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The overall goal of this project is to develop, pilot, and disseminate a scalable device-independent mobile system for improved irrigation water management (IWM). The system will enhance the capacity of stakeholders, including producers and water managers, to determine in real time irrigation water demand for a field or region of interest. The technology will be also equipped with forecasting capabilities to predict the irrigation water demand over a forecast period. A complimentary advising component will be developed to provide recommendations for proper rate and timing of irrigation water application based on the physical characteristics, e.g. irrigation system capacity, cropping system, and regional weather forecasts. The mobile technology will be piloted in two irrigated river basins in Colorado where actual water efficiency and savings gained through the use of the proposed smart IWM system will be documented. <P> The research objectives are to: (1) develop a scalable mobile system for efficient IWM using a device-independent cloud computing platform; (2)determine and document, through carefully designed pilot projects, effectiveness of the smart mobile system for improving irrigation water application efficiency and water conservation; and (3) develop iPhone, iPad, and Android IWM applications that would work offline in areas with limited or no network connectivity. <P> The extension objectives are to: (1) promote the adoption of mobile smart IWM systems by irrigators and water managers; (2) use and evaluate electronic educational delivery platforms, such as webinars, to provide efficient irrigation water management training in the pilot project areas and across the U.S.; (3) provide information on smart irrigation water management effectiveness to the stakeholders in the pilot project area; and (4) develop learning modules on irrigation scheduling and mobile IWM systems for the national eXtension website. <P> The key function of the IWM system will be near-real-time delivery of field-specific irrigation decision variables including irrigation requirement (based on soil water deficit and application efficiency), recommended time of next irrigation, set time (based on soil intake rate and system capacity), and a short-term (e.g., 5 days) forecast of soil water deficit. The "smart" feature of the IWM system will be the automated tracking of daily soil water status in the field based on estimation of components of the soil water balance. Access to the mobile IWM system will be through a platform independent web interface or through apps on mobile devices.
Non-Technical Summary: <BR>Improved irrigation water management (IWM) in approximately 54.9 million acres of irrigated farm land in the U.S. can play a key role in water conservation, prevention of water pollution, and enhanced crop productivity. This project will develop, pilot, and promote the use of a web-based IWM tool along with software apps for mobile devices. The system will help crop producers and water managers to determine real-time irrigation water requirements for a field or region of interest. Complementary software components will be developed to provide recommendations of amount and timing of irrigations over a short-term forecast period. Stakeholders of this project will include irrigating crop producers, consultants, water delivery organizations, and private/government water conservation agencies. Engaging a stakeholder advisory group throughout the project will ensure incorporation of stakeholders' IWM priorities and preferences in the design of the versatile technology. The mobile IWM system will be tested in two major irrigated river basins in Colorado where actual water savings from the use of the mobile IWM system will be measured and documented. Building on an existing state-of-the-art cloud computing infrastructure (i.e., services provided over the Internet or network), the mobile IWM system will consist of: (i) a cloud based server infrastructure for web clients (such as web browsers), and (ii) apps for handheld devices such as smart phones or tablets. The cloud based IWM server will work for different operating systems/devices and can be accessed using any handheld device with network connectivity. However, platform-specific (iPhone, iPad and Android) applications will be provided for applicability at remote locations with no network connectivity. Regional workshops for local stakeholders will promote adoption of the tool and IWM best management practices. Electronic educational materials made available through eXtension will help disseminate the IWM technology to the national audience. <P> Approach: <BR> The mobile IWM system will be developed in consultation with a stakeholder advisory group representing irrigating crop producers, consultants, water delivery organizations, and private/government water conservation agencies. Algorithms for estimating irrigation water requirements by field will be incorporated in the environmental Risk Assessment and Management System (eRAMS) and its cloud based server infrastructure. The cloud based IWM/eRAMS server infrastructure will be platform-independent and can be accessed by stakeholders using any handheld device with network connectivity and the capacity to access eRAMS services via web clients. However, platform-specific (Apple and Android) applications will also be provided for times when the user has no network access, which often happens at remote field locations. The mobile app will synchronize information with IWM/eRAMS cloud based services at the instance of application download and whenever network access is available. The IWM system will be linked to existing soils (SSURGO) and weather (CoAgMet weather network) databases for obtaining field-specific inputs required to estimate the daily soil profile water balance for individual fields. Crop consumptive water use (evapotranspiration, ET) will be calculated from reference crop ET (from CoAgMet), crop coefficients, and water stress coefficients. The crop and water stress coefficients will represent actual crop and soil water conditions in the field. A unique feature of the IWM system will be the capability of using remote sensing to estimate crop ET based on surface energy balance obtained from satellite imagery (ReSET model). Remotely sensed ET can be used to augment or adjust crop ET provided by the weather network. Users of the IWM system will be able to input field boundaries, irrigation system characteristics (e.g., capacity, efficiency, operational rules), crop data (type, planting or emergence date, etc.), and management allowed depletion of soil water. Advanced users will be given the option to adjust default values of crop coefficients, based on more accurate field observations of crop development. The following IWM outputs for each field will be accessible from either the web client or the mobile app: irrigation water requirement; soil water deficit; ET from previous time periods (days or week); warning of impending irrigation need along with recommended date, application rate, and set time; and short-term (e.g., 5-day) forecast of soil water deficit based on current average crop ET and NOAA precipitation forecasts. The mobile IWM system will be piloted in two major irrigated river basins in Colorado where actual water savings via the use of the mobile IWM system will be measured and documented. Regional workshops for local stakeholders will promote adoption of the mobile IWM system and best management practices. Effectiveness of the workshops and adoption of the mobile IWM system will be measured using printed and online survey instruments. Electronic educational materials made available through eXtension will help disseminate the IWM technology to the national audience.