abstract
- Low cost cameras and embedded devices with high processing capabilities have increased the use of computer vision systems for precision agriculture applications. Image processing devices may serve as remote sensing nodes to measure the vegetative development for different crop areas. Therefore, these types of devices require to be included as additional elements into current wireless sensor networks (WSN) in order to acquire and transmit image data. IEEE 802.15.4 protocol has become the de facto standard for the implementation of WSN due the low-cost and low-power consumption technology. However, this protocol has been designed to communicate small amount of data, which produces a big challenge when large image files are integrated into the current network infrastructure and have to be fragmented and transmitted into small data packets. This paper evaluates the performance of static and dynamic scheduling policies for the communication of image data through a WSN, in a typical precision agriculture application such as a closed-loop irrigation system. The parameters considered on the performance evaluation include communication bandwidth, packet loss rate, and also the effects on the overall performance of the irrigation system are analyzed.