Soil Scout is the inventor of the trailblazing below-ground monitoring system with wireless soil sensors.
Soil Scout’s sensors transmit soil condition parameters like moisture, temperature and salinity in near real-time. They provide a detailed view into in-field variation, enabling different customers to better understand and manage the use of their soil. Nextfour and Soil Scout have worked together from 2018 on cloud-based soil monitoring, with focus on IoT, cloud-services and UI/UX design.
Gain a deeper view of the soil you use
- Soil Scout was founded in 2013, but the idea was formed before that in a PhD thesis
- Their buried soil sensors transmit data straight to a proprietary Base Station
- The soil sensors can be used up to 20 years, maintenance free
- Sensors are completely wireless and transmit data in real-time
- The soil sensors are used in numerous different fields of work, including agriculture and sports
From agriculture to sports fields
The story of Soil Scout started when Johannes Tiusanen, who grew up as a farmer himself, needed a better way to measure in-field soil moisture differences to control his sub-drainage system. He started to work on a wireless solution and ended up writing a PhD thesis about the subject. After 5 years, in 2013, Soil Scout was formally founded.
“Our roots are in agriculture, but our mission is to fulfill different solutions to both agronomists and other soil specialists. Some of our biggest customers are golf courses and sports fields“, says the CEO of Soil Scout, Jalmari Talola.
Their effect in the sports world can be seen in their references. Soil Scout’s customers include Wembley Stadium, Yara International, Helsinki Olympic Stadium, the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team, and many more.
Nextfour helping with the Iot and UI/UX services
Nextfour and Soil Scout have been working together from 2018. When the number of customers passed a certain point, Soil Scout decided to involve some helping hands in the IoT services. One of their founders was already familiar with Nextfour’s work, and the co-operation started.
Nextfour’s main responsibility in the co-operation has been constructing the backend server framework, and user interface, for delivering the gathered data to the end customer. This has included work on things such as: logs, interfaces, servers, data management, APIs, and usability.
“We recently had a big renovation on our database which Nextfour executed. The feedback we have received on that has been extremely positive, and now we have the needed confidence on the system to expand our business with some of our largest international customers.”
Communication is the key to success
Both Talola and Tiusanen give Nextfour credit on the good communication between the companies. The work together has led to a better technological performance and a more user-friendly interface on the Soil Scout’s cloud-based monitoring service.
“If there is help needed we know we can get a fast answer. Weekly reports to exchange information are also great to stay on top of things”, emphasizes Tiusanen, the Chief Science Officer of Soil Scout.
Soil Scout and Nextfour have already worked together for over two and a half years, and the co-operation has evolved over time. Nextfour has gathered more and more information that helps create and maintain the open and effortless communication the companies have.
”Nexfour has been able to resolve issues that we didn't even have or were aware of yet. Proactivity, improvements, and suggestions on what we should work on are what we expect and appreciate in our co-operation.
Jalmari TalolaCEO, Soil Scout
Smarter future with soil monitoring and data management
The co-operation between Nextfour and Soil Scout continues strong, including things such as data management and information security. Soil Scout appreciates especially the deeper IT knowledge Nextfour has. With this expertise the developers from Nextfour have been able to bring forth issues that might have later been problematic and hard to resolve, such as how to manage 42 million complex and non-uniform data entries efficiently and smoothly.
Soil Scout was recently awarded the Agri-INNO Award for their work on the buried soil sensors. Understanding what’s happening below the soil’s surface is critical for many industries. It’s becoming increasingly important for all to take better care and a deeper view into the soil they use. With Soil Scout’s wireless soil sensors we can together make agriculture, sports, and cities smarter and more environment friendly.
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