(Semarang-Taken form KOMPAS.id) Researchers from Diponegoro University’s Ce-MEBSA team, led by Prof. Sapto Purnomo Putro, have created an IoT-powered “smart dashboard” integrated with a multi-tiered floating net cage system (KJAB‑IMTA). It features seven digital dashboards, automated feeders, water-quality sensors, and an underwater ROV. Early trials show consistently faster fish growth, improved feed efficiency, and better water quality than conventional farming. This supports more sustainable and profitable aquaculture.
How it works:
- Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA): Carnivorous species (e.g. groupers, sea bass) are grown alongside omnivores (tilapia, milkfish). Their waste feeds filter feeders like blood clams and oysters, and seaweeds (Eucheuma, Gracilaria) that act as natural biofilters
- Eco-friendly impact: Fish waste and uneaten feed are transformed into nutrients rather than pollutants, greatly reducing environmental impact.
Proven success across locations:
Tested at multiple coastal sites in Indonesia—including the Seribu Islands, Karimun, Karimunjawa, and Jepara—the system consistently delivered healthier water, better fish growth, and stronger local economies through seaweed and shellfish farming.
Seven key system modules:
- Smart Edu-Ecotourism – educational eco-tourism features
- Integrated Smart Class – floating classroom with smart TV, live-streaming, and environmental dashboards
- Hybrid Power Plant – wind and solar energy
- Smart Market & Products – digital marketing platform
- Smart Security System – GPS, motion sensors, warning lights, CCTV
- IoT Water & Weather Monitoring – real-time hydro‑oceanographic data
- Geoportal Coastal Environment – spatial mapping of water depth, currents, waves, substrate, and water quality
Floating smart classroom:
The floating smart classroom is a multifunctional educational platform designed to bring marine science and aquaculture knowledge directly to coastal communities and students. Equipped with smart TVs, internet-connected laptops, live-streaming cameras (both above and below the water surface), and sensors for real-time monitoring of environmental conditions (e.g., wave height, salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and pH), the classroom facilitates hands-on learning experiences.
This facility serves not only as a space for local training and environmental education but also as a hub for international collaborations and research dissemination. It allows learners, researchers, and policymakers to witness and analyze data-driven aquaculture in action. The classroom’s ability to broadcast live conditions from the farm to any remote location supports long-distance learning and virtual field trips, making aquaculture education more inclusive and globally accessible.
Looking ahead:
Looking to the future, Prof. Sapto envisions the smart aquaculture system as a blueprint for transforming Indonesia’s coastal regions into sustainable, tech-integrated blue economies. The KJAB-IMTA model, reinforced by real-time data, participatory science, and policy alignment, offers scalable solutions to tackle challenges in marine resource management, food security, and coastal resilience.
The initiative could redefine how aquaculture is practiced in Indonesia—moving away from extractive, pollutive methods toward regenerative systems that prioritize ecological balance and social equity. By promoting traceable, eco-labeled seafood products, this system not only meets domestic nutritional needs but also positions Indonesia as a competitive player in the global sustainable seafood market.
Furthermore, the project strengthens community-based coastal management by empowering local fishers and youth with technology literacy, creating new jobs, and fostering a stewardship ethic rooted in both traditional knowledge and modern science. If widely adopted, this model has the potential to influence national aquaculture policy and inspire similar innovations across other tropical maritime nations.