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Agriculture/
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Rangeland and pastoralismRangeland, measured where the herds move.
Ranches and pastoral communities graze large areas where rain is patchy and water is scarce. Rain gauges, soil probes, water point sensors and cameras report with satellite forage maps to one record, so herders, ranchers and agencies see the range before drought takes hold.
Plan a deploymentHow it worksStation Builder- Industry
- Agriculture
- Measurements
- 5
- Sources cited
- 4
Agriculture · Rangeland and pastoralism
Rain falls in patches
On open range, rain falls in patches and grass follows it. Herders read the land with long experience, but drought builds across areas no one person can see, and a failed water point can cost a herd. Measuring rain, soil, water points and forage across the range shares that view with everyone who depends on it.
What is measured
Rain, soil, water points and forage
Rain gauges and soil probes across each grazing unit measure what fell and what the soil holds. Level sensors and cameras at troughs, tanks and boreholes show which water points are full, low or failing. Satellite imagery maps forage across the range, checked on monitoring plots.
- Instruments
- Rain gauges · Soil probes · Water point levels · Cameras · Satellite imagery
The base node
A node that saves the satellite link
Each point signs its readings and sends short messages to the unit’s node. The node totals rain and water use each day, flags a water point that stops filling, and sends camera stills only on alarm or schedule, so the satellite link carries what matters.
Radio and links
LoRaWAN to the hill, satellite to the world
Points spread across a grazing unit reach a solar gateway on a hill over LoRaWAN. Where no network reaches, a satellite terminal at the gateway carries the unit’s small traffic; where a ranch house or village has coverage, cellular is the cheaper path.
- Links
- Satellite · LoRaWAN · Public cellular
How it works
From a dry trough to a herder’s phone
A trough level falls and does not recover. The endpoint signs the reading and sends it over LoRaWAN to the gateway, where the node sees the water point failing and sends an alarm over satellite. The herder or water committee gets a message, and the record keeps the repair.
From order to operation · Order
Scope the range and the decisions
The scope reads the grazing units, water points, herd movements and the early warning arrangements the area depends on. Nexus Observatory Inc. returns the point plan by unit and water point, the satellite and LoRaWAN design, the integration with agencies and a price per point and per service.
Plan a deploymentFrom order to operation · Survey
Survey with the herders
Crews travel the range with ranchers or pastoral elders to find representative rain gauge sites, soil probe points and the water points that matter most. They choose a hill for the gateway, confirm sky view for satellite and note where livestock and wildlife could damage equipment.
From order to operation · Permits
Land, communities and consent
On communal land the community agrees through its own institutions, in writing, and keeps a say over the data. On ranches the landholder agrees. Data sharing with drought agencies is set out, so information that helps herders reaches them first.
From order to operation · Build
Build to be left alone
Gauges, probes, water point sensors, cameras, endpoints and the solar gateway are built for dust, heat and animals, tested together and enrolled with their identities. Each point is configured for its unit and its alarms, and labelled so a herder can report it by name.
Open the Station BuilderFrom order to operation · Install
Install with fences and care
Crews set rain gauges level and clear of obstructions, place soil probes, fit level sensors and cameras at water points, and raise the gateway and satellite terminal on the hill. Points are fenced against livestock where needed, and every point is located and photographed.
From order to operation · Commission
Check, then hand over
Each device proves its identity. Rain gauges are checked with a measured volume, water point levels against a dip, and the satellite link against its first messages. Alarms are tested to the ranch manager or the community contact, who is shown how to read the record.
From order to operation · Operate
Move herds on evidence
Ranchers and herders see rain, soil moisture and forage by unit and which water points are full, low or failing. Drought agencies see the same signals across the area, with satellite forage maps checked on plots, and warnings go out before the dry season bites.
From order to operation · Maintain
One visit a year, and repairs on call
A yearly visit cleans gauges and panels, checks sensors against references and changes batteries on plan. Water point faults reported by the system or by herders are repaired on call. Every change is recorded, so long rain and forage series stay consistent.
