IRRIGATION PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE FOR AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY IN U.S. AND AROUND THE GLOBE. IN PARTICULAR, THE AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY IN THE STATE OF NEBRASKA, THE LARGEST U.S. STATE IN TERMS OF IRRIGATED AREA, HIGHLY RELIES ON IRRIGATION IN THE GROWING SEASON. WITH INSUFFICIENT PRECIPITATION THAT HAS NEVER MET THE DEMAND FOR CROP GROWTH, THE RURAL AREAS IN NEBRASKA FACES A CENTRAL CHALLENGE TO BEST UTILIZE LIMITED UNDERGROUND WATER INTHE OGALLALA AQUIFER FOR IRRIGATION TOSUSTAIN THE GROWTH OF ECONOMY IN THE STATE. WHILE IRRIGATION CAN OFTEN HELP INCREASE CROP PRODUCTION, ITS COST AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ARE SIGNIFICANT, ESPECIALLY DURING DROUGHT YEARS. FURTHERMORE, EXCESSIVE IRRIGATION CAN DECREASE HARVESTABLE YIELD, INCREASE THE COAST FOR FARMING, AND CONTRIBUTE TO ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION (SUCH AS NITRATE LEACHING AND SOIL EROSION). HENCE, IRRIGATION SCHEDULING IS A KEY COMPONENT FOR AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY AND GROWTH IN MANY RURAL AREAS IN NEBRASKA.THIS PROPOSED PROJECTWILL ESTABLISH A SMART AND CONNECTED SYSTEM TO HELP RURAL COMMUNITIES' IRRIGATION SCHEDULING IN NEBRASKA. THE SYSTEM WILL INCLUDE INTENSIVE LOW-COST AND SMART SENSOR NETWORKS TO MEASURE SOIL MOISTURE AND 2-METER METEOROLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN SCOTTSBLUFFS COUNTY IN WESTERN NEBRASKA, RESPECTIVELY. A CITIZEN-SCIENCE NETWORK WITH THE SAME SET OF SMART SENSORS WILL ALSO BE ESTABLISHED BY ENGAGING WITH CITIZENS OUTSIDE OF INTENSIVE NETWORK. THE DATA COLLECTED FROM THESE SENSORS WILL BE SEAMLESSLY ASSIMILATED INTO A MODELING SYSTEM THAT INTEGRATES WEATHER FORECAST MODEL, CROP MODEL, AND IRRIGATION SCHEDULING OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHM TO ASSIST FARMERS TO MAXIMIZE THEIR CROP PROFITS, AS WELL AS TO REDUCE EXCESS WATER USE. OBSERVATION DATA AND MODEL OUTPUTS WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE RURAL COMMUNITIES THROUGH SMART-PHONE APPS AND ON-DEMAND WEB SERVICES THAT ENABLE THE USERS TO ACCESS AND VISUALIZE THESE DATA (INCLUDING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IRRIGATION SCHEDULE) TO SERVE THEIR CUSTOMIZED NEEDS (FORANY PARTICULAR FARM). BY ENGAGING COMMUNITIES THROUGH OUR PROPOSED SMART AND CONNECTED SYSTEM AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES, THIS PROJECT WILL HELP RURAL COMMUNITIES TO EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITY OF USING SMART TECHNOLOGIES TO ADDRESS THEIR ECONOMIC CHALLENGES.INTELLECTUAL MERITS:A SMART AND CONNECTED SYSTEM IS PROPOSED THAT COMBINES RECENT ADVANCES IN ENVIRONMENTAL SENSING AND MODELING TO PROVIDE THE RECOMMENDATION OF IRRIGATION SCHEDULING ON THE DAILY BASIS FOR FARMERS IN TWO RURAL AREAS IN NEBRASKA. THIS SYSTEM WILL BE USED TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH AND DEDICATED ENGAGEMENT WITH COMMUNITIES CAN BE INTEGRATED TO INCREASE FARMS' PROFIT AND REDUCE ENGINEERING AND ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS THROUGH OPTIMIZING IRRIGATION SCHEDULING IN RURAL COMMUNITIES. A POSITIVE FEEDBACK LOOP IS ALSO HYPOTHESIZED IN WHICH THE SMART-CONNECTED SYSTEM CAN AUGMENT EXISTING ENGAGEMENT AND SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE OF SMART SYSTEMS WITHIN THE RURAL COMMUNITIES, AND SUCH AUGMENT IN TURN FURTHER STRENGTHEN THE DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH FOR IMPROVING SYSTEM SMARTNESS, ROBUSTNESS, AND THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN COMMUNITIES. BY PROVIDING SOLUTIONS FOR SEAMLESS ENVIRONMENTAL SENSOR ARRAY DESIGN AND COMMUNICATIONS, WEATHER FORECAST WITH ASSIMILATION OF SENSOR DATA AT REGIONAL SCALE, AND IRRIGATION SCHEDULING OPTIMIZED FOR FARM PROFITS, THE SYSTEM IN THIS PROJECT CAN BE VIEWED AS A PROTOTYPE FOR FUTURE PRECISION FARMING IN MANY RURAL AREAS OVER THE SOUTHERN GREAT PLAINS WHERE THE REGIONAL ECONOMY HEAVILY DEPENDS ON IRRIGATION.BROADER IMPACTSTHE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL HAVE BROADER IMPACTS TO RURAL COMMUNITIES BY FUNCTIONING AS AN ACCESSIBLE RESOURCE THROUGH OUR COLLABORATION PARTNERS TO OUTREACH CITIZENS IN NEBRASKA, IOWA, AND ILLINOIS. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO PROVIDE TRAINING TO STUDENTS VIA UPDATED COURSES AND LABS FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH THAT INTERSECTS BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, AND SOCIAL SCIENCE. RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DATA WILL BE DISSEMINATED BROADLY AT SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS, PUBLIC LECTURES, IN PUBLICATIONS, WEB SITES, SMARTPHONE APPS, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES, THEREBY FURTHER BROADENING IMPACTS OF THIS PROJECT GLOBALLY, ESPECIALLY FOR THE REGIONS WHERE IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE IS DOMINANT.