Monsanto in Europe begins evaluation testing of MeteoHelix® IoT Pro in field experiments as part of SkyMaps’ agro solutions

MeteoHelix® Pro weather station in agricultural field experiments

MeteoHelix® IoT Pro micro weather stations designed to achieve strict accuracies as set by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have been deployed to crop field experiments throughout Europe by Monsanto as part of Skymaps s .r .o. precision agricultural solution. The precise measurement properties resulting from their helical, spiral or twister design makes these wireless weather stations unique in the marketplace.

Recent advancements in wireless technologies enabled BARANI DESIGN Technologies to design a complete wireless weather station into a cavity where only a sensor could fit before. This new helical weather station design is not only accurate and compact, but also economical. With the target MSRP end-user price set at 499 Euro (VAT exclusive) or $550 USD, the measurement quality and installation convenience offered can be considered a steal. For precision agriculture experiments where accurate climate monitoring is of utmost importance, the long-term measurement stability offered by the self-cleaning MeteoHelix® IoT weather stations is a strong selling point, along with their ease of use, installation and operation.

The MeteoHelix® IoT Pro is not the only meteorological measurement technology being evaluated by Monsanto. Understory weather stations have been in evaluation for some time. MeteoHelix® IoT Pro is however the most accurate, theft proof, vandalism proof weather station on the market today.

MeteoHelix® ready for Industry 4.0

Agricultural weather station with a wind sensor, rain gauge and helical radiation shield

What is industry 4.0 and how does meteorological data fit into its picture?

In general, the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0 for short) is widely accepted as the rise of connectivity following the computerization of manufacturing. For example, the term "Precision Agriculture" is one subset of the 3rd and 4th industrial revolutions, where the 3rd industrial revolution is all about computerization and widespread sensor adoption and the fourth is the rise of connectivity and its benefits. We are still in the middle of both of these industrial revolutions. The benefits of Industry 3.0 are clearly visible with sensors in everything from our cars to our household appliances, while the benefits of connectivity will become more and more noticeable in the years to come.

The rise of home weather stations

In meteorology one can see the widespread adoption of home weather stations as the result of Industry 3.0, while the rise of meteorological data sharing networks like Weather Underground as the beginnings of Industry 4.0.  The rise of precision agriculture is also the result of sensor adoption and started with the widespread use of weather stations in farming. It continues with the rise of software platforms that offer not only present weather data sharing and data processing, but are also able to combine this data with crop health and soil analyses to paint a more complete picture of current crop status and crop development.  This complete picture helps decision makers (agronomists in precision farming) make significantly more informed decisions and helps prevent wasteful use of water, fertilizer and chemical agents used to treat plant diseases and pest outbreaks.

Impact on professional meteorology

In professional meteorology the changes from the 3rd and 4th industrial revolution come slower. Scientists and meteorologists need to be sure that each new technology provides high-quality data and long-term data stability as climatic changes happen on a scale of a few thousands of a degree per year. Additionally, every new sensor technology needs to be thoroughly tested and compared to existing measurement instruments and techniques so as to ensure data continuity and consistency. In other words, professional applications of weather sensors cannot permit sensor differences to create false changes in long-term climatic measurement, where a change is temperature sensor technology would result in a step change in global temperature readings. One such new technology currently being evaluated by professionals around the world is the helical radiation shield for air temperature sensors which promises to significantly increase accuracy and reduce measurement uncertainty of any temperature sensor in outdoor applications. The impact of this helical solar shield technology found in the MeteoHelix® micro-weather stations from BARANI DESIGN Technologies may mean that tens of thousands of home weather stations throughout the world may in the near future be able to provide high-quality professional weather data used to improve local weather forecasts.

MeteoHelix® wins silver as part of SURVIA's Grand Prize winning precision agriculture solution at TECHAGRO 2018

Standing above the crowd in a field where evaluation of farm fields using drones has become standard practice fueled by the advancements in sensor and drone technology is not easy. One such company from Czechia has manged to do just that, by capturing the Grand Prize at one on the biggest agricultural technical exhibitions in Europe.

While many companies claim to provide real value, SURVIA s.r.o. seems to actually deliver.  Focused more on research and development than on plain profit, SURVIA has shown it can deliver the know-how necessary achieve real money saving results.

Proper evaluation of crop growth variations and disease risks is delivered through a sophisticated data analysis and qualified by local agronomist know-how, which is crucial to achieving real results. Each plot of land is different and has to be treated individually as not only soil compositions vary but also micro-climates. To quantify these differences, soil samples are analyzed and when possible weather variations are monitored by placing micro-weather stations as densely as possible.

Since quality meteorological data has always been costly to obtain and sensor life due to contamination in the dusty agricultural environment has never been satisfactory, SURVIA as chosen to partner with an innovative company from Slovakia and USA whose micro-weather station MeteoHelix® and its helical radiation shield technology seems to be breaking this old prejudice.

BARANI DESIGN Technologies s.r.o. known for its professional line of meteorological sensors has taken the leap to deliver a truly affordable professional micro weather station. With a price tag of under 500 EURO, the wireless MeteoHelix® IoT Pro and its little brother the MeteoHelix IoT Home are seemingly in a class of their own in terms of measurement quality for money spent and have been awarded the silver prize at TECHAGRO 2018. They are allowing farmers to monitor weather over multiple fields affordably with minimal financial risk from weather station damage or theft.

For more information contact:

Survia s.r.o.
Habrová 1445
363 01 Ostrov
Czechia
www.survia.cz

BARANI DESIGN Technologies s.r.o.
Klincova 35
821 08 Bratislava
SLOVAKIA
www.baranidesign.com