Peak HydroMet Solutions, based in British Columbia, Canada, is a full-service environmental monitoring company specializing in agricultural weather and water management.
Supporting a wide range of remote monitoring applications, they needed a robust sensor monitoring hardware solution that could seamlessly adapt across various environments and use cases.
Discover why the Hawk IoT Data Logger was chosen for its robustness and versatility.
The Challenge: Diverse Applications, Diverse Requirements
Effective environmental monitoring in Western Canada demands sensor monitoring hardware that can perform reliably under varying conditions. Peak HydroMet required an IoT data logger that could:
• Withstand harsh environmental conditions
• Provide consistent, reliable data across different monitoring scenarios
• Integrate with various sensors for real-time decision-making
The Digital Matter Solution: The Hawk IoT Data Logger
The Hawk IoT Data Logger was selected due to its ruggedness, versatile sensor compatibility, and cost efficiency, making it ideally suited to meet the varied requirements of Peak HydroMet's environmental monitoring applications.
The Hawk’s versatile architecture provides near limitless options for interfacing to sensors that report on data to be used for analysis or generating actions.
Through modular plug-in ‘I/O Cards,’ the device seamlessly connects with a broad range of third-party sensors, including SDI-12, I2C, 1-Wire, iButton, 4-20mA, RS485, Analog Inputs, Digital Inputs/Outputs, and Switched Power.
This flexibility allows solution providers like Peak HydroMet to either source their own sensors or create custom ones tailored to their specific use cases.
Implementation: Success Across Various Projects
Mr. Andy Nadler, Founder and Consulting Agricultural Meteorologist at Peak HydroMet, has spent considerable time evaluating and experimenting with new hardware.
Many devices did not meet expectations and ended up unused, emphasizing the need for versatile, durable, and easy-to-use hardware that can function in multiple scenarios rather than being limited to single projects.
Peak HydroMet leverages the Hawk IoT Data Logger in several crucial environmental monitoring projects, each contributing distinct benefits.
Soil Moisture Monitoring
Soil moisture monitoring is Peak HydroMet’s primary application. "The Hawk delivers data that is not only timely but exceptionally accurate, ensuring that irrigation management is both effective and efficient," says Nadler.
This data is crucial for maintaining crop health and significantly enhancing water conservation efforts.
Water Monitoring
"With an increasing focus on environmental compliance, robust water monitoring has become critical," Nadler explains.
The Hawk is used to track water levels and water temperatures, providing essential data for effective water resource management, and supporting compliance with environmental regulations.
The Hawk also plays a key role in salinity monitoring along coastal and riverine agricultural sites. It provides precise, timely data that helps farmers avoid the negative effects of irrigating with saline water, thus protecting crops and soil health. This is particularly important in areas where salinity levels can fluctuate due to tidal changes or agricultural runoff.
Climate Stations
Peak HydroMet Solutions deploys and manages numerous climate stations that record and report current weather conditions. The information is used to help manage irrigation, to inform frost mitigation, and for crop pest management. After evaluating several datalogging and telemetry options, they chose the Hawk as the ideal device for their systems. The units have performed flawlessly, even through the harsh Canadian Winters.
Results: Beyond Remote Monitoring
The deployment of the Hawk IoT Data Logger has significantly enhanced Peak HydroMet's operations in several key areas:
Enhanced Data Reliability: The robust design of the Hawk ensures reliable data collection even in harsh environmental conditions.
Operational Efficiency: The device automates previously manual and time-consuming data collection and analysis processes, leading to quicker decision-making and more proactive management.
Cost-Effectiveness: The Hawk's cost-saving features, combined with its versatility, allow Peak HydroMet to expand their services without significantly increasing expenses.
"The Hawk helps us confidently tackle new challenges and opportunities," concludes Nadler. "Our collaboration with Digital Matter has significantly enhanced our capabilities in sustainable environmental management."
For more information on Peak HydroMet's innovative solutions visit https://peakhydromet.com/.
