IoT Experimentation

Background

Environmental monitoring and the tech industry rarely overlap, but the Internet of Things (IoT) is a case where they should. Cheap, ubiquitous online devices have the potential to transform how we monitor the environment.

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) not only purchases lands for preservation, it also pioneers land management and ecosystem research within them. TNC has two historic reserves near Santa Barbara, CA: the Santa Cruz Island and Dangermond Preserve.

The Reserves

Santa Cruz Island is the largest of California’s eight Channel Islands. More than 1,000 species of plants and animals inhabit the island’s high peaks, deep canyons, and pastoral valleys, including the indigenous Island Fox. Once on the brink of ecological collapse, Santa Cruz Island now supports a stable, highly monitored ecosystem as a result of TNC’s efforts.

Dangermond Preserve, an iconic coastal landscape along California’s Point Conception, covers 24,000 acres and serves as a flagship site for innovative land management practices. Jack and Laura Dangermond, founders of the GIS company, ESRI, donated the property to TNC in 2017. Much of the land was and still is active ranch land, with many small streams and wells across the property.

Instrumentation and Dendra

Both sites are remote and contain facilities that require significant maintenance in addition to the environmental work. TNC personnel decided to use this as an opportunity to experiment with Internet of Things (IoT) devices for monitoring.

Santa Cruz has limited fresh water, so knowing when wells are going dry during the summer plays a key part in planning. Similarly, Dangermond is an active ranch with water troughs set out to keep cattle away from sensitive riparian zones, areas situated alongside riverbanks and borders where land meets water.

By setting up LoRaWAN (Long Range, Low Power networking) with The Things Network (TTN) service across the landscape, they have been able to set up well monitors using TekBox IoT loggers, alongside some all-in-one weather stations. For the water tank level indicators, Dangermond is experimenting with RanchBot, which uses a satellite uplink that delivers data in limited bursts. Both sites have Campbell Scientific standardized weather stations as well.

By leveraging IoT technologies with Dendra, TNC is integrating its operational and monitoring assets to provide both ecosystem and facility health with a long-term record.

Learn More

The Nature Conservancy: https://www.nature.org

Dangermond Preserve: https://www.dangermondpreserve.org/

Santa Cruz Island: https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/santa-cruz-island-california/

LoRaWAN: https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/docs/lorawan/what-is-lorawan/

TTN: https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/

TekBox: https://www.tekbox.com/

RanchBot: https://ranch-bot.com/