There is already talk of smart cities in many places. But this modern technology has not yet found its way into rural regions. This is primarily because rural areas are usually not particularly densely populated. Everything is much more spread out and therefore not quite as easy to network. But that should change soon. The SMARTinfeld is a model project for LoRaWAN in rural areas and therefore prefers to be called Smart Village instead of Smart City. But what is behind it?
Table of Contents: What awaits you in this article
What is behind SMARTinfeld?
The pioneer for the ambitious Smart Village project is the municipality of Martinfeld in Thuringia. The name was created from a combination of the two terms Smart Village and Martinfeld. Therefore, the name SMARTinfeld seemed appropriate to all involved. The decisive force in this ambitious project is the company Alpha-Omega-Technology, which has its headquarters in the village of Martinfeld.
A Long Range Wide Area Network, LoRaWAN for short, has been set up for this purpose. Such a network consumes very little energy and still has a long range. This allows sensors and actuators of various types to be combined in a modern IoT. This has the advantage that numerous processes can be automated. There are already several possible applications for this innovative technical solution.
What advantages does SMARTinfeld offer?
The first applications have already been used successfully. For example, all street lamps in the community have been equipped with sensors. These measure the current lighting conditions around the lantern. If it is too dark, the modern LED street lighting switches on automatically. This on-demand lighting saves the village high energy costs. This is definitely more economical than switching on all the lighting at certain intervals.
Meanwhile, beekeepers in the community can already use the LoRaWan as well as the IoT to remotely monitor and control their hives. This saves them from having to make daily trips to the hives.
Benefits for winter maintenance
Meanwhile, sensors are already installed along local roads to measure the current roadway temperature. These also transmit the data in real time. The data obtained is used by the winter road maintenance service. The advantage is that there is no need to spread grit unnecessarily. This not only saves costs, but also protects the environment.
The Smart Village project is still in its infancy. In the future, many more applications will be added. Sensors for parking lots and much more are conceivable.
The operators of SMARTinfeld are hoping for a lot
One or the other may wonder what benefits this new technology should bring to the general public. However, the benefits for every citizen are obvious. Residents can be assured that street lights will be on when daylight is no longer sufficient. They also benefit from the fact that icy roadways are gritted in good time.
In addition to the purely practical benefits, there is another aspect. The SMARTinfeld model project is intended to make rural areas more attractive. This will reduce the differences between cities and smaller communities. Ultimately, this will make the rural boroughs more attractive again.
