Dr. Timothy Ascus Chadza

Dr. Timothy Ascus Chadza

Co-author

Electrical Engineering

14 publications

Timothy received his B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), formerly the University of Malawi -Polytechnic, in 2005. Later, he did an Advanced Postgraduate (Equivalent to M.Tech. degree) in advanced information technology–networkin...

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Successful deployment of a Wireless Sensor Network for precision agriculture in Malawi

Conference Proceeding
Published 2 years ago, 458 views
Author
Mr. Million Trocco Mafuta
Co-authors
Dr. Marco Zennaro, Dr. Antoine Bagula, Dr. Graham Ault, Dr. Harry S. Gombachika, Dr. Timothy Ascus Chadza
Abstract
This paper demonstrates how an Irrigation Management System (IMS) can practically be implemented by successfully deploying a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). Specifically, the paper describes an IMS which was set up in Manja Township, City of Blantyre based on an advanced irrigation scheduling technique. Since the system had to be self-sustained in terms of power, which is a challenge for deployment in rural areas of developing countries like Malawi where grid power supply is scarce, we used solar Photovoltaic (PV) and rechargeable batteries to power all electrical devices in this system. The system incorporated a remote monitoring mechanism through a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) modem to report soil temperature, soil moisture, WSN link performance and PV power levels. Irrigation valves were activated to water the field. Our preliminary results have revealed engineering weakness of deploying such a system. Nevertheless, the paper shows that it is possible to develop a robust, fully-automated, solar powered, and low cost IMS to suit the socio-economic conditions of small scale farmers in developing countries.
Year of Publication
2012
Proceedings Title
IEEE 3rd International Conference on Networked Embedded Systems for Every Application (NESEA)
Page Numbers
1-7
Conference Dates
13-14 December 2012
Conference Place
Liverpool
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“Academic success depends on research and publications.”
---- Philip Zimbardo ----