IoT Deployment Data Models in the Wheat Supply Chain Storage Section: Using an Action Design Research Approach

The supply chain for perishable products, especially agricultural goods, has always been one of the most important and challenging management issues at different times. Because, at all stages of the agricultural production process, unsafe and unsanitary factors may endanger the health of agricultural products. In addition, one of the key problems of the agricultural supply chain is the high volume of products wasted throughout the whole supply chain. For example, in Iran, as a developing country, about 30% of all agricultural products are wasted annually. The high volume of agricultural waste is especially important concerning wheat products as a political and strategic product. The results of some studies show that a large amount of wheat waste in developing countries is due to the widespread use of traditional methods in the storage process. Therefore, the application of emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) can be an effective solution to this kind of problem. However, there are shortcomings in the IoT deployment in the supply chain, especially in the logistics sector, and researchers need to cover theoretical gaps in this area through modeling and optimization. Therefore, the present study intends to emphasize this important research issue for the first time in Iran using the Action Design Research approach. The most important findings of this research include the conceptual data model, the logical model of the database, and the physical data model for the IoT deployment in the storage section of the wheat supply chain, which has been designed and validated with the participation of industry and software engineering experts. The models designed in this research can be useful for the implementation of IoT technology in wheat storage centers and food factories. The findings of this study can provide a good guideline for officials and decision-makers to deploying IoT in the field of wheat storage.