Pioneering IoT sea environment monitoring platform launches in Vietnam

April 3rd, 2020

Launch of IoT-enabled sea environment monitoring station in Phu Yen is a significant milestone in the Aus4Innovation project UTS Rapido Vietnam.

On 16 March, a team of researchers and engineers from UTS and Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT) launched the first environmental monitoring station on Xuan Dai bay, Phu Yen province, in the south central coast of Vietnam.

The launch marks a crucial milestone in the ongoing development of the aquaculture monitoring system led by UTS, HCMUT, and VNU University of Engineering and Technology (VNU-UET) under the Aus4Innovation project UTS Rapido Vietnam. The project applies Industry 4.0 technologies in different water systems across Vietnam, enabling sustainable communities in the Red River Delta and marine farms along the Vietnamese coastline

Environmental monitoring station equipped with cutting-edge Industry 4.0 technology. Image: UTS

The monitoring station employs the latest designs and technologies in robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), data analytics and mechatronics. The station allows sampling of ocean water every 5 minutes with a processing delay as small as 0.5 seconds. The system will collect and analyse parameters including temperature, acidity, ammonia, dissolved oxygen, salinity and turbidity.

The system can withstand tropical storms and the adverse impacts of seawater, and is fitted with an advanced robotic maintenance mechanism to prolong sensor lifespan. From locations where cellular data links are unreliable and satellite connections are expensive, the system will eventually relay the data it collects to a database by using a ‘multi-hop’ IoT protocol

Scenic Xuan Dai bay is a growing centre of tourism in Phu Yen province. Image: UTS

To the best knowledge of those involved in the project, this ocean environment monitoring station is the first of its kind in Vietnam, and among very few in the world that can provide real-time offshore environmental measures in hostile conditions that include annual heavy tropical storms.

Aquaculture is a major export industry for Vietnam with the revenue of USD$7 billion per year. The Phu Yen government has a plan to invest nearly USD$100 million in aquaculture from now until 2025. The plan involves aquaculture production, harvest and processing, and building infrastructure for fishing and logistics, including breed stock production.

Lobsters are part of the major aquaculture industry in Phu Yen. Image: UTS

A major challenge to this strategy is the increase in water pollution in marine farming areas and associated diseases, which contribute to mass stock mortality.

These monitoring systems will support local government like Phu Yen to develop policy to plan and manage aquaculture in a sustainable way and preserve the quality of the bay environment to support the burgeoning tourism industry.