IoT-powered soil sensors support sustainability through smarter, optimized water use.
ATLANTA (Jan. 24, 2023) – KORE, a global leader in Internet of Things (“IoT”) Solutions and worldwide IoT Connectivity-as-a-Service (“IoT CaaS”), announced today its collaboration with GroundWorx, a wireless innovations and water conservation company, to provide the technology support for the company’s Ground & Weather Intelligence Platform as a Service.
For organizations globally, sustainable water management is an environmental goal and demonstrates good stewardship. For use by industries, especially agriculture, turf management, hotel and resorts, school and universities, and government services, e.g., municipal parks and smart communities and cities, GroundWorx has developed its GX-1 Soil Sensor that is easily installed by embedding in the ground where soil monitoring is desired. The soil sensor pairs with the GX-1 Micro Weather Station and an analytics dashboard.
KORE initially helped power the solution through the development of firmware, device certification and continues in its support through comprehensive, global connectivity. This collaboration enables organizations worldwide to easily manage water and electricity usage reducing strain on resources while providing an opportunity to lower overall costs.
“Water accessibility and sustainability are major challenges across the globe. Working with an innovative organization that is implementing IoT to help solve some of the most pressing environmental problems is a privilege for us,” KORE President and CEO Romil Bahl said. “Our focus as a company is to make it easy for our customers to leverage and scale IoT capabilities to help solve issues, such as the global water crisis. GroundWorx is a user-friendly approach to water conservation and optimization, and we are thrilled to collaborate on this initiative.”
The soil sensor collects data to report on soil moisture, temperature, and salinity and integrates with irrigation systems. This proactive approach to soil condition monitoring allows end users to water only when needed.
“We’ve seen all of our customers decrease water usage by 30% with very little effort,” GroundWorx Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO Brad David said.
KORE has been critical in simplifying and streamlining the ability to implement GroundWorx solutions globally.
“With the help of KORE, we are able to ship these around the world,” GroundWorx CTO Diego Borrego said. “[Customers] open them up, take them out of the packaging, and they work.”
California Avocado Farm and High-End Golf Resort: Save millions of gallons of water monthly, increase employee efficiency and cost savings
John Haskett, owner of Lucky Charm Farms in San Diego, has implemented the GroundWorx solution at his avocado farm.
“California has a critical issue with water, and avocado trees are pretty voracious about their appetite for water,” Haskett said. “The traditional methods of watering avocado trees typically center largely on guesswork, and with the water bills very costly – in the tens of thousands of dollars range – we needed to find a better method of watering.”
In exploring options, the ease of use, installation, and comprehensive readings were key drivers in adopting the GroundWorx solution. The GroundWorx method of “dig and drop” installation and immediate pairing to smartphone devices allowed Lucky Charm Farms to continue operations with no shutdown during implementation and quickly reap the benefits of the system.
“These sensors take 144 readings a day,” Haskett said. “With greater data collection and enhanced analytics with thresholds built in our employees avoid watering too little or too much.”
David Yanez, Director of Agronomy at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego, is leveraging the GroundWorx system to optimize water use for golf course fairways.
“The price for potable water has probably increased 300% in 10 years,” Yanez said. “And the challenge is providing the best quality course and playing conditions while using the right amount of water.”
Prior to the GroundWorx system, Yanez – much like many other golf course superintendents – was using a portable digital tool that takes individual soil samples at the surface. This solution was more labor intensive and not nearly as comprehensive as having multiple GroundWorx sensors embedded in the root zone that take numerous automatic readings per day.
Immediately, the data derived can be leveraged to make informed watering decisions. Yanez said, for example, he’s been able to better determine when he can skip irrigation cycles, which has realistically saved millions of gallons of water per month.
About KORE
KORE is a pioneer, leader, and trusted advisor delivering mission critical IoT solutions and services. We empower organizations of all sizes to improve operational and business results by simplifying the complexity of IoT. Our deep IoT knowledge and experience, global reach, purpose-built solutions, and deployment agility accelerate and materially impact our customers’ business outcomes. For more information, visit korewireless.com.
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