Karina Real-Avilés

Bio: Karina Real-Avilés is an academic researcher from University of Guayaquil. The author has contributed to research in topics: Shrimp farming & Knowledge economy. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 7 publications receiving 45 citations.

IoT Applications in Agriculture: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract: The digital breach between agricultural producers and IoT technologies has reduced in the last years. In the future, these technologies will allow improving productivity through the sustainable cultivation of food, as well as to take care of the environment thanks to the efficient use of water and the optimization of inputs and treatments. IoT technologies allow developing systems that support different agricultural processes. Some of these systems are remote monitoring systems, decision support tools, automated irrigation systems, frost protection systems, and fertilization systems, among others. Considering the aforementioned facts, it is necessary to provide farmers and researchers with a clear perspective of IoT applications in agriculture. In this sense, this work presents a systematic literature review of IoT-based tools and applications for agriculture. The objective of this paper is to offer an overview of the IoT applications in agriculture through topics such IoT-based software applications for agriculture available in the market, IoT-based devices used in the agriculture, as well as the benefits provided by this kind of technologies.

Ontological Model of Knowledge Management for Research and Innovation

Abstract: Organizations should focus on effective knowledge management in order to improve their competitiveness in the current Knowledge Age. Given this need, ontologies have emerged as a new approach for the development and implementation of knowledge management systems. Ontologies allow applying modeling methods in order to design the structure of the organizational knowledge.In this work we present an ontology-based model for the knowledge management in research and innovation. The knowledge-based model proposed allows describing aspects such as the business model processes, the organizational intellectual capital, and the dynamic behavior of the processes of a research and innovation organization.

A Monitoring System for Lettuce Cultivation in an NFT Hydroponic System: A Case Study

Abstract: Agriculture is an activity that is an essential part of the world economy. Due to climate change and the need for food self-sufficiency, innovative solutions to improve production conditions are needed. Hydroponics is an alternative for food self-sufficiency because it allows increasing the yield, growth, quality of different crops. In this sense, there are works focused on the automation of hydroponic systems to monitor the environment and control the nutrient solution for the optimal development of plants. However, in Ecuador, there are no reports of monitoring systems for hydroponic systems that allow reducing the losses of plants in crops. This document describes a case study of the implementation of a monitoring system for lettuce cultivation in an NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) hydroponic system whose objective is to improve the quality and quantity of food. This system provides a mobile application that allows monitoring control variables to take corrective actions and regulate different environmental factors. The system was evaluated in a real scenario obtaining more precise values than traditional methods.

Analysis of Atmospheric Monitoring Data Through Micro-meteorological Stations, as a Crowdsourcing Tool for Technology Integration

Abstract: This paper highlights the use of information technologies for atmospheric variables monitoring, oriented to the research in areas such as agriculture, forecasts, and climate indexes. Emphasis is placed on the use of free tools that allow spatial analysis of monitored data and help to get free access to information for different studies and investigations. This research uses as a case study, data of approximately six months from meteorological stations of the Agrarian University of Ecuador, located in Guayaquil and Milagro. It is presented as part of this study, the current situation of the data generated as a starting point of the project “Platform for real-time atmospheric data monitoring of the network of meteorological stations of Agrarian University of Ecuador, Guayaquil and Milagro headquarters.”

Monitoring System for Shrimp Farming: A Case Study of CAMASIG S.A.

Abstract: In 2016, Ecuador produced 368,181 tons of shrimp Penaeus vannamei and ex-ported 370,780 tons corresponding to $ 2.58 billion, according to ProEcuador (Institute for Export and Investment Promotion). The shrimp exportation represented 22.76% of the country’s non-oil exports. The Ecuadorian shrimp industry invests in technology focused on improving the production of shrimp and the quality of the postlarvae aiming to avoid falls in production, high mortality rates and disparity in the size of shrimp. However, it is necessary that this industry adopts innovative technologies that allow it to improve the quality and production of its products. In this sense, this work presents a case study where a water monitoring system was implemented in a shrimp culture pond of the CAMASIG S.A. company. This system integrates technologies such as Cloud computing, Arduino-based devices, and mobile applications that allow users to remotely monitor a shrimp culture pond, as well as to receive alerts when an out-of-range water parameter (pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen) is detected. This last module consists of a set of sensors that allows collecting data about the pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen in the water. This system was evaluated to test its effectiveness in terms of the size, weight, and the percentage of survival of the shrimp achieved when the shrimp culture pond is monitored by this system.

