The Environmental IoT: Understanding and Managing the Natural Environment through Internet of Things Technology

The Internet of Things (IoT) represents the next major step for the Internet as it evolves from a communication substrate that connects computers to one that connects and embraces everyday objects (things). This has the potential to revolutionize many different sectors of the economy and society more generally, e.g. enabling smart cities, smart transport systems, intelligent management of energy supplies, etc, all enabled by data collection from sensors. Most research in the Internet of Things has been carried out in cities and urban areas more generally. In our view, IoT has even more potential in rural environments, providing real-time data streams to support a deep understanding of environmental inter-dependencies and the subsequent support for holistic management strategies. More specifically, we argue that the combination of IoT technology coupled with Cloud Computing enables a paradigm shift in our understanding and management of the natural environment in times of unprecedented environmental change.

This project will illustrate and evaluate the potential of IoT technology in a given catchment, the Conwy. Through this, we will deliver:

1. An integrated distributed systems infrastructure consisting of an experimental Internet of Things also linking to a cloud computing environment, and achieving interoperability across the resultant complex system;

2. A set of techniques to discover and study inter-dependencies across disparate real-time data streams representing different environmental facets, at potentially different geographical locations and at different scales;

3. Two end user driven applications based on the underlying IoT/ cloud infrastructure demonstrating the impact of a more integrative approach to science and how it can inform holistic environmental management, e.g. across land and water management.

The proposed research involves a world class, cross-disciplinary team bringing together the expertise of the School of Computing and Communications at Lancaster University and the Environment Centre Wales (incorporating CEH and the University of Bangor). The project also has a strong Stakeholders Group involving representatives of key beneficiaries of the work including: Welsh Water, Natural Resources Wales (merged Environment Agency-Wales, Forestry Commission Wales, Countryside Council for Wales), Welsh Government and Conwy CC.

The Environmental IoT project represents a first attempt to instrument and manage an environmental catchment in all its facets, across different geographical locations and at all its scales, for the benefit of the key stakeholders associated with that catchment - farmers and associated agricultural businesses, the water industry, tourists and tourism related businesses, and society more generally. This has the potential to completely transform these associated businesses, enabling critical areas such as integrated land and water management, coastal zone protection and precision agriculture.

More specifically, we see major potential for impact in a number of areas.

Firstly, we see significant potential for impact on the key industries around environmental management including those related to water, agriculture, forestries, fisheries and tourism. The storyboards in particular will act as a means of communication to these sectors. One of the main challenges in the Conwy and many other catchments / landscapes is the potential conflict arising from the needs of different industries, and the need for decision support tools to future-proof against climate change. GDP associated for Wales and the UK indicate all are important to local and national economies to varying degrees, and balancing their requirements is a major challenge for both industry and government alike. It is also noteworthy that the TSB recognizes the economic importance of environmental data (see its recent call on 'Solving business problems with environmental data') and potential for growth in industries from the innovative use of such data.

Secondly, we see major impact on government, national and local, and on policy makers more generally through providing a scientific, data-driven basis for integrated environmental management and to reverse the silo management that is all to prevalent in this area. This feeds strongly into the Living with Environmental Change agenda.

Other areas of impact include our desired transformative impact on science and also significant contributions to our underlying academic disciplines see statement of Academic Beneficiaries).

In the Pathways to Impact document, we highlight a sophisticated strategy for realising this impact. Highlights of this strategy include:

1. The involvement of a Stakeholders Group as our key vehicle for end user engagement and (local/ national aspects of) dissemination and exploitation;
2. Complementary approaches to international dissemination through the Belmont Forum;
3. An open approach to stakeholder involvement, to extend the membership of this group;
4. The use of a co-design workshop at the start of the project to develop our storyboards;
5. The use of an agile/ iterative development approach designed to maximise the involvement of our stakeholders in software development, through its inherent feedback mechanism.

The initial membership of our Stakeholders Group is impressive: Welsh Water, Natural Resources Wales (merged Environment Agency-Wales, Forestry Commission Wales, Countryside Council for Wales), Welsh Government and Conwy CC.