What are the main monitoring technologies for irrigation district informatization?

Release time：

2025-09-29

　　In the Context of Growing Global Water Supply-Demand Contradictions.Under the backdrop of worsening global water supply-demand contradictions, irrigation districts, as the lifeline of agricultural production, their management efficiency and resource utilization level directly affect national food security and ecological sustainable development. Informatization of irrigation districts, leveraging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and artificial intelligence (AI), enables real-time perception and intelligent regulation of water resources, soil, meteorology, and other factors. As an industry technology leader, Xiamen Haichuan Runze IoT Technology Co., Ltd. has a product system covering the perception layer, transmission layer, platform layer, and application layer, providing full-chain technical support for irrigation district informatization from data collection to decision execution. The following analysis focuses on the core monitoring technology dimensions.

　　1. Soil Moisture Monitoring Technology: The Cornerstone of Precision Irrigation

　　Soil moisture is a key parameter determining irrigation timing and volume. Traditional irrigation relies on manual experience, which easily leads to over-irrigation or insufficient water supply. Haichuan Runze's tube-type soil moisture monitors adopt capacitive, resistive, or heat-pulse principles. They accurately sense the water content of soil layers at different depths by measuring changes in soil dielectric constant, conductivity, or time differences in heat-pulse propagation. These devices can monitor soil moisture in the 0-100cm range in layers, with a data accuracy of ±3%, providing a scientific basis for variable-rate irrigation.

　　The technological advantages are reflected in three aspects:

　　First, the multi-level monitoring capability can identify vertical distribution differences of soil moisture, avoiding decision-making deviations caused by single-depth data.

　　Second, the real-time transmission function uploads data to the cloud platform via LoRa or NB-IoT networks, allowing managers to check the dynamic changes of soil moisture at any time.

　　Third, it links with intelligent irrigation controllers. When the soil moisture of a certain layer is below the threshold, the system automatically activates the drip irrigation system to achieve "on-demand water supply".

　　2. Water Level and Flow Monitoring Technology: The "Ruler" and "Measuring Tool" for Water Resource Allocation

　　2.1 Water Level Monitoring: Dynamically Mastering Water Resource Distribution

　　Changes in water levels of channels and reservoirs directly affect the allocation of irrigation water and flood control safety. Haichuan Runze's radar water level gauges and ultrasonic water level gauges form a dual guarantee for water level monitoring:

　　Radar water level gauges use 26GHz high-frequency electromagnetic waves to measure the distance from the water surface to the sensor, unaffected by water temperature and water quality, with a measurement accuracy of ±1mm.

　　Ultrasonic water level gauges calculate water levels through the time of sound wave reflection, suitable for channels with high sediment content. Both devices support 4G/5G or Beidou short-message transmission to ensure data continuity in remote areas.

　　2.2 Flow Monitoring: Quantifying Water Resource Utilization Efficiency

　　Flow data is the core basis for metering and charging, as well as water resource allocation. Haichuan Runze provides three solutions: Doppler ultrasonic flowmeters, ultrasonic open-channel flowmeters, and track-type flow measurement vehicles:

　　Doppler flowmeters use the acoustic Doppler effect to measure water flow velocity and calculate flow by combining channel cross-section parameters, suitable for regular channels.

　　Open-channel flowmeters directly output flow values by measuring water surface width and flow velocity, with convenient installation.

　　Track-type flow measurement vehicles conduct mobile measurements along channels through mechanical devices, suitable for non-standard cross-sections. All these devices have a data self-calibration function. When the flow velocity or water level is abnormal, they automatically trigger a re-measurement mechanism to ensure data reliability.

　　3. Meteorological Monitoring Technology: The "Early Warning Device" for Responding to Climate Uncertainties

　　Meteorological conditions are important variables for irrigation decisions. Haichuan Runze's meteorological monitoring stations integrate six-element sensors for temperature, humidity, illumination, rainfall, wind speed, and wind direction, building a microclimate monitoring network for irrigation districts. Among them, the tipping-bucket rain gauge measures rainfall by counting the number of bucket flips, with an accuracy of 0.1mm; the three-cup anemometer calculates wind speed using the angular velocity of cup rotation driven by wind, with a measurement range of 0-60m/s. After real-time upload of meteorological data to the cloud platform, the system combines historical meteorological databases and uses LSTM neural networks to predict the 72-hour rainfall probability, providing forward-looking support for adjusting irrigation plans.

　　The technological breakthrough lies in multi-source data fusion: For example, when continuous high temperatures are detected and soil moisture is below the warning value, the system automatically recommends increasing irrigation frequency; if heavy rain is predicted, it closes the gates in low-lying areas in advance to prevent waterlogging. This "meteorology-soil-engineering" linkage mechanism transforms irrigation management from passive response to active regulation.

