Measuring, Monitoring & Documentation Systems
The Sensors Layer defines all devices and documentation systems used by AOFS controllers to ensure safe operation, authoritative control, and auditable farm management.
All AOFS-compliant deployments must implement the sensors and documentation systems specified here.
1. Sensor Layer Scope & Authority
AOFS sensors are classified by operational authority, not by technology type.
Sensor inputs fall into four functional roles:
AOFS controllers must never depend on remote systems to interpret or validate sensor data.
2. Critical Safety & Protection Sensors
Purpose: Prevent equipment damage, flooding, dry-run pumps, and unsafe operating states.
Mandatory Measurements:
Tank levels: LOW and FULL float switches
Flow meters on main and zoned pipelines
Pressure sensors on pumps and main distribution lines
Rainfall measurement for irrigation lockout
Safety Requirements:
These sensors must directly enforce Field Controller fail-safes
Operation must be fully local and offline
Loss or invalid data from these sensors must trigger safe shutdown or degraded mode
3. Primary Agronomic Control Sensors
Soil Monitoring Sensors
Purpose: Provide authoritative inputs for irrigation scheduling.
Required Measurements:
Optional but Recommended:
Placement Guidelines:
At least one sensor per irrigation zone
Additional sensors for heterogeneous fields
Placement at crop-appropriate root depth
Weather Monitoring Sensors
Purpose: Modify irrigation behavior and enforce environmental lockouts.
Required Measurements:
Rainfall
Ambient temperature
Relative humidity
Optional Measurements:
Integration with AOFS:
4. Power / Energy Monitoring
Purpose: Protect electrical systems and support energy-aware operation.
Required Measurements:
Pump power consumption
Valve power consumption
Optional Measurements:
Integration:
Grid Power Monitoring & Predictive Use
Purpose: Enable AOFS to safely use intermittent grid power and optimize energy costs.
Required Measurements (if grid is available):
Grid voltage, current, and frequency
Short-term fluctuations and harmonics
Availability signal (on/off)
Optional Measurements:
Integration & Control Logic:
AOFS must only allow grid power usage if parameters are within safe thresholds
Automatic relays and actuators must cut off grid supply immediately on overvoltage, under-voltage, or unsafe frequency
Predictive patterns can inform decisions, e.g., delaying high-load pump operations until grid is likely available
All local safety thresholds remain authoritative and override probabilistic logic
5. Water / Water Energy Monitoring
Purpose: Monitor and optimize water supply sources, including grid water, local wells, and storage tanks.
Required Measurements:
Tank LOW and FULL levels
Flow rate in main and zoned pipelines
Flow rate and pressure of grid water supply (if available)
Availability signal for grid water (on/off)
Optional Measurements:
Historical grid water supply patterns
Probability of grid water availability in next hours or days
Water quality indicators (salinity, turbidity)
Integration & Control Logic:
AOFS may delay pumping from wells if probability of grid water availability is high
Partial tank fill strategies: maintain mandatory minimum levels locally, avoid overfilling if grid water is likely
Safety thresholds for tank levels must always be enforced, independent of probabilistic logic
Logging of decisions, sensor readings, and probabilities is required for learning and optimization
Purpose: Capture critical farm activities not measurable by sensors.
AOFS treats human input as first-class data, equal to automated sensor measurements.
Examples of Loggable Events:
Fertilizer application
Manual irrigation or drainage
Pest or disease treatment
Planting, pruning, or harvest activities
Requirements:
All events must be timestamped
Events must be linked to a field or irrigation zone
Operator identity must be recorded
Full audit trail for edits or deletions is required
7. Optical / Camera Documentation Systems
Purpose: Provide visual documentation for review, auditing, and optional analysis.
AOFS Scope:
Use Cases:
Crop development tracking
Soil surface condition documentation
Pest or disease observation
Requirements:
Images must be timestamped
Camera ID and zone reference required
Images stored locally on the Field Controller
Optional synchronization with Farm and HQ Controllers
AI-based image analysis is explicitly optional and must not interfere with core logging or manual review.
8. Data Logging & Synchronization Rules
All sensor readings and human-input events must be logged locally
Logs must include:
Synchronization follows AOFS federation rules
Loss of connectivity must never result in data loss
Grid power and water predictive measurements and decisions must be logged, including:
Probability estimates for predictive logic
Decisions made (pump on/off, fill levels)
Outcome of the decisions for future optimization
9. Calibration & Maintenance
All sensors must be calibrated according to manufacturer specifications
AOFS deployments must log:
Calibration events
Maintenance actions
Sensor replacements
Calibration and maintenance logs are auditable and synchronized
10. Compliance Requirements
Minimum mandatory implementation:
Soil moisture sensors per irrigation zone
Tank LOW and FULL level sensors
Flow meters and pressure sensors on irrigation systems
Power monitoring for pumps and valves
Rainfall measurement for irrigation lockout
Optional sensors enhance optimization and research but do not affect baseline compliance.
11. References