By: Ann Piotrowski, University of Minnesota
The Runck lab is busy year-round, even during a project's off-season. As part of our ongoing collaboration with the WinterTurf project, we’re excited to share what we’ve been working on and what goes into preparing for the upcoming 2024-2025 deployment.
Collecting data to study winter kill
This past year, we’ve taken a significant step forward in our mission to better understand winter kill on golf courses. We shipped out 76 sensing nodes strategically placed on golf greens across the northern latitudes. These nodes are designed to collect environmental data during the harsh winter months. In total, 709,455 data packets were collected, capturing 14,898,555 sensor readings to provide a comprehensive view of what’s happening under all the ice and snow accumulated during the winter.
WinterTurf Project: The annual cycle
Our work doesn’t stop when spring arrives. During the off-season, we’re most active behind the scenes, preparing for the next cycle of deployments. Each year, after the data collection is complete, the sensors are returned to our lab at the University of Minnesota.
Lab work: Bringing sensors back to peak performance
Once the sensors are back in our lab, the sensing team starts a process to ensure everything is in top condition for the next field season:
1. Inventory and Initial Assessment: We start by taking stock of each sensor node returned (Figure 1). This helps us track and manage our equipment effectively.
2. Cleaning and Maintenance: Each piece of equipment undergoes a thorough cleaning. We pay close attention to potential water damage and ensure all internal connections are secure.
3. Repairs and Upgrades: We make any necessary repairs, including fixing cables, replacing sensors, and addressing any hardware issues (Figure 2). We also charge batteries and update the firmware to ensure our technology is state-of-the-art.
4. Quality Check: We conduct a final quality check before sending the sensors back into the field. This involves turning on the data loggers, letting them run for a few hours, and verifying data accuracy through Grafana, our user interface. We check that each sensor is reporting data within the expected range.
Looking ahead
As we wrap up the preparation for the 2024-2025 field season, our team is excited about the valuable insights the sensors bring to the WinterTurf project. By analyzing the data collected, we aim to enhance our understanding of winter kill and support golf course superintendents in optimizing their winter management strategies.