Development of an IoT-Based Monitoring and Control System for

Aquaponics Farming

A Science Investigatory Project (SIP) Proposal

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Subject Research I

S.Y. 2024-2025

Presented by
Group 3
Elisha Angel M. Amarado
Dwy Bron S. Caboboy
Kate Ashley B. Cordeta
Jeanie Khayte D. Martin
Matt Chister M. Montajes
Matthew Myer N. Sabong
Andi Therese A. Siguan
Grade 8 - Sycamore
Leyte National High School

Science Technology and Engineering (STE) Program

Presented to

GALICANO JAY N. FABI, PhD

Master Teacher III

Leyte National High School

March 2025
INTRODUCTION

Did you know that traditional agriculture consumes about 70% of global freshwater,

whereas aquaponics can reduce water use by up to 90%? As agricultural projects continue to

expand in the Philippines, there is a need for a more sustainable and efficient way of

enhancing food security, especially with the current climate conditions. Aquaponics is a

sustainable agricultural method that integrates aquaculture and hydroponics. This farming

system reduces the use of land as well as fertilizer usage and weather dependence. Aquaponic

systems can reduce the amount of water usage by up to 90% compared to using traditional

agriculture, which worldwide, uses 70% of freshwater (Food and Agriculture Organization of

the United Nations [FAO], 2018). According to Garcia & Tibo (2023), this system provides

easy ways of growing foods, thus putting less pressure on commercial producers.

Furthermore, with the worsening effects of climate change, especially in arid areas,

aquaponics can be a potential key method in transforming agriculture and enhancing food

security. According to Farhan Mohd Pu’ad et al. (2020), despite the advancement of

technology in current times, agriculture is still and always will be an important sector

worldwide as it feeds us, human beings and keeps us living out of hunger. With increasing

human population worldwide, we would require more food from the agriculture sector.

However, aquaponics traditionally relies and involves human intervention, which can be

labor-intensive and prone to human error. Therefore, we conduct this study to to create an

IoT-based aquaponics system that can automatically keep track of and manage important

water quality factors—like pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and ammonia. Our goal is to

lessen the amount of manual work, decrease human error, and improve the stability and

productivity of small indoor setups. The study by Praveen Chandramenon et al.(2024) is

backed by proof that using IoT helps enhance water quality and efficiency in aquaponics

systems.
 The development of the Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized numerous

industries by facilitating real-time data communication and data exchanges between devices.

IoT technology brings numerous benefits, including enhanced operational efficiency, and

real-time data insights. Moreover, the adoption of an IoT-driven system can lower the entry

barriers for new aquaponics practitioners, allowing them to optimize their operations without

requiring extensive technical knowledge. As the global demand for sustainable food

production rises, the integration of IoT in aquaponics offers a practical solution for increasing

productivity and sustainability in agriculture.

A particularly promising application of IoT technology would be in aquaponics, a

farming system that merges aquaculture and hydroponics. The research proposed by Khoula

et al. (2021) integrates IoT-based technologies and AI algorithms to control and monitor

environmental parameters in aquaponic systems using various sensors (water level,

temperature, electrical conductivity, CO2, TAN) and actuators (water pumps). By

incorporating sensors, and a centralized management platform, the system aims to automate

essential functions such as monitoring fish health, and water use.

Studies have shown that it is efficient in aquaponics systems to use intelligent analysis

and processing. According to the research of Alselek et al. (2022) they developed a complete

5G-enabled IoT system for fully monitoring the performance of fishery farms, which

improves the state-of-the-art in terms of aquaponics life cycle monitoring metrics and

communication technologies. Nur Syazana Norshah & Siti Amely Jumaat (2023), developed

an IoT-based water quality monitoring system for aquaponic systems, utilizing the Blynk

application for user notifications. This app facilitates real-time monitoring of water quality

parameters, enabling effective management of aquaponic environments. Karimanzira &

Rauschenbach (2019), developed an IoT-based Predictive Analytics system that integrates

real-time data collection and predictive models to optimize aquaponics management and

enhance operational efficiency. However, these studies lack accessibility over small-scale

aquaponic farms and lack real-world evaluation and system testing which this study will

address. While earlier studies have successfully demonstrated and laid out a strong

foundation on the integration of IoT or AI in aquaponic systems, they primarily focus on

large-scale, technologically advanced, or demonstration setups. For instance, Khoula et al.

(2021) and Alselek et al. (2022) showcased advanced sensing and 5G communication

capabilities, their implementations only target industrial or large-scale farms, often

overlooking affordability and user-friendliness. Meanwhile, studies like Mohamad et al.

(2024) introduced microcontroller-based control for smaller setups, yet it lacked

comprehensive real world performance evaluations regarding system stability, automaton

efficiency, and reduction of manual labor and human errors. In contrast, our study uniquely

combines a fully integrated, IoT-driven monitoring and pump control system tailored

specifically for small-scale indoor aquaponics. Our work fills the gap by combining real-

world implementation, performance evaluation, and labor-saving automation, This shift

ensures that our research is not only technologically sound but also feasible, accessible, and

rigorously validated for the types of users and environments most in need.

