Data collection on aquaculture.
The Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) writes that A consortium of research partners in Scotland has been awarded a GBP 250,000 funding package to revolutionise the collection, interpretation, and use of data on fish farms.
Led by R3-IoT, the Glasgow-based satellite communications start-up, the group will develop a software system that automatically captures large volumes of continuous sensor data across aquaculture sites securely in one place, where it can be processed, stored, and actioned.
The digital platform will be developed in parallel with R3-IoT’s satellite communications solution, which brings seamless connectivity to remote and rural areas – enabling organisations to fully digitise their business operations across multiple sites and locations.
The project is funded by the Seafood Innovation Fund, with support from SAIC, Edinburgh Napier University, the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture and the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation and amongst others.
R3-IoT’s platform will automate the collection of data from a range of sensing technologies already in place, allowing fish farms to use this information to remotely manage their operations more efficiently. This is for from environmental metrics like oxygen, temperature, and salinity, to operational datapoints such as wave height and strength.
Once developed, the new digital platform will enable organisations to regularly share environmental and operational data with regulators, supply chain companies, researchers and other stakeholders.
“Aquaculture has ambitious plans to deliver sustainable growth and data can be a key enabler for the sector. But having data is only the first step, you also have to unlock its potential, which is what the digital platform we are developing through this project will deliver,” said CEO and co-founder of R3-IoT Allan Cannon.
“The technology will help fish farmers understand operations across different sites and locations wherever they are, providing them with increased visibility, improved quality of, and access to timely information. It will also allow them to remotely and quickly respond to data-driven insights to improve business performance,” he added.
“The concept behind our data platform has been informed by the research we conducted as part of the initial feasibility study, interviewing more than 30 senior members of the fish farming sector, it will closely reflect what the sector has told us it needs. We have a great consortium working on this project, taking in a range of expertise and skills, and, having demonstrated the high reliability of the platform during a trial with a major salmon producer, we believe the results could be very high-impact,” concluded Cannon.
