Landscape and Irrigation is read by decision makers throughout the landscape and irrigation markets — including contractors, landscape architects, professional grounds managers, and irrigation and water mgmt companies and reaches the entire spetrum.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/626548
was happening at the controller on site? Broken sprinkler heads, slow leaks in the irrigation lines? With one-way communication, these controllers could not share data back to the Cloud, all that on-site visibility was not being captured and shared. Now, with field-proven wireless technology and Cloud ana- lytics (fancy show off words for cellular communication and the Internet), the focus has shifted to being able to deliver the right piece of site data to the right person at the right time. This data-driven shift was made possible when two-way wire- less communications became affordable and ubiquitous. The ability to communicate with these controllers in real time and operate hundreds or even thousands of stations and flow sen- sors from a central, remote location gave new meaning to the term "smart." For the first time, it was possible for contractors to manage both large and small sites from one location. Con- tractors are now able to be automatically alerted to any land- scape issues immediately, and remotely test and verify the issue before making a lengthy trip to the site. This sig- nificantly changed landscape maintainers daily schedules. No longer do they spend their entire days in their trucks visiting site after site or try- ing to guess which site to visit first. Now their days are split between "online" time and their field time, which has now been dramatically de- creased. This change in workflow has increased staff efficiency, reduced the number of truck rolls and expenses relating to it, as well as keep- ing documentation and records centrally man- aged — never losing key pieces of information. Today, creating compelling, accurate reports is as easy as selecting the print button. With the Internet and Cloud technology in full swing, as well as severe drought conditions affecting a majority of the country, smart irriga- tion has become more than just efficient irriga- tion scheduling. It is about using data and the knowledge the data provides to help organiza- tions make their sites and businesses smarter. Whether it's water budgeting tools, integrated site survey applications, smart phone apps, or water agency compliance monitoring, the goal is the same. In the smart irrigation industry, this utilization of turning data into knowledge delivers a powerful combination of accuracy, visibility, and efficiency. We believe that the next evolutionary step in achieving the full potential of truly "smart" irrigation is, in a word, flow. Flow visibility and control ultimately ensures the most effective smart water management is being maintained 24/7. To be clear, there are a lot of sites with smart irrigation controllers that do not have flow that are saving water; but, eventually, being blind to your real-time water use is going to cost you, and never at the right time or place. The demand for accurate flow solutions at a competitive cost has never been greater. In 2015, our company has seen more than a three-fold increase in flow product sales. With real-time flow data, smart irrigation controllers are at their smartest, making it possible to identify leaks, system breaks, controller setting errors, and even water theft. However, 16 January/February 2016 Landscape and Irrigation www.landscapeirrigation.com With the Internet and Cloud technology in full swing, as well as severe drought conditions affecting a majority of the country, smart irrigation has become more than just efficient irrigation scheduling IRRIGATION AND WATER MANAGEMENT