Differences of Environmental Conditions by the Type of ICT-based Horticulture Greenhouses

ABSTRACT This study has two primary objectives. First, by using aggregated environmental data from many farms, we analyze the differences of data among farms and we propose the operational points to be considered by each greenhouse type. Second, we present some application implications expected from merging environmental and actuator control data. Lately, with the progression in information and communications technology(ICT), the number of greenhouses with an automated environmental control system based on a sensor network is increasing in South Korea. For greenhouses using ICT equipment, environmental and actuator control data are being collected in real-time. However, most farmers have been utilizing the data only they develop weekly environmental controlled greenhouse management reports. Farmers do not link the data through an analysis of aggregated data from different farms or an analysis on linked data between environmental and actuator data. In this study, data from six tomato farms in South Korea were collected from November 2014 to October 2015. The greenhouses were categorized by roof windows type, cultivation method (hydroponics or fertigation), covering type, heating system, and temperature setting for roof window. The outcome of this study shows how the information collected from many farms can be utilized usefully. Implications can be driven by both analyzing the environmental and actuator control data