This page defines the AOFS system architecture, including all layers, their responsibilities, and interactions. It establishes authority boundaries, offline operation rules, and federation/synchronization requirements for AOFS controllers.

All AOFS-compliant systems must conform to the rules specified here.

AOFS defines four core layers:

• Field Controller Layer
• Farm Controller Layer (Local / Federated)
• HQ / Federated Controller Layer
• Human Interaction Layer

Each layer has a clearly defined role, authority, and interface.

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See detailed page: Field Controller Layer

Purpose: Safety-critical, authoritative irrigation control.

Requirements (normative):

• Must execute irrigation schedules locally.
• Must read and enforce all sensor data (soil moisture, tank levels, rain, battery status).
• Must enforce fail-safe rules: prevent flooding, over-irrigation, pump damage.
• Must operate fully offline, without network connectivity.
• Must never accept remote commands that bypass safety logic.
• Must log all irrigation events and safety-triggered actions for audit purposes.

Examples of Field Controller hardware: ESP32, Arduino-compatible embedded controllers.

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See detailed page: Farm Controller Layer (Local / Federated)

Purpose: Supervisory and management layer on-site; provides local operator interface and federation.

Requirements (normative):

• Must provide a full UI for field operators to monitor and configure the farm.
• Must operate fully offline with authoritative access to local data.
• Must aggregate telemetry from Field Controllers.
• Must support peer-to-peer federation with other Farm Controllers or HQ Controllers.
• Must enforce the rule that Field Controllers remain authoritative for all safety-critical actions.
• Must support pull/push synchronization of configuration, logs, and firmware updates.
• Must provide conflict resolution mechanisms for configurations (e.g., timestamp-based, operator approval).

Behavioral Rules:

• Offline operation: farm continues irrigation and monitoring normally if internet is unavailable.
• Sync: data and configuration propagate when connectivity is restored.
• Logging: all operator actions, sync events, and configuration changes must be logged.

Examples of Farm Controller hardware: NanoPi, Raspberry Pi, other industrial-grade single-board computers.

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See detailed page: HQ / Federated Controller Layer

Purpose: Global oversight, analytics, and management of multiple farms.

Requirements (normative):

• Must receive telemetry and logs from multiple Farm Controllers.
• Must provide reporting, dashboards, and aggregated analytics.
• Must support configuration distribution to Farm Controllers when authorized.
• Must never override Field Controller safety rules.
• Must maintain full audit trails of all data exchanges and actions.

Behavioral Rules:

• HQ controller may act as a “central” sync point, but the architecture remains decentralized.
• Federation: HQ may push configuration updates or pull logs, but offline farms continue autonomous operation.

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See detailed page: Human Interaction Layer

Purpose: Interface for humans to supervise, monitor, and optionally configure the system.

Requirements (normative):

• Must allow operators to monitor farm status, irrigation events, and alerts.
• Must allow operators to submit configuration changes, schedules, or manual requests.
• Must validate all requests against Field Controller rules before execution.
• Must integrate with Farm and HQ controllers as necessary, respecting authority boundaries.

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1. Field Controller Authority:

• Field Controller decisions are authoritative and cannot be overridden remotely.

2. Supervisory Controller Rule:

• Farm and HQ Controllers may propose changes, but Field Controller safety rules cannot be bypassed.

3. Offline Operation:

• Any controller layer on-site must maintain full operational capability without connectivity.

4. Federation / Sync Rule:

• Controllers may act as peers in a push/pull sync network.
• Conflict resolution must be deterministic and logged.

5. Auditability:

• All layers must log events, configuration changes, and synchronization actions.
• Logs must be preserved locally and transmitted to upstream controllers when possible.

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- Any AOFS-compliant deployment must implement all four layers as defined, though multiple roles may be co-located on the same hardware. - Federated operations must preserve local authority. - Failure to respect authority boundaries invalidates AOFS compliance.