The ALTA^® Soil Moisture Sensor Recognized as One of the World's Most Innovative Technologies in the Global AgTech Industry

SALT LAKE CITY—Aug. 22, 2024—Monnit, a leader in Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, recently won the 2024 AgTech Breakthrough Water Monitoring Solution of the Year Award for its ALTA^® Soil Moisture Sensor, ALTA XL^® Wireless IoT Gateway, and iMonnit^™ Cloud Monitoring App.

The annual AgTech Breakthrough Awards program recognizes the best agricultural and food technology companies, products, and services around the globe. Monnit won the award because its ALTA Soil Moisture Sensor measures the technically advanced and valuable condition of soil water tension, which helps you optimize precision irrigation scheduling and conserve water in smart agriculture operations.

"As climate change and unpredictable weather affect drought conditions worldwide, water conservation efforts and our predictive water monitoring solutions work to maximize water efficiency and precision irrigation practices," said Monnit Founder and CEO Brad Walters. "We're thrilled that the AgTech Breakthrough Awards judges have recognized Monnit's commitment to providing sustainable, smart agriculture solutions with actionable, data-driven IoT insights."

The Monnit Wireless Water Monitoring Solution

The core of the Monnit Wireless Water Monitoring Solution is the ALTA Soil Moisture Sensor that sends data to your mobile device and PC. Know how much, when, and where to water crops. You get instant text, email, or voice call alerts if water or temperatures deviate from preset parameters. The solution also includes cellular connectivity and real-time oversight from the ALTA XL IoT Gateway and iMonnit Monitoring App.

Measure soil water tension in units of pressure (0 to 240 centibar (cb) or kilopascal (kPa)) and temperature (-40°C to 125°C/-40°F to 257°F) using an innovative resistive granular matrix element and a thermistor-based temperature element. There's a science to measuring soil water tension; both sensor elements give you the data to help you make the right watering decisions.

Why Measure Soil Water Tension?

Monitor the more technically advanced yet valuable soil water potential. This sensor measures matric water potential or soil water tension, the best indicator of water availability. Unlike other sensors, the moisture element works as a root, measuring water tension in its hydrophilic fabric-covered matrix material rather than the surrounding soil.

Sensors that only measure soil water volume can be limited because they can't tell you how water moves. As an electrical resistance sensor, it monitors the energy state of water that explains water movement, including the energy that a plant exerts to draw available water from the soil.

The Impact of Soil Water Potential and Temperature

When you measure water potential and temperature together, you can tell more accurately if your crops are healthy or stressed. Combining these elements, the ALTA Soil Moisture Sensor can help increase yield and mitigate water stress and nutrient leaching. You can also use the temperature element's reading for soil moisture temperature compensation, so you don't need different water readings if the temperature changes.

A Proven IoT Platform

The sensor runs on Monnit's wireless IoT platform using a proprietary combination of hardware and software to collect and send data efficiently and securely. With a long-range, multi-frequency radio and flexible microcontroller, it quickly deploys in multiple AgTech applications.

Additional key features of the Soil Moisture Sensor:

• Durable in many soils and both hot and freezing temperatures
  • Corrosion-resistant stainless steel
  • Internally compensated for salinity levels
• Easier to install and use than traditional tensiometers
• Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) for greater signal interference tolerance
  • Impairment immunity up to 2,000 feet from physical obstructions, external wireless radio frequencies, and electromagnetic interference (EMI)
  • One-mile wireless range at ground level, without obstructions
• Encrypt-RF^® Security (Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange + AES-128 Cipher Blocker Chaining (CBC) for sensor data messages)
• Logs up to 4000 readings if the gateway connection is lost

Measure Up to Conservation Concerns

Overwatering and underwatering are significant concerns as you balance water conservation with healthy crops. Water monitoring using the ALTA Soil Moisture Sensor can help quench water-saving worries and optimize precision water monitoring in smart agriculture operations.

By connecting soil water to the IoT, the sensor triggers water's effective, efficient use. It can help stimulate the long-term economic and environmental sustainability of growing operations.

About Monnit Corporation

The origin story of the Internet of Things (IoT) begins with Monnit. Before our inception in 2010, we were already at the forefront of embedding technology into machines and devices to make them talk, delivering valuable data to business leaders. Monnit Remote Monitoring Solutions for nearly any industry use case have delivered 43+ billion data points in more than 85 countries for 64,000 customers. Monnit's 80+ wireless IoT sensors remotely monitor many conditions like temperature, light, humidity, water, vibration, pressure, and more. You can analyze data using iMonnit cloud software and get alerts via email, text, or call when our sensors detect a change you need to know.

About AgTech Breakthrough

Part of Tech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence and recognition platform for global technology innovation and leadership, the AgTech Breakthrough Awards program is devoted to honoring excellence in agricultural and food technologies, services, companies, and products around the world. The AgTech Breakthrough Awards program provides a forum for public recognition around the achievements of AgTech companies and solutions in categories including farm management, indoor farming, IoT and robotics, FoodTech, analytics, and more. For more information, visit AgTechBreakthrough.com.