IEEE Communication Society (ComSoc) Karachi Chapter in collaboration with IEEE ComSoc MUET Student Chapter and IEEE MUET Student Branch organized a technical seminar titled as “IoT Applications in Smart Agriculture” by Prof. Dr. Faisal Karim Shaikh on March 08, 2023, at the Butt Karahi Hall Hyderabad.
The total number of participants in this seminar were 63 in which 56 were IEEE members and 07 were non-IEEE members. The event started with the recitation of Holy Quran followed by the National Anthem of Pakistan. Afterwards, Dr. Umair Ahmed Korai, Vice Chair IEEE ComSoc Karachi Chapter, welcomed the Chief Guest, Guest of Honors, Speaker, volunteers, and participants of the seminar. The IEEE members have attended the seminar are, Dr. Abi Waqas, Assistant Professor MUET and Branch Counselor, IEEE MUET Student Branch, Dr. Badar Muneer, Associate Professor MUET and Advisor, IEEE MTT MUET Student Chapter, Engr. Mahveer Rathi, Lab Engineer MUET and Advisor, IEEE CS MUET Student Chapter, and Engr. Mohsin Shah, Assistant Professor MUET and Ex-Com Member, IEEE ComSoc Karachi Chapter
Prof. Dr. Aftab Ahmed Memon, Meritorious Professor and Chairman, Department of Telecommunication Engineering attended this seminar as a Chief Guest, and Engr. Moiz Rahman Memon, Treasurer IEEE Karachi Section, attended this seminar as a Guest of Honor.
The first session of the talk was delivered by Prof. Dr. Faisal Karim Shaikh. He is currently serving as a Professor at the Department of Telecommunication Engineering, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology Jamshoro. Dr. Faisal explained the importance of IoT in agriculture and how crops quantity and quality can be increased by using this technology.
The seminar aimed to provide insights into how IoT is revolutionizing the agricultural sector, particularly in developing countries. The seminar was conducted through a mix of presentations, group discussions, and practical demonstrations. Dr. Faisal began the talk by discussing the current state of art for smart agriculture in Pakistan, highlighting the challenges faced by farmers and the need for more efficient farming methods. He then explained the role of IoT in addressing these challenges, particularly in the areas of crop monitoring, irrigation management, and soil quality monitoring. He also presents the results of a case study of one of the similar projects, deployed at Matiari Pakistan. This project (Prof. Dr. Faisal Karim and Dr. Umair Ahmed Korai, “Smart Tubewell for Energy Efficient Agriculture System (22-HAC-106),” 2022–2023) is funded by IEEE HAC/SIGHT Projects Call for Proposals Focused on Pressing Community Needs.
The group discussions focused on the challenges faced by farmers in Pakistan and the potential benefits of IoT solutions. Participants shared their experiences with IoT technology in agriculture and discussed potential barriers to adoption.
The second session of this seminar was explaining the benefits of IEEE and IEEE ComSoc. This session was conducted by Engr. Moiz Rahman Memon and Dr. Umair Ahmed Korai. Engr. Moiz explained the benefits of IEEE in general and Dr. Umair explained the benefits of IEEE ComSoc, in particular. Following key points were discussed during the second session for explaining the benefits of IEEE and IEEE ComSoc.
In last, the Worthy Chief Guest, Prof. Dr. Aftab Ahmed Memon, gave the concluding remarks of the seminar. He acknowledged the efforts of guest speakers, organizers, and volunteers and encouraged the participants to explore in more depth about IEEE and importance of IoT. In the concluding remarks, Dr. Umair Ahmed Korai, thanked chief guest, guest of honor, speakers, guests, event organizers, collaborators, volunteers, and participants for attending the seminar. In the end, shields and certificates were distributed, followed by the group picture and dinner.