Meteor burst data communication for the Nile River irrigation system

The authors review the design, architecture, and operation of the Nile River Irrigation Data Collection System. The theory and the basic concepts of meteor burst data communication are briefly discussed. The system network architecture, the communication protocols, and the data formats are described in detail along with the functional design and the system operation. Results obtained from a command area test are provided and analyzed to illustrate quantitatively and qualitatively the performance of the system. This networked meteor burst communication system contains 300 remote data collection platforms (DCPs) distributed along the River Nile, directorate stations in 19 irrigation directorate offices, and two master stations, one in Aswan and the other in the Delta region. The directorates have the ability to poll data from local remote DCPs via line-of-sight, or from the two master stations via meteor burst. The two master stations initiate interrogation messages, receive data from remote DCPs, and exchange data between each other. A typical remote station is equipped with sensors which measure both the upstream and downstream water level of the Nile River canals as well as the ambient temperature