It is important to note that IoT can further enhance aquaponics farming by integrating

technology to the system making it easier to evaluate and assess the current environmental

conditions such as the temperature and water quality in the farms. Being able to easily collect

data and evaluate these conditions can swiftly address issues that were detected in the

aquaponic environment. Furthermore, it would enhance the productivity of food production

as well as enhancing food security. Opting for an indoor Iot-based Aquaponics system comes

with great benefits due to its controlled environment, which ensures proper temperature,

humidity and lighting— major factors for plant and fish health. It also ensures protection for
plants and fish from extreme weather, pests and contamination. Studies prove that

environmental stability enhances efficiency by reducing fluctuations in pH and dissolved

oxygen (DO) levels (Karaminzira & Rauschenbach, 2019). Unlike outdoor setups, which face

flooding, typhoons and extreme weather, indoor systems provide reliable power and internet,

ensuring uninterrupted monitoring (Nur Syazana Norshah, & Siti Amely Jumaat, 2023). With

better protection and system reliability, an indoor Iot-based Aquaponics system is the most

sustainable and efficient choice.

Objectives of the Study

Main objective

To develop an IoT-based system that allows remote monitoring and control system for

aquaponics.

Specific Objectives

1. To design an IoT-based monitoring and control system for aquaponics farming.

2. To develop an IoT-system accessibility for aquaponic systems, specifically in small-

scale operations.

3. To implement the IoT-system in an aquaponics setup to assess its performance.

4. To evaluate the IoT-system in aquaponics in terms of:

4.1 Functionality,

4.2 efficiency; and

4.3 accuracy.
METHODS

Developmental research is defined as "the systematic study of designing, developing

and evaluating instructional programs, processes and products that must meet the criteria of

internal consistency and effectiveness" (Seels & Richey, 1994, p. 127). Our study is classified

as this research design as it aims to develop and evaluate an IoT-based monitoring and

control system that will receive and transmit data and assessed for its overall functionality,

efficiency, and accuracy. Integrating IoT to monitor aquaponic systems will be helpful to

farmers to easily manage their farms as well as increasing food production in arid areas. This

system will be evaluated for its functionality, efficiency, and accuracy.

System Design
 For the design of this monitoring and control system, pH sensors such as PH21,

temperature sensors (DHT11 and DHT22), and dissolved oxygen (DO) sensors such as DO71

and DO72 which measure their specific components and collect data readings from it. These

sensors would be monitoring the specific environmental parameters of the aquaponics

system. This data readings would be transferred to the microcontroller which would be

programmed to read the sensor data using HTTP. Wi-Fi would be used for wireless

connection and data transmission. If ever Wi-Fi is unavailable, the sensor readings would be

stored in a local data storage like an SD card module. Once the data has been read by the

microcontroller, it would control the actuators and adjust system parameters.

System Development

The system focuses on monitoring and controlling the aquaponic system of its

environmental conditions. The system would use materials such as pH sensors, temperature

sensors, and dissolved oxygen (DO) sensors which would be calibrated before use by

utilizing a known standard which we will compare it to and ensure its functionality and

accuracy, wires, actuators, microcontrollers, and a computer. Our aquaponic system is

designed with sensors to monitor key environmental factors: pH and dissolved oxygen levels

are measured directly in the water, and temperature is also tracked. A microcontroller

interprets this data, displaying it on a user interface and triggering alerts for any readings

outside the ideal range. This allows for automated adjustments to the system, like controlling

pumps and heaters, to ensure a stable environment for the plants and fish.

We will be programming a user interface (UI) in which the users can use to easily

check and evaluate the environmental parameters (e.g., pH level, temperature, DO level). The

UI will be coded using a programming language that the system can easily read and

understand the data collected and follow given instructions and send notifications if there are
any detected deviations from the optimal environmental conditions. To guarantee the

continuous operation of our aquaponic system's monitoring and control mechanisms, we will

utilize a grid power source augmented by an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). This

approach aims to mitigate the risk of system disruption during power outages, ensuring the

consistent functionality of sensors and actuators.

Implementation and Evaluation

To evaluate and determine the system’s functionality and efficiency, the developed

monitoring system would be placed in an aquaponic environment. We will assess the system

of how effective it would be once placed in this setting, testing all components to ensure that

it functions properly. We will assess its ability to measure pH levels, sensing environmental

temperatures, and measuring DO levels which would be useful in monitoring fish health and

water use.

The system's functionality will be assessed by evaluating uptime, proper sensor data

transmission, and the correct execution of automated responses. The system's efficiency will

be measured by evaluating real-time data processing, reduction in manual labor, and energy

consumption compared to traditional monitoring methods. The system's accuracy will be

evaluated by comparing sensor readings to calibrated instruments, conducting 3-5 trials to

ensure consistency, and comparing collected data to standard environmental parameters.

The effectiveness of the IoT-based smart aquaponic system was evaluated by

measuring the accuracy of various sensors integrated into the system (Haryanto et al., 2019).

This stage is crucial to receive feedback from users throughout the testing period in order to

make necessary adjustments to the system to evaluate its effectiveness and accuracy in

monitoring the aquaponic system.

Data Collection
 As this study evaluates the IoT-system, it relies mostly on the data gathered from

observations and feedback. To gather the data needed, the system will be using sensor-based

collection in which the data will be transmitted to the microcontroller and to the data server.

This data will be evaluated by the farmers and their feedback would be obtained using a

survey in order to assess and determine its accuracy to the environmental parameters of the

aquaponic system.

Data Analysis

Descriptive analysis will be used to analyze the data collected from the system

evaluating changes in parameters (e.g., pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen) over time. There

is a need for a more sustainable and efficient way of enhancing food security, especially with

the current climate conditions. Furthermore, traditional aquaponics heavily relies on human

intervention requiring intense labor and is vulnerable to human error. The integration of IoT

would be helpful as it has revolutionized numerous industries by facilitating real-time data

communication and data exchanges between devices, offering accurate data.

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