Intrusion Detection Protocols in Wireless Sensor Networks Integrated to Internet of Things Deployment: Survey and Future Challenges

Abstract: As we all know that the technology is projected to be next to humans very soon because of its holistic growth. Now-a-days, we see a lot of applications that are making our lives comfortable such as smart cars, smart homes, smart traffic management, smart offices, smart medical consultation, smart cities, etc. All such facilities are in the reach of a common man because of the advancement in Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Because of this advancement, new computing and communication environment such as Internet of Things (IoT) came into picture. Lot of research work is in progress in IoT domain which helps for the overall development of the society and makes the lives easy and comfortable. But in the resource constrained environment of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) and IoT, it is almost inconceivable to establish a fully secure system. As we are moving forward very fast, technology is becoming more and more vulnerable to the security threats. In future, the number of Internet connected people will be less than the smart objects so we need to prepare a robust system for keeping the above mentioned environments safe and standardized it for the smooth conduction of communication among IoT objects. In this survey paper, we provide the details of threat model applicable for the security of WSN and IoT based communications. We also discuss the security requirements and various attacks possible in WSN and IoT based communication environments. The emerging projects of WSNs integrated to IoT are also briefed. We then provide the details of different architectures of WSN and IoT based communication environments. Next, we discuss the current issues and challenges related to WSN and IoT. We also provide a critical literature survey of recent intrusion detection protocols for IoT and WSN environments along with their comparative analysis. A taxonomy of security and privacy-preservation protocols in WSN and IoT is also highlighted. Finally, we discuss some research challenges which need to be addressed in the coming future.

Survey on Security Threats in Agricultural IoT and Smart Farming.

Abstract: The agriculture sector has held a major role in human societies across the planet throughout history. The rapid evolution in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) strongly affects the structure and the procedures of modern agriculture. Despite the advantages gained from this evolution, there are several existing as well as emerging security threats that can severely impact the agricultural domain. The present paper provides an overview of the main existing and potential threats for agriculture. Initially, the paper presents an overview of the evolution of ICT solutions and how these may be utilized and affect the agriculture sector. It then conducts an extensive literature review on the use of ICT in agriculture, as well as on the associated emerging threats and vulnerabilities. The authors highlight the main ICT innovations, techniques, benefits, threats and mitigation measures by studying the literature on them and by providing a concise discussion on the possible impacts these could have on the agri-sector.

A Context-Aware Middleware Cloud Approach for Integrating Precision Farming Facilities into the IoT toward Agriculture 4.0

Abstract: The adoption of Precision Farming (PF) practices involving ubiquitous computing advancements and conceptual innovations of “smart” agricultural production toward Agriculture 4.0 is a significant factor for the benefit of sustainable growth. In this context, the dynamic integration of PF facility systems into the Internet of Things (IoT) represents an excessive challenge considering the large amount of heterogeneous raw data acquired in agricultural environments by Wireless Sensor and Actuator Networks (WSANs). This paper focuses on the issue of facilitating the management, process, and exchange of the numerous and diverse data points generated in multiple PF environments by introducing a framework of a cloud-based context-aware middleware solution as part of a responsive, adaptive, and service-oriented IoT integrated system. More particularly, the paper presents in detail a layered hierarchical structure according to which all functional elements of the system cope with context, while the context awareness operation is accomplished into a cloud-based distributed middleware component that is the core of the entire system acting as a Decision Support System (DSS). Furthermore, as proof of concept, the functionality of the proposed system is studied in real conditions where some evaluation results regarding its performance are quoted.

Equipment and Intelligent Control System in Aquaponics: A Review

Abstract: Traditional planting and aquaculture has the problem of large consumption of water resources and land resources, and the water environmental pollution is also a difficult problem facing human beings. Population growth and food safety issues have promoted the concept of aquaponics——a recycling ecological planting and breeding mode. It combines hydroponics and recirculating aquaculture technology to realize water resources and nutrient recycling, low pollution and high productivity and efficiency. In this paper, hydroponics as the main vegetable cultivation method in aquaponics and the main equipment of water treatment in recirculating aquaculture are introduced, and the traditional equipment and its development prospects are analyzed. The greenhouse environments, water quality and nutrient circulation involved in intelligent monitoring and control of aquaponic systems are systematically analyzed and summarized. This paper summarizes the current development of technology and methods in aquaponics and provides prospects for future development trends. With the development of technology, in the future, the aquaponics system will become more intelligent, intensive, accurate and efficient.