CAMARILLO, CA, Aug 22, 2022 – Semtech Corp., a leading global supplier of high performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms, announced a collaboration with New Zealand’s IoT Ventures and global connectivity provider Lacuna Space. IoT Ventures has used Semtech’s LoRa devices to develop its Drought Early Warning System, a network of low-cost rainwater tank and rain monitors to analyze water consumption and rain forecasts in remote New Zealand and South Pacific Island communities.
New Zealand and South Pacific to utilize the LoRaWAN standard to anticipate and mitigate droughts (Photo: Business Wire)
The water monitoring system features ultra-low power, small form-factor sensors, which are solar powered and provide an in-field life of seven to 10 years without intervention, according to IoT Ventures. In addition, the Drought Early Warning System is starting to use Semtech’s Long Range-Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (LR-FHSS) satellite connectivity to seamlessly integrate with a terrestrial network using LoRaWAN, delivering a flexible solution for isolated locations, and can be deployed and managed by local citizens without requiring substantial internet service provider (ISP) infrastructure.
“The remote location of many Pacific Island countries makes it challenging to provide emergency water supplies during droughts, and if an island runs out of water, it may take several weeks for water to be transported,” said Matt Hector-Taylor, co-founder at IoT Ventures. “By combining low-cost sensors with LoRa and strong connectivity signal capabilities, the joint solution helps provide consistent access to clean drinking water for citizens of some of the most remote islands in the world, supports the United Nations Sustainability goals and reduces crisis response.”
Droughts threaten water supplies, and water waste is already a crucial issue worldwide. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that as much as 50% of the water we use outdoors is lost due to wind, evaporation and runoff caused by inefficient irrigation methods and systems. By implementing a smart water monitoring infrastructure comprised of sensors and gateways using LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN standard, governments and utility providers proactively and efficiently collect data to streamline operations to manage costs and appropriately allocate resources. LoRa-enabled solutions are key to realizing the true value of the IoT and specifically, reduce water waste and quickly identify and optimize a community’s water distribution network. Solutions utilizing LoRa empower utility providers worldwide with smart, sustainable and efficient management capabilities.
“As climate change affects water availability worldwide, Semtech’s LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN standard help governments anticipate and mitigate water supply issues,” said Marc Pégulu, vice president of IoT product marketing and strategy for Semtech’s Wireless and Sensing Products Group. “The Drought Early Warning System from IoT Ventures and Lacuna Space will provide communities scalable, highly-accurate resource management capabilities.”
Further details on IoT Ventures’ solutions can be found here.
More information on Semtech’s LoRa devices is available here.
About Semtech’s LoRa Platform
Semtech’s LoRa chip-to-Cloud platform is a globally adopted long range, low power solution for IoT applications, enabling the rapid development and deployment of ultra-low power, cost efficient and long range IoT networks, gateways, sensors, module products, and IoT services worldwide. Semtech’s LoRa technology provides the communication layer for the LoRaWAN standard, which is maintained by the LoRa Alliance, an open IoT alliance for Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) applications that has been used to deploy IoT networks in over 170 countries. With the proliferation of LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN standard, the LoRa Developer Portal is a place to learn, connect, collaborate, and find resources to help accelerate your LoRa development process. Semtech is a founding member of the LoRa Alliance.
To learn more about how LoRa enables IoT, visit Semtech’s LoRa site.
About IoT Ventures
IoT Ventures is New Zealand’s leading expert in delivering low-power remote end-to-end IoT solutions. IoT Ventures uses cutting edge LoRaWAN technology to develop end-to-end IoT solutions that are cheaper, more reliable and deliver greater insights. IoT Ventures designs and builds scale-able end to end solutions leveraging its core systems and engineering capability reinforced by deep systems integration experience and a strong but flexible methodology.
To learn more about IoT Ventures, please visit www.iotventures.net.
About Lacuna Space
Lacuna Space, a UK and Dutch entity, headquartered in Oxford, UK, is recognized as the leader in scalable direct-to-satellite IoT solutions based on the open and interoperable LoRaWAN standard. The Lacuna Network enables multiple constellations of Lacuna and third-party satellites to meld together, forming the most robust and field-proven IoT service for their customers. Operating a wholesale model, Lacuna empowers service providers and systems integrators to extend the limited coverage footprint of networks using LoRaWAN around the globe with ubiquitous low-power, low-cost connectivity.
More information can be found at lacuna.space.
About Semtech
Semtech Corporation is a leading global supplier of high performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms for infrastructure, high-end consumer and industrial equipment. Products are designed to benefit the engineering community as well as the global community. The company is dedicated to reducing the impact it, and its products, have on the environment. Internal green programs seek to reduce waste through material and manufacturing control, use of green technology and designing for resource reduction.
For more information, visit www.semtech.com.
