There are several benefits to the easy-to-implement sensors that are powered by Sigfox’s global network, but one of the most important is the accuracy of the sensor data. Because these sensors are able to monitor weather conditions in your exact fields 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year round, you are able to not better predict watering and maintenance schedules, but you can track data trends across months. This will help you continue to grow bigger and better years each season, as you use what you’ve learned through data to make better decisions about your fields.
However, to do all of this, the accuracy of the data is paramount. Below are some of the reasons why sensor-collected data is so important to better agricultural processes.
LESS HUMAN ERROR
Before sensors, farmers and their employees often had to go out to their fields manually on a regular basis to judge crop health and current status. Often, this data is collected manually and usually not written down to keep on record. This can lead to more stress and work down the road, as farmers are unable to use data records to make better decisions about their crops.
Besides not writing it down at all, humans likely cannot measure as accurately as a sensor does using manual tools and labor. Sensor technology is so precise, you can collect exact measurements, all without having to do the work yourself.
PROVIDES MORE DATA
Sigfox-enabled sensors are constantly collecting and sending data. These smart agriculture devices send their data to farmers’ online dashboards, which can viewed at any time on any device that has internet access. It is impossible for humans to manually collect data constantly (and consistently) around the clock, all while recording and sending it to an online source for storage and visualization. Sigfox-enabled sensors make this easy.
MORE METRICS AVAILABLE
Besides faster, more accurate data collection, sensors can also track more metrics easily, which will help give you a better overall picture of weather trends. Being able to monitor more metrics can help predict crop health as a result of preparing for incoming weather patterns in your area.
COMMUNITY-BASED DATA EVENS OUT ANOMALIES
By comparing exact field data with data from other farmers, you are better able to weed out any anomalies that don’t follow the normal trends of agriculture in your area. While a comparison process could be done manually through a network of farmers all sharing information, it isn’t done as automatically and seamlessly as the cloud-data the network of sensors provides from crops around the world.
This level of cloud data to pull from can help identify patterns and trends for a better picture in how your crops are performing.
TRACK DATA FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME
In addition to continuously collected data, sensors will also store all the data it has collected, making it viewable for years to come seamlessly in the dashboard in an easy to use format. By contrast, data collected by hand may be lost or is harder to read. Having everything in a digital format will help make data even more useful.
