Cranberry Frost Protection using Wireless Sensors
What is the connection between cranberry farming, sensor technology, and computer networks? That is the question I posed to Michael Lange, president of Lange Installations in British Columbia. I now know more than I ever thought I would about how those flavorful little berries grow. It is quite a story, and it revolves around cold and moisture, two phenomena that Canadians in general, and cranberry growers specifically, know a lot about.
This is where the technology comes in. When growers protect cranberries against frost, they need to know the exact bog temperature on the canopy. Traditionally they used sensors, hardwired from the bogs to a pump station to transmit environmental information. But, broken cables often disrupt transmissions. Hard wired sensor connections are also challenging because of long distances between the sensors to the pump station. Lange knew there had to be a better way. He found it with Spinwave Systems.
More info here.
