Telematics For Agriculture And Farming
To meet the growing demand for agricultural produce and the many challenges facing the industry, today's farmers need to be more innovative, efficient and competitive, while conserving resources. As a result, comprehensive, affordable and customisable solutions for tracking agricultural machinery, combined with process monitoring and automation, are becoming not just an attractive option, but a necessity.
Poor harvests due to agricultural issues can lead to significant financial losses and affect entire regions for years. According to the State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) report, food loss and waste were over 15% in North America and Europe, and over 20% in Central and South Asia in 2019.
Modern farm owners can address the challenge of efficient machinery tracking and management by adopting advanced technologies such as GPS-enabled tracking devices, IoT sensors, and farm management software. These tools provide real-time data on machinery location, usage, and maintenance needs, optimizing operations and reducing waste. Integrating these systems with crop performance data can help predict and mitigate the impact of adverse conditions, further enhancing efficiency and productivity.
Non-cellular communication can quickly become expensive when transmitting large amounts of data, and only the most important information should be provided to the fleet manager. However, it becomes difficult to determine exactly what is happening with the vehicle or driver and to keep the amount and cost of the information under control. Fortunately, Teltonika Telematics can provide an effective solution to all of these challenges.
Thanks to the fast-developing IoT technologies, agriculture-specific equipment, farming implements, and/or accessories tracking and management can be successfully achieved by combining GPS devices, CAN bus data adaptors, and Bluetooth® Low Energy 4.X (BLE) ID beacons. The preferred choice for this matter is the vehicle GPS tracker Teltonika FMB140 with a built-in CAN data reading feature and advanced software version supporting agriculture-type vehicles (aka ALL-CAN300 option).
They can be configured to exact customer needs, signal strength and data transmitting intervals can be easily integrated into virtually any size and form environment. Here to say, Teltonika GPS trackers support up to 100 beacons at a time and each of them will continuously work, depending on the model, for around 4 to 10 years on a single battery transmitting a signal up to 500 m range.
Here is how it works - Bluetooth® LE ID beacons had to be attached to various non-motorised farming implements, agricultural machinery, attachments, and accessories to be monitored and accounted for. Thanks to the wireless communication principle, the installation process is effortless, fast, and low-cost.
Teltonika FMB140 trackers should be mounted on agricultural vehicles to monitor and manage farm assets efficiently. These trackers use ID beacons to transmit unique signals, which are read and identified by GPS devices. The FMB140 sends this data, along with its GNSS location, to a server for analysis.
Dedicated software determines the location of all beacons, providing real-time tracking and recording of tagged agricultural assets. This system is automatic and accessible 24/7 from any modern device with internet access, allowing farmers to know exactly what works were done in what fields and to plan accordingly.
The FMB140 offers additional functions such as Green Driving, Jamming detection, Excessive Idling detection, Immobilizer, Unplug detection, Towing detection, Crash detection, Auto/Manual Geofence, Trip, and remote configuration and firmware updates via FOTA WEB tool. These features enhance the value and benefits for farming businesses, making the FMB140 a comprehensive and indispensable choice.
For instance, geofences are virtual boundaries a farmer can draw on a digital map in a relevant software application that is used in location-aware events and various alarms. This handy feature can be used for setting up events and receiving notifications when an agricultural vehicle or attachment enters or leaves a predetermined area. Even greater, it allows drawing zones around farming fields, warehouses, various sites of importance, secure areas, etc.
Keep in mind, ID beacons allow tracking and simplify drivers’ authentication solutions too. If the authentication fails, a vehicle ignition starter will remain disconnected to prevent undesirable actions. Altogether, this ensures automated hassle-free fleet drivers’ time, location, action tracking, monitoring, and management.
Wireless external fuel/liquid level sensors (aka FLS or LLS) can be utilised to measure current fuel volume and its changes in a fuel tank. They are used as a part of a vehicle telematics system and provide accurate data measuring remaining liquid, fuel tank fill-up, and draining volumes. Also, it helps a farming fleet to stay accountable, economical, and prevent fuel thefts from motorised farming machinery tanks. Wireless communication eliminates the risk of cable vandalism and significantly simplifies the installation process.
Thanks to Jamming detection, Immobilizer, Unplug detection, Towing detection feature combo, drivers' and agricultural vehicles safely will be substantially increased. Even more, farmers can implement automated drivers’ identification and working hours measuring solution utilising 1-Wire technology, GPS trackers mounted on vehicles and relevant accessories for this matter.
Built-in CAN bus data adaptor reads over 100 parameters to ensure timely fleet maintenance schedules and service; highly efficient, comprehensive, and automated management helps to save fuel, and time, avoid downtime, farm running costs increase, and overheads. All this contributes to the ultimate goal that every farmer looks for – the growth of productivity and output with a minimum effort.
- Smart farming and outstanding efficiency - 100% accountability for everything that matters to the farm business: equipment, valuable assets, processes and patterns are tracked, monitored and optimised. Maximum results with minimum effort and no more messy paper notes or printed maps.
- Low-cost Bluetooth® ID beacons set up - adding wireless identification functionality to agricultural machinery is a simple and quick process for current users of our telematics solutions. If broken or stolen, they can be quickly replaced.
- Customisable solutions for every business need - to get the most out of them, ID beacons can be configured with signal strength and data transmission intervals to suit your exact needs and can be used in any shape or size of farm field or site.
- Efficient fleet maintenance, safety, and timely service - fleet owners can be confident that their agricultural vehicles are kept in perfect condition, safe and fully operational. Tracking vehicle maintenance schedules becomes a hassle-free, automated process, saving valuable time and resources.
- Extensive Teltonika GPS tracker FMB140 functionality to serve farming needs - integrated CAN bus data reading, flexible configuration, multiple-use scenarios and a wealth of benefits to optimise fleet management, reduce running costs, and improve ROI.
