RuralAI in tomato farming: Integrated sensor system, distributed computing and hierarchical federated learning for crop health monitoring

Devaraj, Harish, Sohail, Shaleeza, Li, Boyang, Hudson, Nathaniel, Baughman, Matt, Chard, Kyle, Chard, Ryan, Casella, Enrico, Foster, Ian and Rana, Omer ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3597-2646 2024. RuralAI in tomato farming: Integrated sensor system, distributed computing and hierarchical federated learning for crop health monitoring. IEEE Sensors Letters 8 (5) , 5501604. 10.1109/LSENS.2024.3384935

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Abstract

Precision horticulture is evolving due to scalable sensor deployment and machine learning integration. These advancements boost the operational efficiency of individual farms, balancing the benefits of analytics with autonomy requirements. However, given concerns that affect wide geographic regions (e.g., climate change), there is a need to apply models that span farms. Federated Learning (FL) has emerged as a potential solution. FL enables decentralized machine learning (ML) across different farms without sharing private data. Traditional FL assumes simple 2-tier network topologies and thus falls short of operating on more complex networks found in real-world agricultural scenarios. Networks vary across crops and farms, and encompass various sensor data modes, extending across jurisdictions. New hierarchical FL (HFL) approaches are needed for more efficient and context-sensitive model sharing, accommodating regulations across multiple jurisdictions. We present the RuralAI architecture deployment for tomato crop monitoring, featuring sensor field units for soil, crop, and weather data collection. HFL with personalization is used to offer localized and adaptive insights. Model management, aggregation, and transfers are facilitated via a flexible approach, enabling seamless communication between local devices, edge nodes, and the cloud.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Computer Science & Informatics
Publisher:	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
ISSN:	2475-1472
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	6 April 2024
Date of Acceptance:	25 March 2024
Last Modified:	10 Nov 2024 02:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/167775

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