Verifiable Water Use Inventory Using ICT …
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needs, optimal irrigation programming for the application of water at the right time,
and the use of high-efficiency hydraulic elements that allow for uniform spatial
application [15, 49].
From this point of view, drip irrigation systems are an ideal option to achieve more
efficient use of water, especially in arid regions where water resources are scarce
and expensive. Drip irrigation systems apply water in a localized manner with an
efficiency of more than 90%. They wet only the soil fraction occupied by plant roots
and maintain an optimal moisture level. In addition, the subdivision of the irrigation
network into sectors adapted to the spatial variability of the farms allows for flexible
and variable water applications. These systems are easy to manage due to their high
degree of automation, and together with the abovementioned characteristics make
these irrigation systems the core of precision irrigation systems [11, 21, 22, 41, 56].
To adapt the amount and timing of irrigation to crop irrigation needs, it is necessary
to know both the spatial and temporal variations in soil moisture levels and crop water
needs during their development stages. Until recently, irrigation management at the
farm level was generally based on the farmer’s experience without a scientific basis.
From this perspective, the development of ICTs allows the implementation of efficient
water use in the irrigated agriculture sector. Information collected in the field through
remote sensors and sent to the analysis and decision-making center using ICTs is
a critical element for the implementation of precision irrigation systems. Despite
recent advances in the field of wireless sensor networks and mobile communication
systems that allow control and monitoring of crop status in real time, they only
provide punctual measurements of water availability or crop needs at a specific point
at the plot scale. Moreover, this information is usually analyzed individually, and
it is “the irrigator” who combines the information recorded by the sensor with his
own knowledge about the plot characteristics to determine the duration and timing
of irrigation.
These advances have boosted the development of ICT applications in agriculture,
especially in irrigation management [20–23, 26, 43, 54, 57]. Some of these works
have been focused on the development of computer tools to support farmers in the
correct management of their water resources. González Perea et al. [26] developed a
mobile and desktop application that uses ICT tools to determine the daily irrigation
time for strawberry crops in southwestern Spain, using agroclimatic and soil information as well as the hydraulics of the irrigation network. The application developed
by Alcaide Zaragoza et al. [1] determines in real time the optimal fertigation schedule
for olive groves, taking into account the quality of water used for irrigation. Using
ICTs, it combines climate forecasting with agroclimatic records to determine crop
water needs in real time. The algorithms developed in this work establish the timing,
quantity and frequency of irrigation/fertigation based on real-time agroclimatic information, weather forecast, crop and soil characteristics and theoretical estimates of the
water content available in the soil for the crop. However, the application of variable
irrigation volumes, adapted to the heterogeneity of the farm, requires data collected
in situ and in real time by a network of permanent sensors [41].
Water crisis is not only an environmental problem, but also an economic one.
According to the World Economic Forum’s global risk report [55], the failure to
5
needs, optimal irrigation programming for the application of water at the right time,
and the use of high-efficiency hydraulic elements that allow for uniform spatial
application [15, 49].
From this point of view, drip irrigation systems are an ideal option to achieve more
efficient use of water, especially in arid regions where water resources are scarce
and expensive. Drip irrigation systems apply water in a localized manner with an
efficiency of more than 90%. They wet only the soil fraction occupied by plant roots
and maintain an optimal moisture level. In addition, the subdivision of the irrigation
network into sectors adapted to the spatial variability of the farms allows for flexible
and variable water applications. These systems are easy to manage due to their high
degree of automation, and together with the abovementioned characteristics make
these irrigation systems the core of precision irrigation systems [11, 21, 22, 41, 56].
To adapt the amount and timing of irrigation to crop irrigation needs, it is necessary
to know both the spatial and temporal variations in soil moisture levels and crop water
needs during their development stages. Until recently, irrigation management at the
farm level was generally based on the farmer’s experience without a scientific basis.
From this perspective, the development of ICTs allows the implementation of efficient
water use in the irrigated agriculture sector. Information collected in the field through
remote sensors and sent to the analysis and decision-making center using ICTs is
a critical element for the implementation of precision irrigation systems. Despite
recent advances in the field of wireless sensor networks and mobile communication
systems that allow control and monitoring of crop status in real time, they only
provide punctual measurements of water availability or crop needs at a specific point
at the plot scale. Moreover, this information is usually analyzed individually, and
it is “the irrigator” who combines the information recorded by the sensor with his
own knowledge about the plot characteristics to determine the duration and timing
of irrigation.
These advances have boosted the development of ICT applications in agriculture,
especially in irrigation management [20–23, 26, 43, 54, 57]. Some of these works
have been focused on the development of computer tools to support farmers in the
correct management of their water resources. González Perea et al. [26] developed a
mobile and desktop application that uses ICT tools to determine the daily irrigation
time for strawberry crops in southwestern Spain, using agroclimatic and soil information as well as the hydraulics of the irrigation network. The application developed
by Alcaide Zaragoza et al. [1] determines in real time the optimal fertigation schedule
for olive groves, taking into account the quality of water used for irrigation. Using
ICTs, it combines climate forecasting with agroclimatic records to determine crop
water needs in real time. The algorithms developed in this work establish the timing,
quantity and frequency of irrigation/fertigation based on real-time agroclimatic information, weather forecast, crop and soil characteristics and theoretical estimates of the
water content available in the soil for the crop. However, the application of variable
irrigation volumes, adapted to the heterogeneity of the farm, requires data collected
in situ and in real time by a network of permanent sensors [41].
Water crisis is not only an environmental problem, but also an economic one.
According to the World Economic Forum’s global risk report [55], the failure to