METOS® Smart Agriculture Platform

Overview

The METOS® Smart Agriculture Platform is a comprehensive, cloud-connected environmental monitoring system engineered for precision agriculture and environmental stewardship. Built on a modular IoT architecture, it integrates field-deployable weather, soil, and plant condition sensors with the FieldClimate SaaS platform to deliver real-time, actionable agrometeorological intelligence. At its core, the platform applies physical microclimate modeling—combining measured parameters (e.g., air/soil temperature, relative humidity, leaf wetness, precipitation, wind, solar radiation, and soil water potential) with biological thresholds and phenological data—to generate predictive disease, frost, irrigation, and pest risk models. Unlike generic weather stations, METOS® systems are purpose-built for agronomic decision support, with over 85 validated disease models spanning 40+ crops—including fungal pathogens such as Botrytis cinerea, Pseudoperonospora cubensis, and Blumeria graminis—all calibrated against peer-reviewed epidemiological literature and validated under EU and North American growing conditions.

Key Features

• Modular hardware architecture supporting scalable deployment—from single-sensor miniMETOS soil probes to full-field nMETOS NB-IoT stations
• Multi-protocol connectivity: NB-IoT (Cat-M1/NB1), GPRS, LoRaWAN, and cellular fallback; optional external antenna and integrated GPS for georeferenced data traceability
• Configurable sampling intervals: 5–60 minute measurement cycles with adjustable transmission frequency (default: 60-min upload to FieldClimate)
• Battery-powered operation with 6–12 month lifespan (miniMETOS); solar-rechargeable options available for permanent installations
• FieldClimate cloud platform compliant with ISO 27001-certified infrastructure; supports audit trails, user role management, and data export in CSV/JSON formats
• Frost-specific nMETOS FROST variant with dual dry-bulb/wet-bulb thermometry and real-time risk notification via SMS/email/API webhook

Sample Compatibility & Compliance

The METOS® platform accommodates heterogeneous sensor ecosystems—including third-party Vaisala, Decagon (now METER Group), and Onset-compatible probes—ensuring interoperability across legacy and next-generation instrumentation. All hardware complies with CE, RoHS, and IP67 ingress protection standards. Data workflows align with GLP principles for agricultural research applications; FieldClimate supports 21 CFR Part 11-compliant electronic signatures and audit logs upon enterprise subscription. The platform’s disease models reference ISO 17923:2019 (field meteorology), EPPO PM 7/119 (pest risk modeling), and FAO Crop Protection Guidelines, enabling traceable, science-based regulatory reporting for integrated pest management (IPM) programs.

Software & Data Management

FieldClimate serves as the central analytical engine, providing automated model-driven alerts, customizable dashboards, historical trend analysis, and multi-site comparison tools. Raw sensor data undergoes on-device quality control (e.g., outlier rejection, plausibility checks per WMO guidelines) prior to encryption and TLS 1.3 transmission. Time-series datasets are stored with millisecond timestamp precision and preserved for ≥10 years. API access enables integration with farm management software (e.g., FarmLogs, Granular, AgriWebb), ERP systems, and automated irrigation controllers via Modbus TCP or MQTT. All user accounts enforce two-factor authentication, and data residency options include EU-hosted servers to meet GDPR Article 28 requirements.

Applications

• Agricultural Production: Irrigation scheduling based on evapotranspiration (ET_c) and soil water deficit; nitrogen application timing guided by temperature-humidity accumulation indices
• Horticulture & Protected Cropping: Greenhouse climate optimization using leaf wetness duration and dew point differentials to suppress Phytophthora outbreaks
• Turf & Landscape Management: Golf course moisture mapping via buried miniMETOS arrays to eliminate overwatering and reduce fungicide use
• Research & Extension: Long-term phenoclimatic monitoring for climate adaptation studies; validation of crop simulation models (e.g., DSSAT, APSIM)
• Environmental Monitoring: Urban heat island assessment, flood forecasting via rainfall-runoff correlation, and livestock barn microclimate compliance tracking

FAQ

What communication protocols does METOS® support?
METOS® devices support NB-IoT (Cat-M1/NB1), GPRS, LoRaWAN, and optional Wi-Fi or Ethernet gateways—ensuring deployment flexibility across rural, peri-urban, and greenhouse environments.
Are disease models validated against field trials?
Yes—each of the 85+ disease models undergoes annual recalibration using anonymized, aggregated observational data from >12,000 active METOS® installations across 32 countries, with sensitivity/specificity metrics published annually in the FieldClimate Technical Validation Report.
Can METOS® integrate with existing SCADA or irrigation systems?
Yes—via RESTful API, MQTT broker, or Modbus TCP interface; certified integrations exist with Hunter, Rain Bird, and Netafim controllers.
Is offline operation possible during network outages?
All METOS® loggers buffer up to 30 days of high-frequency sensor data locally and auto-resynchronize upon connection restoration without data loss.
What is the warranty and service lifecycle?
Hardware carries a 3-year limited warranty; firmware updates and cloud platform maintenance are included for the device’s operational lifetime, with guaranteed backward compatibility across ≥5 major FieldClimate versions.