Book field servicesData products
For herders, ranchers and agencies
Ranchers and herders receive rain, soil moisture and water point status by unit; community water committees receive alarms; range managers receive forage maps; drought agencies and pastoral associations receive early warning signals across the area. Each product carries its source and the siting behind it.
See the data productsEvidence
Long records for hard years
Every reading, alarm and repair is signed and kept with its time and place. Rain is measured to WMO practice, range condition follows recognised range monitoring methods, and forage maps come from open satellite data checked on plots, so long series stay comparable through dry years and wet.
- Drawn against
- WMO-No. 8 · WMO-No. 134 · NRCS National Range and Pasture Handbook · Copernicus Sentinel-2
What you get
Agricultural field observatories
Soil moisture profiles, micro-weather and evapotranspiration with irrigation thresholds per field. Delivered as managed service and data licence, for growers, agribusiness, irrigation districts, crop insurers. Scale: Farm to region. Service levels are written as numbers you can measure on your own dashboard.
Talk to salesNext step
Plan rangeland and pastoralism with us
Tell us the site, the measurements and the rules it answers to. We reply with a survey proposal, a design and a scope for rangeland and pastoralism. An engineer replies with a survey proposal and a scope, and the plan grows from one site to the network you need, at your pace.
Plan a deploymentOpen the Station BuilderOpen the Studio
01The place and its hazards
Where it runs, and what can go wrong.
Operating contextRangelands cover vast areas of grass and shrub grazed by cattle, sheep, goats and camels, on ranches and by mobile pastoralists. Forage follows patchy rain, water points are few and far apart, and drought builds slowly then strikes hard. Range managers monitor vegetation and use, and early warning systems help herders and agencies act ahead of drought.
Hazards
- Drought and forage failure
- Water points failing or running dry
- Overgrazing and land degradation
- Livestock losses in heat and cold
- Remote sites with no network or power
02What must be measured
What, where, how often, and under which rules.
Each measurement names where it is taken, how often, and the public standard or regulation behind it. Numbers in the sources column open the cited source below.
| Measurement | Where | Cadence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall | Gauges across the range, sited to practice | Continuous | 12 |
| Soil moisture | Representative soils of the main grazing units | Several times a day | 2 |
| Water point level and use | Troughs, tanks, dams and boreholes | Continuous, totalled daily | 3 |
| Forage and vegetation condition | The whole range, from satellite imagery, checked on monitoring plots | Each available pass; plots on the monitoring cycle | 43 |
| Grazing pressure | Monitoring plots and water point cameras | Seasonal plots; images on schedule | 3 |
03The observation stack
From one base unit to a network.
The same blocks at every scale: instruments and a base node, a site with its radio, a fleet run as one, and a network federated on the open protocol.
- 01
Base unit
A range point: a rain gauge and soil probe on a LoRaWAN endpoint, or a water point with its level sensor and camera.
Build a station → - 02
Site
A grazing unit: points across it, a solar gateway on a hill and a satellite link to the ranch or agency.
Plan a site → - 03
Fleet
Every unit of a ranch, a conservancy or a pastoral area run as one fleet, with one record.
Managed offers → - 04
Network
Ranchers, pastoral associations and drought agencies exchange rain, forage and water point records through open standards.
The open protocol →
- 01Compact weather station
- 02Soil probe
- 03Water level gauge
- 04Fixed camera
- 05LPWAN endpoint
- 06LoRaWAN gateway
- 07Micro node (Nano)
- 08LEO flat-panel terminal
- 09Solar array
- 10Pole
Radio and links
Satellite
Most range is beyond cellular; a satellite terminal at the gateway carries the unit’s small traffic.
Radio and links
LoRaWAN
Points spread across a grazing unit reach a solar gateway on a hill at very low power.
Radio and links
Public cellular
Where a ranch house or village has coverage, it is the cheaper path for the gateway.
Edge computeThe unit’s node totals rain and water use each day, flags water points that stop filling or run low, and sends camera stills of water points only on alarm or on schedule to save the satellite link.
