Help from the stars

A dyke that bursts open on a word of command and provides information on the causes of the collapse, precision agriculture that tells farmers how they should work their land – just two examples of the benefits of combining sensor system technology and ICT, a booming business in the economy of the northern Netherlands.

The know-how of the northern Netherlands in combining sensor technology and ICT has its origins in the astronomical research carried out by the Astron Foundation, based in Dwingeloo in the province of Drenthe.

Astron also generated the Lofar project, which with the aid of a network of antennas stretching across north-western Europe, aims to delve even deeper into the universe than is possible using existing telescopes.

The first antenna fields are being built, but over the past few years the development of the project has already yielded a great deal of innovative knowledge. This knowledge – like that gained from other Astron projects – should be used not only for picking up signals from outer space. On earth too, keeping both feet firmly on the ground, there is great potential for other applications.

Astron’s astronomers are particularly outstanding at collating, processing and interpreting unusually large amounts of raw information from the universe. With their very powerful computers and advanced ICT, they can quickly clear a way through a mountain of data, which would be off-putting to most people.

Managers and the business community in the northern Netherlands saw that this technology could also be applied in other fields, and especially in processing and analysing measurement data from large numbers of sensors, which are frequently positioned far apart from each other.

Although the decision to opt for sensor system technology and ICT as the spearhead of the regional economic policy was taken only recently, the list of projects and spin-offs is already quite long. Take the idea of informing farmers precisely how they can best work each separate part of a field.

A network of agro-sensors measures, for example, the humidity and fertility of the soil, the growth of crops or possible diseases. With this information, a farmer can work his land with much greater precision and, consequently, at lower cost.

Another idea is to monitor natural phenomena in the earth’s deeper layers by means of a network of geophones linked to the Lofar optical fibre data network. This makes use of the natural “rumbling” at great depths instead of artificial dynamite explosions. The monitoring of ground subsidence is a further possibility.

Another idea that could be developed in the future in collaboration with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) is to measure the wind speed in the north of the Netherlands. With the right wind direction, the speed can forecast the amount of electricity that the wind turbines in north Germany will produce later on. Managers of electricity networks can therefore ensure a stable use of the networks.

A project that has already proved successful is the Ijkdijk (calibration dyke) in the province of Groningen. This dyke is equipped with various sensors and can burst on demand, which provides information on the causes of the collapse.

There is no flooding because behind the Ijkdijk is a polder which collects the water. The first collapse of the Ijkdijk in the autumn of 2008 provided a wealth of information and a consortium of companies, semi-government and government bodies will continue to study the matter further. In the long term, the idea is that the sensors from the Ijkdijk should contribute to the protection of the Dutch coastline.

Research and teaching in the northern Netherlands focuses specifically on sensor technology. In Assen, the capital of Drenthe province, the Hanze Institute of Technology (HIT), has launched a bachelor’s programme in the field of sensor technology, which is linked to the Incas3 virtual research centre. Sensor Universe has been set up to bring together the large number of initiatives and to streamline mutual contacts. Assen also wants to develop into Sensor City.

Three projects focus, respectively, on the improvement of mobility by providing advance warning of traffic delays via car radio or satnav; straightforward directions to a space in a car park; and measurements of air quality, noise pollution and climatic conditions. Particular attention is paid to individual privacy.

Over the years, a climate has been created in the northern Netherlands in which initiatives in the field of sensor technology and ICT can flourish. The province of Drenthe has chosen this combination as a spearhead of its economic policy and is making funds available via the innovative action programme for Drenthe (IAD) to encourage promising initiatives. The success of Lofar is just the start, and we will strongly support initiatives from the business community or from other quarters.

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