Variable Rate Technologies (VRTs) in smart farming allow for the application of resources such as seeds, fertilizers, water, and crop protection chemicals in optimal quantities and locations. Yann LeFaou, associate director of Microchip's Touch and Gesture business unit, explains how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can enhance VRTs in smart farming.

John Deere has launched two new projects to accelerate improvements in the efficiency and productivity of high-value crops at the John Deere Parla Innovation Center, the multinational's innovation hub, which celebrates its second anniversary this October. These projects are
Smart Apply, a disruptive solution that reduces chemical use in spraying woody crops by up to 50%, and Icarus, an innovative collaboration between the startup Graniot Satellite Technologies and the multinational Yara, which aims to generate personalized fertilization and biostimulation recommendations tailored to the specific condition of each crop, based on satellite image processing.

Creating smarter, more sustainable cities prepared to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is one of the main challenges governments face today. The SDGs for Smart Cities emphasize air quality and climate change, and advocate for a reduction in carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. To achieve this, it is clear that governments will have to seek new tools, technologies, and strategies; supply chains can be one of them, playing a key role in significantly reducing carbon footprints.

Augan has entrusted UnaBiz with implementing IoT solutions for the prevention and control of swine diseases. The implementation of innovative technologies is an effective solution for improving the early detection of diseases in livestock, as they can analyze behavioral patterns and environmental variables, allowing for the anticipation of potential health problems before they become apparent.

Sateliot and the South African NGO Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) have signed a collaboration agreement to place IoT sensors on vultures, which will help save endangered species and prevent poaching in Africa. The company will offer the NGO free use of its satellite bandwidth during various time slots and in the area it needs to implement its Eye in the Sky program. This program involves attaching sensors to these birds of prey to detect illegal activities such as poaching. Rangers use these birds to quickly locate areas where poachers are operating.

Smart cities are here to stay, as their connected systems offer numerous benefits in terms of efficiency, security, and quality of life. But all these advantages come with risks; massive volumes of data, including sensitive and confidential information, flow through the information superhighways of smart cities, and this data must be protected at all costs against cyber threats. How can IoT service providers and cities protect their devices and communications?

Legrand launches a new connected dry contact with Netatmo technology. This universal measurement, control, and status reporting module can remotely control any type of device equipped with a 12-30V DC terminal block. The new solution is part of the Smart Electrical Panel range, comprised of connected modules that can be installed directly in the electrical panel.

The Higher Technical School of Engineering and Industrial Design of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (ETSIDI) will be a smart building, thanks to the use of IoT technology from Snsorial IoT - a Big Data and AI platform that allows you to know and measure spaces to improve their processes - and from UnaBiz.

The project aims to deploy an IoT solution that will collect quantitative data to improve the distribution, optimization, and efficiency of management processes across various areas of interest. Thanks to the data analytics platform and innovative sensors for presence, occupancy, and energy consumption, the school will monitor its spaces in real time.

NeoCortec recently supplied NeoMesh modules for a project by Nrlyze, a Swedish technology company specializing in optimizing heating and ventilation systems in large buildings. For an old, three-story office building with 35 cm thick brick walls in the center of Copenhagen, they were looking for a suitable wireless network to control the heating system. The building is connected to Copenhagen's public district heating system and therefore had to meet specific requirements regarding the correct temperature drop of the system.

Thanks to the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), manufacturing and processing plants can increase their efficiency much more easily. Collaborative robots, machine vision systems for inspection, and smart edge sensors allow them to maintain their competitive edge and deliver cutting-edge innovation.

Micro Technic has unveiled its latest generation of IoT sensor hubs. Skylark is a comprehensive and flexible IoT solution that enables the monitoring and collection of data from any remote application. Easy to set up and connect to any sensor, Skylark includes a user-friendly device management platform. A robust, stable, and durable IoT solution that ensures cybersecure data transmission at the edge, Skylark is also a sustainable, ultra-low-power IoT gateway that can be battery- or solar-powered and offers multiple wireless options.

Casambi has announced the launch of its Casambi Cloud Gateway, which enables off-site remote control and real-time monitoring of wireless lighting networks, an initiative in line with the company's strategy to offer far-reaching freedoms and opportunities for "fit-for-any-purpose" lighting experiences.

UnaBiz has announced the launch in Spain of UnaConnect, its cloud middleware platform for managing IoT devices. UnaConnect integrates a large number of devices and sensors, regardless of the standard or technology used, into a single cloud platform, collecting and processing data across different networks. This simplifies the integration of various IoT devices and, consequently, the delivery of data from different platforms.

Sateliot and GoSpace have closed a collaboration agreement to monitor critical infrastructure such as bridges and dams, as well as rivers, to prevent floods in Spain and reduce the cost of compensation, which in 2021 amounted to 273 million euros, according to the latest data from the Catastrophe Barometer prepared by the Aon Spain Foundation.

SEIDOR Opentrends has presented Thingtia, a SaaS version of the open-source IoT platform Sentilo, originally developed for the Barcelona City Council. It is a platform based on flexible SaaS models with an open and scalable architecture.

SEIDOR has presented the Help Flash IoT connected mobility project, the first vehicle light beacons (V16) approved for sale in Spain and connected to the DGT 3.0 platform of the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT).

Technology consultancy Integra and UnaBiz have announced the launch of CO2_Care , a multi-user, SaaS platform for preventative health. It is an intelligent system for monitoring CO2 levels, enabling the management of indoor air quality through various variables identified in real time.

The global market for smart home devices was worth $68.8 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $156.6 billion by 2028.That's a lot of money being invested rapidly in some major home improvements. Our homes are quickly progressing from elementary school to university level; some are even going straight to their doctoral degrees.

To absorb the unstoppable global population growth, Smart Cities have emerged as the digital solution for developing efficient and sustainable urban planning. However, smart cities are built on networks, specifically, optical networks.
Let's look at a story of rampant growth. Around the year 1000 AD, it is estimated that the Earth was inhabited by approximately 300 million people.

One of the most promising business cases for cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) services is environmental monitoring to help ensure a stable indoor growing environment for the localized cultivation of non-native crops such as fruits, nuts, vegetables, and greens. Cloud-connected IoT networks will enable the use of efficient pre- and post-harvest management systems for horticulture and indoor farming applications, and will drive the emergence and growth of a large-scale Controlled Environmental Agriculture (CEA) industry that is ethical, sustainable, and ultimately profitable.