Sandra Suck

My tasks in the project:

I am responsible for the infrastructural expansion of mobile communications in the district of Uelzen and pursue the goal ofimproving mobile communications coverage throughout the district - especially in ruralareas. I have taken over the project management for the 5Gla project, i.e. I deal with the following, among other things

• Project management and funding processing
• Administration and coordination
• Preparation of factual reports and cost overviews
• Organization and recording of jour fixes, work meetings or events

I was also responsible for the civil engineering work until the required 5G technology was installed. In collaboration with the district's own fiber optic expansion team, we drew up the specifications, carried out the tendering process and supervised and coordinated the subsequent work. This is how the access points for electricity and fiber optics were created at the mobile phone mast and the data center.

That's why the project is exciting for me:

I think for many people, 5G is an abstract, still relatively unknown concept. The 5GLa project makes the use of this technology visible and at the same time shows the great benefits that we can draw from it for the use of water in the future.

These have been the biggest challenges in the project so far:

• Understanding of technical terms 5G technology and software development
• Time limitation of the project while at the same time taking agricultural crop rotations into account
• Bringing together different specialist expertise, working methods and interests

Jens Geissmann-Fuchs

My tasks in the project:

The district of Uelzen acts as the network coordinator for this project. The project and the organizational management is located in the economic development department. As head of the staff unit, I support the project management and the consortium partners in organizational and administrative activities and issues on the basis of my international project experience.

That's why the project is exciting for me:

In addition to working with different specialist disciplines, I am fascinated by the technical possibilities of efficient and intelligent field irrigation in order to use water as a resource in a targeted and economically sensible way.

This has been the biggest challenge in the project so far:

From my point of view, the biggest challenge was dealing with the situations created by geopolitical crises. These had a direct impact on the availability of technologies, software and human resources in construction. The new research questions that arose as a result were also unforeseeable and posed a temporary challenge, which was overcome with flying colors by the participants.

What insights are you taking with you?

When a team has a common goal in mind, even the biggest challenges can be overcome together. In my opinion, this project will provide groundbreaking insights for practical use and hopefully contribute to the development of a new tool for practical use in the district of Uelzen. Ideally, a new service offering "made in the district of Uelzen" will be created.

Hinrich Brase

My tasks in the project:

• Agricultural advice on the selection and use of infrastructure in the field
• Provision of agricultural aids and use of machinery
• Crop rotation coordination and recommendation of test locations
• Management of the test areas

• The digitalization of agriculture is the core topic of the AGRAVIS Future Farm, as it has great potential to support agriculture.
• Expert knowledge is essential when advising farmers.
• Knowledge about and application of technology is the basis for curiosity and constant optimization, including of one's own business.

• Interdisciplinary communication: How do I explain complicated issues in the field and where do I translate the technical terms used by the programmers?
• Turning simple thoughts, e.g. sensors, into a functioning process. The idea is not currently covered by the market. No plug & play solutions.
• Bureaucratic hurdles.

What insights are you taking with you? 

• Expertise from other specialist areas can also enrich agriculture.
• We are in the midst of digitalization and must use intermediate steps to enable progress.

Paul Bühnemann

My tasks in the project:

• AGRAVIS coordination with consortium partners
• Co-decision on the selection of test sensors for agricultural practice and test infrastructure (soil sensors; use of drones in agriculture)
• Administrative and representative matters relating to 5Gla
• Network strengthening from the project to agriculture

That's why the project is exciting for me:

• Professional interest in technology in agriculture and automation processes with practical implementation.
• Irrigation as a future topic has great potential to be automated and is therefore a very exciting research topic.
• Create and test conditions for field robotics.

What insights are you taking with you?

• A well-placed funding project provides the opportunity to combine science and business.
• To have gained a significantly higher level of knowledge about the 5G data standard.
• Which floor sensors work more reliably in practice and which do not.

You will soon find an introduction to the people involved in the project here.

As a telecommunications service provider, network operator and Internet service provider, Lünecom Kommunikationslösungen GmbH provided and commissioned the fiber optic connections and the Internet as part of the project.

Benjamin Kromayer

My tasks in the project:

• Co-author overall project (concept & application)
• Technical project management
• Research on technologies and the state of the art
• Definition of the system architecture and feature development of the data platform
• Selection of hardware and software technology stacks, as well as basic frameworks and platforms.
• Continuous setting of goals, strategies and implementation in platform development
• Overall coordination of the data center and software development teams
• Consulting function at the interfaces between field practice and technology

That's why the project is exciting for me:

• Water as a topic for the future
• Use of high technology for the sustainable use of natural resources.
• Work at the interface between science, technology and business.
• Versatility of the topics covered

This has been the biggest challenge in the project so far:

The implementation within an extremely heterogeneous, interdisciplinary consortium, taking into account different working cultures and structural framework conditions.

What insights are you taking with you?

• Work in a consortium progresses much more slowly than within a
  company. However, the topics and issues are also much broader, the
  findings much deeper and the network synergies much more significant.

• With this project, we are spearheading the use of high technologies in
  agriculture.

Christopher Gerigk

My tasks in the project:

comcross GmbH assumed the role of technology partner for all mobile radio applications within the project. At the beginning of the project, this included consulting on the basis of an individually created radio concept in order to find suitable system technology and a tower solution. In addition to the installation, connection and commissioning of the 5G technology, my tasks also include the associated project management, monitoring, upcoming measurements and, in the event of a problem, corresponding field service assignments.

That's why the project is exciting for me:

5G campus networks offer the opportunity to set up private networks for special use cases. I am fascinated by how agriculture, research, development and the ideas of the consortium partners lead to a new perspective on the topic of mobile communications. Innovative applications will make farming more sustainable and resource-efficient in the future.

This has been the biggest challenge in the project so far:

It was exciting to start a new project under the conditions and restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic with consortium partners who knew neither each other nor each other's topics, and then to lead this project to success. Delivery difficulties and delays due to corona and the war in Ukraine, combined with the pitfalls that such a project entails anyway, were very challenging.

What insights are you taking with you?

5G is a decisive factor, not only for connecting people directly with each other, but also for linking machines and other technical equipment. Based on sensors or image data, decisions should be made in real time at best. Agriculture is an economic sector that is already highly mechanized and partially digitized in many areas and offers many potential approaches. However, current solutions for more sustainable and resource-efficient farming often appear to be less mature or too expensive to implement. The project can therefore be an important step towards bringing 5G, digitalization and agriculture closer together.