Wade4Wireless

Forestry Private Wireless Use Cases


This is one area that most people overlook. However, I have been approached several times to ask how technology can help in this industry. This industry has a lot of synergies with farming and mining.

Most people don’t realize how much the forestry industry relies on technology. Here are some examples.

  • They rely on satellite photos to look at forests to make sure they have replanted the proper number of trees.
  • These photos along with weather tracking let them know where the forest is prime for harvest and where it should be left alone.
  • This information also allows them to follow disease and pests as they become a problem.
  • Tracking workers at the site is critical for safety.
  • Communication and efficiency are tracked to improve safety, quality, and of course, quantity. The closer to real time, the better. 
  • Data is critical so that they understand the rain patterns and weather coming up for the workers and for reforestation. 

This is just the tip of the iceberg, so let’s look at how we can help them with their industry. 

  1. Safety – while onsite, a small network could enable tracking of individuals’ vitals. Remember that much deforestation happens in remote areas, so making sure the workers are safe, hydrated, and healthy is a critical component. Monitoring the workers is vital. 
  2. Emergencies – this is where they may rely on communications and drones to cover the area if something goes wrong. Accidents happen so if you can respond wackily while onsite you will save lives. Communication is key in this situation. 
  3. Geofencing – this is to make sure that the workers stay in the proper areas and to check safety zones. 
  4. Logistics – tracking inventory in real time from the site to the warehouse is a key indicator of performance and could affect the price you get for each delivery. Tracking progress and problems at the site will determine the inventory in the warehouse in a few days. End-to-end tracking can greatly improve forecasting. 
  5. Robotics including vehicle tracking and improved automation – this could be the heavy equipment at the site or the trucks making the deliveries. Think about the equipment that moves the trees from the point of removal to the trucks, could we automate this repetitive task? Also, the way they plant the trees today makes removing the trees fast and easy because they are generally spaced evenly apart. Automation can improve efficiency and lower risk to the people on site.  
  6. Remote monitoring – NOCs can monitor production, safety, worker health, and other KPIs in near real time. Also, if there is a problem onsite, then it can be addressed remotely and possibly with a remote expert to weigh in for support.  
  7. Video – as with all the above, video can enable a lot of these functions onsite and offsite. This could help with safety, of course, but think of troubleshooting and repairing equipment. If you could have the onsite crew video the broken part or problem then the remote expert could tell you what parts need to be delivered to get the operation back on track. Local video may identify diseases or pests that could not be seen from a satellite or have not been reported yet. 
  8. Sensors – in the soil they should have sensors not only for moisture and obvious reasons, but if there is a fuel spill from any of the equipment, the sooner it’s discovered the quicker it can be contained. Also, sensors on the equipment can predict failures before they happen. Sensors could be on elect trees to identify health and growth. 
  9. Data collection – this is going to offer real-time and local data collection that the team really didn’t have before. Can you imagine they see what their soil conditions are like across thousands of acres because their drones flew over with infrared cameras? No more guessing or thinking that it’s the same a few miles away as it is here. Now we can collect data and make changes for each specific sector of the forest.
  10. Search and rescue using drones. This is a tough one because the forest can be thick, and I don’t see a private network covering enough of the forest. If you could set up a temporary network, maybe you could cover a lot of ground quickly. Maybe you could even eliminate part of the search area quickly. You could add infrared cameras to the drone and look for a heat signature over simple video. You have options. 
  11. Temporary broadband setups will become the new normal. I would think this is going to become mandatory. Most areas are remote and they probably rely on satellites for backhaul. But to have the area they’re working in covered for safety and communication. This is where we need to come up with a high-power temporary setup that can be deployed quickly and efficiently. 

As a closing note, don’t limit yourself to one technology. In this case, LoRa can do many of the functions. Maybe it’s a mix of LTE and LoRa with a satellite backhaul. You will have to be creative for the teams in the field. They will need something they can set up for a short period of time.

As for logistics, I would bet they already track their trucks.

However, I would also bet that they don’t track their heavy equipment, at least not as well as they should. That and the tools they use probably go missing all the time. Larger tools in construction are being tracked today and we should be doing the same in this industry. We have the technology, but maybe they haven’t made the investment yet.

look around and see where they’re losing money. If you can stop the leakage for an upfront price, then you add value and profitability to their operation. I did this in mining and construction. Now we have to look beyond the local market.

More:

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Finally, here are some other updates.

Update on next book! I am putting together a new book on Private Wireless Networks. Hopefully by the end of January.

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