By Sanjiv Goyal featuring Ranveer Chandra

In this article you will learn about:

• Data-driven business models.
• Supply chain transparency.
• Alternatives to Wi-Fi.
• TV White Spaces
• Farm Beats
• The technologies that will bring everyone online.
• A futurist vision of interconnectedness.
• Digital agriculture.
• Solutions for world hunger.
• What sustainable farm practices will look like in the future.

An Online Existence

We live in an increasingly digital world. We can ask Alexa to play our favorite song, set the temperature of our living room from our phone, and order food from QR code menus. Everything and everyone is going online- and those that aren’t are in danger of being socioeconomically left behind.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Ranveer Chandra, Chief Scientist at Azure Global and Microsoft, and an IIT Kharagpur alumnus, about the future of connectivity and solving the global food problem.

Wifi Alternatives: TV White Spaces

Every five years, Chandra begins a new innovative project. One of those projects was TV White Spaces, an effort to bridge the digital divide by using empty TV channels to send data. The initiative became legal in 2010, and since then they have been using this solution to increase internet accessibility in impoverished and rural areas.

TV White Spaces is complementary to other spectrums, like 5G and Starlink. Though the speeds are slower, it reaches over seven miles and can function as a hand-off mechanism. There are scenarios where this long-range signal comes in handy, for instance when driving in rural areas where it’s difficult to get a GPS signal or to provide internet connectivity across an enormous warehouse.

Currently, spectrum regulators auction their frequencies and the entire band is reserved for the highest bidder. Chandra thinks that if some of that band isn’t being used, as for example in the case of static TV channels, then others should be able to make use of it.

This technology was used successfully in relief efforts in New Orleans and Puerto Rico, where networks needed to be quickly set up to connect first responders after flooding and hurricane damage took out the existing infrastructure.

For now, a special receiver is required to make use of this innovation, but Chandra envisions a future where this technology and these types of receivers will be embedded in every device. Eventually, our devices will automatically utilize the best spectrum based on our location and be able to switch seamlessly between them.

Wifi Alternatives: Li-fi

Another alternative to Wi-fi is Li-fi. This technology uses LEDs for data transmission, using light waves instead of radio waves to transmit information. Just as it took Wi-fi years to catch on, Li-fi is already here but isn’t trending yet.

Government Regulations

The spectrum can be considered a national resource. As such, the government has a role to play in it’s distribution and deciding who has access to it. Beyond spectrum access and regulation, the actual technologies are built by mostly private sector organizations. In order for innovation and expansion to occur, there should be minimal government interference, yet an appropriate level of oversight to make sure there are no abuses or misuses.

In the future, our phones will suggest what spectrum we should be using based on our location. The government will no longer need to auction off all parts of the spectrum because there will be software to take care of that. Thus we will enter the age of software-defined networking.

We can soon expect to see a completely different world in terms of how we are connected to each other and how our devices are connected.

Tech Solutions to The Global Food Crisis

As the population nears a projected ten billion by 2050, there will be an increased demand for food. The question is how do we meet that demand sustainably? This is a fundamental challenge we all need to rally behind.

One of the most promising solutions to address the problems in agriculture is data-driven agriculture. This means empowering farmers to use data to drive decision-making. Farmers will be able to know in real-time what is happening on the farm through the use of sensors run and analyzed by artificial intelligence. This includes data sets like soil moisture maps and fertilizer levels.

If all farming were data-driven, farms would be more efficient and profitable because there would be less water waste and minimal pesticide usage. That would help address the food problem.

The Farm Beats Initiative

The challenge is that it’s hard to collect data on a farm. Farms usually have poor connectivity and the sensors needed to collect the data aren’t cost effective. In 2014, Chandra started a project called Farm Beats, in an effort to significantly bring down the cost of data-driven agriculture solutions in order to make them accessible for all growers worldwide.

Farm Beats uses IoT technology, essentially digitalizing farming.

“An IoT system consists of sensors/devices which “talk” to the cloud through some kind of connectivity. Once the data gets to the cloud, software processes it and then might decide to perform an action, such as sending an alert or automatically adjusting the sensors/devices without the need for the user.” -Calum McLelland

By placing a few sensors and using drones to map them, or eliminating sensors and drones completely and using smartphones exclusively, the Farm Beats program has already created budget-friendly data-collection solutions. Customizing solutions to the cost that makes sense for each market increases accessibility. These types of frugal innovations are what is required for data-driven farming initiatives to catch-on in developing countries like India.

There are many entrepreneurial and innovative opportunities in the digital agriculture space relating to all parts of IoT systems. This could involve setting up networks and equipment to collect the data, manufacturing or managing sensors, and/or creating services around the implementation of solutions that the data calls for.

Tech Could Prevent Forest Fires

The implications of IoT technology are broader than farming alone. Through the use of moisture sensors, the system would be able to send out an alert at the onset of a blaze and help fire departments respond faster. In the same way that we have a system to detect tsunamis, this technology would make it possible to sense fires, which could prevent loss of life and save governments millions if not billions.

As we have seen with the wildfires in California and Australia, the effects are devastating and costly. If we had an infrastructure to mitigate disasters of this magnitude it would be invaluable.

Sustainability and Supply Chain Transparency

But what about other sustainable options to the food problem? How else can we produce more food without hurting the environment?

In the future, food will be tailored to each individual’s genetic constitution to ensure that we are eating exactly what we need. Food will be grown closer to home or even in the home using techniques like vertical farming to minimize shipping and provide people with fresh nutrient dense food. We can expect to see an increase in lab engineered foods like plant-based proteins as well.

One of the major shifts will be data that educates the consumer about exactly what is in their food. There will be visibility throughout the entire food supply chain. Consumers will know how the food was grown, shipped and processed from start to finish. It is possible products will even have sustainability ratings.

Stay Curious and Do Your Part

Chandra’s challenge to innovative minds is to think about the food that you eat and think about how you could apply your expertise and knowledge to food production. Even if you’re an aerospace engineer, you might come up with creative solutions using drones and robotics. As technologists and global citizens, it is our duty to ask: what can we bring to these areas to improve the quality of life for everyone?

Every five years, Chandra starts a long-term project to answer this question and satisfy his curiosity. Most of his work has been curiosity-driven. His motto: Never stop learning.

His final advice: Don’t be afraid to connect with those that know more than you because those are the very relationships that foster innovation.

What are you curious about? No matter what you do, think about how you can apply your talents to solving these global issues and network with the people who can make things happen. We are all in this together.