　　4. Water Quality Monitoring Technology: Safeguarding the "Lifeline" of Agricultural Water Use

　　Deterioration of water quality can lead to soil compaction and crop yield reduction. Haichuan Runze's water quality monitors focus on key indicators of agricultural water use:

　　Conductivity sensors measure the ion concentration of water to determine the risk of salinization.

　　Dissolved oxygen sensors monitor water activity to prevent root rot caused by anaerobic environments.

　　pH sensors control acidity and alkalinity to avoid soil acidification. The devices adopt anti-interference design and can work stably in channel water containing sediment and algae. Data is transmitted to the supervision platform via encryption. When an indicator exceeds the standard, the system immediately sends an early warning to the administrator's mobile phone.

　　The technological value is reflected in two aspects:

　　First, it provides a basis for selecting irrigation water sources, such as prioritizing the use of reservoir water with good water quality to reduce groundwater extraction.

　　Second, through long-term water quality monitoring, it establishes a file of water environment changes in irrigation districts, providing data support for ecological restoration.

　　5. Engineering Facility Monitoring Technology: Ensuring the Safe Operation of Irrigation Systems

　　5.1 Gate Status Monitoring: Precisely Controlling Water Flow Allocation

　　Gates are the water volume regulation hubs of irrigation channels. Haichuan Runze's integrated gate controllers integrate angle sensors and torque sensors to monitor gate opening and closing force in real time, with data transmitted to the control center via RS485 or wireless communication. When the gate is stuck or the opening deviation exceeds 5%, the system automatically triggers an alarm and records the fault time, facilitating maintenance personnel to locate the problem. In addition, the controller supports remote control functions, allowing administrators to adjust the gate opening via a mobile APP to achieve "one-click" water volume allocation.

　　5.2 Pump Station Operation Monitoring: Optimizing Energy Utilization Efficiency

　　Pump stations are the power sources for irrigation water lifting. Haichuan Runze's pump station controllers monitor parameters such as pump voltage, current, and power factor, and calculate energy consumption per unit water volume by combining flowmeter data. When abnormal energy consumption increase of a pump is detected, the system prompts for impeller cleaning or motor maintenance to avoid energy waste caused by "operation with faults". At the same time, the controller supports frequency conversion and speed regulation functions, dynamically adjusting the pump speed according to irrigation needs to achieve precise matching between energy consumption and water volume demand.

　　6. Data Transmission and Processing Technology: Building the "Nervous System" of Irrigation Districts

　　6.1 Communication Network: Connecting the "Last Kilometer" of Data Transmission

　　Haichuan Runze provides various communication solutions such as LoRa, NB-IoT, 4G/5G, and Beidou short messages to adapt to different irrigation district environments:

　　In mountainous areas or signal blind areas, LoRa ad-hoc network technology is adopted to realize data relay transmission through relay nodes.

　　In plain areas, operator 4G networks are used to upload data directly.

　　For remote areas without networks, Beidou short messages can send key data packets at regular intervals. All devices support dual-link backup. When the main communication channel fails, they automatically switch to the backup link to ensure data continuity.

　　6.2 Cloud Platform: Empowering Data Value Mining

　　Haichuan Runze's smart irrigation district informatization management platform is developed based on a microservice architecture and has three core capabilities:

　　First, data cleaning and storage. It denoises and complements raw data through ETL tools and stores it in a time-series database.

　　Second, intelligent analysis and decision-making. It integrates machine learning algorithms to generate irrigation recommendations based on soil moisture and weather forecasts.

　　Third, visual display. It overlays layers such as water level, flow, and equipment status on GIS maps, allowing managers to intuitively view the operation status of irrigation districts. The platform also provides open API interfaces to support data intercommunication with third-party platforms such as agricultural meteorological services and water right trading systems.

　　7. Technology Integration and Innovation: Moving Towards Smart Irrigation Districts 3.0

　　Currently, the informatization of irrigation districts is evolving from "single-point monitoring" to "system intelligence". Haichuan Runze promotes industry upgrading through the following technology integrations:

　　First, collaboration between edge computing and cloud computing. It deploys lightweight AI models in remote terminal units to realize device-side anomaly detection.

　　Second, application of digital twin technology. It builds 3D digital models of irrigation districts to simulate soil moisture distribution under different irrigation schemes.

　　Third, introduction of blockchain technology. It records sensor data and irrigation records on the chain to provide reliable evidence for water right trading.