Nano Ganesh
Encyclopedia
Nano Ganesh is a product which allows farmers to use mobile phones to remotely monitor and switch on irrigation pumps used for watering crops in remote locations. The application was developed by Ossian Agro Automation in Pune
, India
, and works in conjunction with Tata Teleservices phones. As of mid-2009 it is being tested in Anand district
in the Indian state of Gujarat. 5,000 farmers in Maharashtra
state have been using Nano Ganesh since 2008.
In some parts of India, farmers have to walk several kilometres to turn on the irrigation pumps that water their fields. With the electrical supply often erratic, they sometimes find that there is no electricity when they reach the pump. Nano Ganesh allows them to remotely check to see that there is electricity, and to automatically turn the pump on and off, all through a mobile phone. It helps the farmer avoid various difficulties in reaching remote water pumps, such as long travel over difficult terrain, bad weather, and hazardous locations. It also means growers don't have to wake up in the middle of the night, which is often the only time electricity is available, to walk the long distances to their fields. They sometimes hire workers to walk the long distances to turn the pumps off and on.
The application requires a Tata Indicom mobile connection and phone, along with a mobile modem
that attaches to the starter on the irrigation pump. Using the phone, an assigned code number switches the pump's starter off and on, and a particular tone signals the off/on status of the pump and the electrical supply at the pump location. Tata Teleservices plans on providing the service throughout India, which has 14.1 million irrigation pumps. The modem is also available with a device, called "Nano Ganesh Hanuman", that alerts the owner of attempts to steal the modem, cable, or the pump itself.
The application was a Grand Prize winner in the Emerging Markets category of Nokia
's Calling All Innovators contest, which awards new mobile applications designed to improve quality of life. It was developed by Ossian Agro engineer Santosh Ostwal, the son of a farmer, beginning in 1996. The device can be attached to any existing electrical starter and motor pump. Nano Ganesh was nominee for the Global Mobile Award for the best mobile application in the world in Social-Economic category . Nano Ganesh has been a winner of DST Lockheed-Martin IIGP 2011 programm.. Nano Ganesh has been selected for
recognition as a laureate in the Economic Development category for 2011, by The Tech Awards,The Tech Museum at San Jose, CA, USA.
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and works in conjunction with Tata Teleservices phones. As of mid-2009 it is being tested in Anand district
Anand district
Anand District is an administrative district of Gujarat state in western India. It was carved out of the Kheda district in 1997. Anand is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is bounded by Kheda District to the north, Vadodara District to the east, Ahmedabad District to the west,...
in the Indian state of Gujarat. 5,000 farmers in Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
state have been using Nano Ganesh since 2008.
In some parts of India, farmers have to walk several kilometres to turn on the irrigation pumps that water their fields. With the electrical supply often erratic, they sometimes find that there is no electricity when they reach the pump. Nano Ganesh allows them to remotely check to see that there is electricity, and to automatically turn the pump on and off, all through a mobile phone. It helps the farmer avoid various difficulties in reaching remote water pumps, such as long travel over difficult terrain, bad weather, and hazardous locations. It also means growers don't have to wake up in the middle of the night, which is often the only time electricity is available, to walk the long distances to their fields. They sometimes hire workers to walk the long distances to turn the pumps off and on.
The application requires a Tata Indicom mobile connection and phone, along with a mobile modem
Modem
A modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
that attaches to the starter on the irrigation pump. Using the phone, an assigned code number switches the pump's starter off and on, and a particular tone signals the off/on status of the pump and the electrical supply at the pump location. Tata Teleservices plans on providing the service throughout India, which has 14.1 million irrigation pumps. The modem is also available with a device, called "Nano Ganesh Hanuman", that alerts the owner of attempts to steal the modem, cable, or the pump itself.
The application was a Grand Prize winner in the Emerging Markets category of Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
's Calling All Innovators contest, which awards new mobile applications designed to improve quality of life. It was developed by Ossian Agro engineer Santosh Ostwal, the son of a farmer, beginning in 1996. The device can be attached to any existing electrical starter and motor pump. Nano Ganesh was nominee for the Global Mobile Award for the best mobile application in the world in Social-Economic category . Nano Ganesh has been a winner of DST Lockheed-Martin IIGP 2011 programm.. Nano Ganesh has been selected for
recognition as a laureate in the Economic Development category for 2011, by The Tech Awards,The Tech Museum at San Jose, CA, USA.