SCOTTISH FARM

BUSINESS CHALLENGE

Securing a farm over many acres

With the continued cost pressures on the agricultural industry and the increase in rural crime, it is now more important than ever to make sure that expensive machinery and livestock are not stolen or damaged. In a rural location, people can access large farms, often without being seen, and spend time undetected removing machinery or livestock.
Traditional monitoring and detection methods often require expensive mobile data plans and electrical power to detect unauthorised activity. They often struggle to work reliably in difficult terrain and a challenging outdoor environment.

RESULTS STORY

Farm wide sensor networks

To solve the challenge, Sensorstream have developed a wide area sensor which can monitor large areas without costly infrastructure or expensive yearly monitoring costs. A multi sensor environment makes it hard for potential thieves to disable all the sensors. Their movement on and around the farm can be detected early allowing a local response to a threat, before it becomes theft or damage.
“When we heard about the Sensorstream sensors we were excited about the prospect of securing the farm. Previous solutions had been costly and often only a single use solution such as tracking a Quadbike,” Will explains.

Working with Burnside Farm Sensorstream were able to come up with a deployment plan to install a number of sensors around the estate which would capture movement. Both static sensors and mobile sensors were used to provide comprehensive coverage of the key access roads and paths as well as key farm machinery.

The Sensorstream alerting system provides instant movement notifications sent to a mobile phone app, as well as comprehensive reporting to show trends and graphs.

“We were impressed at the way the alerts can be customised to fit the working activities on the farm so that we don’t get unnecessary alerts. We know that when we get an alert it is worth taking action”, said Will.

The ease of installation of the sensors means they can be repositioned if a new area needs monitoring or a piece of machinery has be put into store for the winter. The sensor can be moved to where it is most needed.

When contractors are on site the sensors can also be used to provide movement and time information to make sure contractors are working in the areas required and also for the time agreed.

A secure monitored area can be created and alerts will be generated if anyone enters the area. This can be especially useful if there are a number of contractors working on the farm.

Gamekeepers can use the sensor information to help track the movement of animals or poachers on and around the farm.

Secure monitoring areas can be established to prevent unauthorised removal or tampering with oil storage tanks, water supplies, wind turbines, hay bales etc

TRANSFORMATION

Delivering security and peace of mind at minimal cost

Today, Burnside Farm is secure in the knowledge that unauthorised access around the farm will be reported and action can be taken. If a thief tried to remove the sensor from the quad bike, before stealing it, the other sensors will already have detected movement around the farm buildings and access roads and have alerted the farmer.
With the ability to allocate alerts to groups of people there is the possibility of utilising existing rural watch groups to monitor and respond to issues on neighbouring farms which creates an unwelcoming environment for criminals and help prevent antisocial behaviour.

As extra buildings, machinery and livestock are added to the farm it is a simple job to add extra sensors to the farm to increase the monitoring area.

The sensors can also be used in farmhouses or offices to provide alerts if people enter or leave those premises. They can be used to alert farmers to the arrival of delivery people, whilst away from the farmhouse, helping you avoid the frustration of missed deliveries.

Additional sensors can be added quickly and easily as required.