1. IrriSatSMS Satellite and SMS Irrigation Scheduling Service
John Hornbuckle, Nick Car & Evan Christen

2. IrriSatSMS - Satellite and SMS Irrigation Scheduling Service
Aims to overcome the costs and complexities of irrigation scheduling
Capturing the bulk of the ‘market’ and providing them with a tool for assisting these decisions can deliver real water savings
The system provides irrigation scheduling information specific for a farm at an extremely low cost, directly to their mobile phone, taking into account the latest weather conditions and their crop needs ensuring decisions on irrigation are made with the best available information

3. How does IrriSatSMS schedule ?
Using the FAO 56 approach
Reference water use – weather station
ETc = ETo x Kc
Crop Coefficient – relates your crop to the reference crop
Actual water use of crop

4. Gaining individual crop coefficients
Multi-spectral (Spot,Landsat, Iknonos) satellites cover MIA approx. every 7-14 days
Images of everyone's individual crop
Can this information can be used for gaining the crop coefficient

5. USDA – Trout, Ayars

6. Determining Kc from NDVI - grapevines
Kc = 2.26 x NDVI –

7. How does the IrriSatSMS schedule ?
Using the FAO 56 approach
ETc = ETo x Kc
Actual water use of crop
.. But still in a format that’s not much use!

8. Making the scheduling information useful
Irrigation
Rainfall

9. Overview of IrriSatSMS
Determination of a crop coefficient (Kc) from satellite image
Satellite images used to determine plant performance of an irrigators crop
Satellite Measurements
Representing Individual Paddocks
Incorporates management/soil/water/salinity constraints
On Ground
ETo from Weather Station or SILO
ETc = ETo X Kc
Potential Evaporation based on Atmospheric Demand
Crop water use determined and irrigation requirement
Daily irrigation scheduling information delivered to irrigators through SMS

10. Benchmarking and auditing

11. Try a Demonstration Now!
SMS demo run times to and you’ll receive a demonstration SMS reply for grapevines in Griffith, NSW

12. Future efforts/issues

13. Understanding and irrigating for spatial variability – making use of RS data

14. Rastus – spatial soil, water, plant model

15. Future efforts/issues
RS for assessing crop/plant stress i.e. LWP from RS – implementing RDI, SDI irrigation strategies for monitoring water stress for improved quality – a simple thermal type approach
Soil moisture – deeper and with greater resolution
Linking RS data with irrigation management models
Large group of irrigators which we have real time water use and soil moisture monitoring (60+) senteks/cprobes
Heavily instrumented field sites EB, SM, EM, ET, T, etc
Very interested in being a part of any future campaign
Future Campaigns

16. Thank you Contact Us Phone: 1300 363 400 or +61 3 9545 2176
Web:
Thank you