Three Ireland has today launched the second phase of its partnership with Arranmore, an island five kilometres off the coast of Donegal. To deliver new opportunities for the community and to manage some of the challenges that they face, Three is trialling a number of state of the art IoT solutions.
Three launched its partnership with the Arranmore community in April of this year with the establishment of a digital hub, MODAM, and enhanced connectivity for businesses and community facilities which is enabling more people to live and work from the island. Since then, Three has continued to work with the island community, identifying how IoT solutions can provide further opportunities for the community and for employment and enterprise.
Eldercare
With a high percentage of Arranmore’s population over the age of 65 and living alone, Three has implemented an IoT solution to help them maintain their independence and keep them safe at home. The solution, which is being trialled in three homes on the island, involves multiple sensors on doors, appliances and water tanks that build a profile of the person’s habits and routines over time. If their pattern dramatically changes or stops, an alert is sent to a family member or neighbour.
Fisheries
Fishing has been the lifeblood of Arranmore for centuries and it is now taking advantage of cutting-edge technology with tailored IoT solutions. Buoys have been installed with sensors so that fishermen can pinpoint their net locations in real-time, making the process significantly more efficient. Sensors have also been installed on the water tanks onboard fishing vessels which will send an alert if fresh seawater stops flowing over the catch, ensuring that the catch arrives in best possible condition.
Environment
Weather is the key metric for life on the island and with the closest weather station over 100km from Arranmore, Three has installed a localised autonomous weather station on the island to provide residents and businesses with immediate and local weather information; a valuable resource as travel to and from Arranmore via sea or air is greatly dependent on the weather. Protection of the environment is critical for the sustainability of the island and so air, rainfall and tidal sensors have also been installed to constantly monitor changing conditions around Arranmore.
Speaking about the continuation of the partnership, Eóin MacManus, Chief Business Officer, Three Ireland said: “We are delighted to build on our partnership with the Arranmore community by trialling innovative IoT solutions to assist with living and working on the island. We approached this project as we would any enterprise, working in partnership to identify the challenge and designing a bespoke solution to address it. As Ireland’s leading data network, we know how connectivity can transform lives and businesses and it is really encouraging to see the positive impact it is having on Arranmore.”
Adrian Begley from the Arranmore Island Community Council said: “Since the launch of our partnership with Three we are seeing the great benefits of enhanced connectivity on the island. MODAM, our remote working hub, has had over 50 different users since it recently opened, and a number of islanders are looking to make a full time move home. The deployment of the IoT solutions is taking the partnership to the next level, not just for those involved, but for the broader community.
IoT is an exciting development for a community like Arranmore as its applications are wide-ranging and can assist with everything from care of the elderly to improving productivity and working conditions in local traditional industries such as fishing. We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Three as we work towards our goal of making our island community more sustainable for the future.”
To find out more about Three’s partnership with Arranmore check out the latest video: