), non-repudiation and data integrity.
However, in the final prototype password authentication method was used. The password method
has many flaws that need to be addressed as well but it is an inexpensive method.

The Wi-Fi Internet signal speed depends on the transmission power and speed (bandwidth),
number of nodes connected on one Wi-Fi access point, sensitivity of the Wi-Fi module and the
rate of absorption of the medium. The signal is however not weakened by increase in distance
or interference but require internet access on both communicating sides of the system. For fast
and efficient operation of the system, users need to make sure their Wi-Fi is reliable, faster WiFi
speeds lead to faster communication, and transmission hence increased efficiency.

Operating the system from a remote location requires the user’s smart phone to be connected to
the internet to access the system. When the user is on location, the system is accessible on user’s
smart phone without internet access given they are both the system controller and the smart
phone are connected to the same Wi-Fi network and the system will be using TCP/IP
communication protocol for communication and interconnection. The ESP8266 Wi-Fi module
used in the agriculture automation can be configured to work as access point where the user can
connect his phone and access the system and can be configured as webserver as well as TCP/IP
server and user smartphone acts as the client and the system work with client server architecture.
In the prototype, the ESP8266 Wi-Fi module was configured to work as TCP /IP server as well
as the Wi-Fi Access point.

CHAPTER 5: Recommendations and conclusions

5.0 Introduction
In this section, the researcher is going to analyse to see if the set objectives were met and the
challenges encountered during the design and implementation of the research as well as the
recommendations for future use

31
5.1 Aims and Objectives Realization
The major aim of the research was to design and develop a secured android mobile application,
which remotely control and monitor irrigation system remotely via the internet and monitor soil
moisture levels of a field using sensors via the internet. More so, gather information about the
security issues and how they were addressed. The objectives were successfully achieved. The
system managed to allow authorized personnel to control irrigation components remotely over
the internet hence we accept H0, which states that irrigation can be monitored and controlled
from a remote location through internet using IoT and a mobile android application.

5.2 Challenges Faced

During the course of the project, the researcher faced challenges during the testing phases. The
fingerprint authentication system caused some problems during the link establishment. Some
android seven devices with fingerprint sensor fail to establish link successfully. Majority of
people with android devices still use android version 5 and 6 which means that the researcher
had few mobile devices to test the system. The author had to opt for alternative authentication
method, which is password to authenticate authorized users. Another problem was encountered
during the sending of commands between phone and hardware. The phone will just send the
command without confirming to see if the link had been established until the issue was resolved.
In addition, internet speeds were an issue, as at times the user had to wait while the application
is loading data send from microcontroller through Wi-Fi.

5.3 Recommendations for future work

The author managed to meet set objectives but there are some improvements that needs to be
considered and address the challenges faced in this thesis. The mobile application must be
updated for security reasons to ensure integrity and confidentiality of data in transit. The mobile
application must be upgraded to allow the user to set the minimum and maximum moisture
levels needs of their farmland to be used when the irrigation is running automatically. The
system should be improved to be intelligent and learn from analysis of user interaction with the
system and behaviour to train itself to carryout tasks automatically based on user preferences,
activities and behaviour when using the system (incorporating machine learning).

32
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