PowerEverything runs on solar and batteries sized for long dry seasons and dust; points are built to be left alone for a year.
04How it works
From the instrument to the product.
One observation’s path, tier by tier, with the interface on every link and a bill of materials below; then how the one node grows to a site, a fleet and federated networks.
Rangeland and pastoralism: data path
– of 08
01 Instruments Measurement with sensor identity andcalibration 02 Field radio 03 Gateway 04 Node – Wrap in an observation envelope with timequality– Measure quality and uncertainty, attachquality flags– Buffer locally (store-and-forward when thelink drops) 05 Backhaul Commit with transactional outbox andpublish, delivered at least once 06 Site Consumer inbox deduplicates and applieseach record once into governed data 07 Data store Governed product through API, map orexport, correction-aware 08 Products OGC SensorThings APICommon Alerting ProtocolWMO WIS 2.0 09 Power and structure Supplies 12 V DC, 48 V DC to the fieldequipment 01 Compact weather station SDI-12 · RS-485 · Ethernet 02 Soil probe SDI-12 · RS-485 · Ethernet 03 Water level gauge SDI-12 · RS-485 · Ethernet 04 Fixed camera Ethernet 05 LPWAN endpoint Analogue I/O · SDI-12 · RS-485 06 LoRaWAN gateway Ethernet · RF · GNSS antenna 07 Micro node (Nano) Ethernet · USB · Analogue I/O ·RS-485 · CAN 08 LEO flat-panel terminal Ethernet Site MQTT 5 with Sparkplug B Governed data store Versioned, correction-aware Rain and soil moisture by grazing unit Water point status and alarms Forage condition maps Drought early warning signals 09 Solar array RS-485 10 Pole SDI-12 SDI-12 SDI-12 Ethernet LoRaWAN Ethernet Ethernet Satellite IP| Item | Equipment | Data ports | Protocols | Power in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Compact weather stationAll-in-one or compact station for temperature, humidity, pressure, wind and rain at a site. | SDI-12RS-485Ethernet | SDI-12, Modbus, MQTT 5, OGC SensorThings API | 12 V DC |
| 02 | Soil probeProbe for volumetric soil moisture, temperature and conductivity at one or more depths. | SDI-12RS-485Ethernet | SDI-12, Modbus, MQTT 5, OGC SensorThings API | 12 V DC |
| 03 | Water level gaugeRadar, pressure or float gauge for river, lake, reservoir or tide level. | SDI-12RS-485Ethernet | SDI-12, Modbus, MQTT 5, OGC SensorThings API | 12 V DC |
| 04 | Fixed cameraFixed visible-light camera for site security, scene monitoring and machine vision. | Ethernet | RTSP with ONVIF profiles, MQTT 5 | PoE |
| 05 | LPWAN endpointBattery-powered endpoint on LoRaWAN, NB-IoT or LTE-M that carries one or more sensors. | Analogue I/OSDI-12RS-485 | LoRaWAN, OMA LwM2M, CoAP | Internal battery, Energy harvesting |
| 06 | LoRaWAN gatewayMulti-channel LoRaWAN gateway that forwards uplinks to a network server and schedules downlinks within duty limits. | EthernetRFGNSS antenna | LoRaWAN, MQTT 5 | PoE, 12 V DC |
| 07 | Micro node (Nano)Single-board or module-class node for sensor sites, gateways and low-power deployments. | EthernetUSBAnalogue I/ORS-485CAN | MQTT 5, OMA LwM2M, CoAP | PoE, 12 V DC, USB PD |
| 08 | LEO flat-panel terminalElectronically steered flat-panel user terminal for low-Earth-orbit broadband constellations. | Ethernet | — | PoE, 48 V DC, AC mains |
| 09 | Solar arrayPV modules with charge controller sized to the site’s load and climate. | RS-485 | Modbus | — |
| 10 | PoleUtility, street or dedicated pole with clamp positions. | — | — | — |
How it scales
01 Instruments Arbitrary qualified sensors and instruments whosemeasurements are ingested with calibration, units,geometry, time, custody and uncertainty. ×n 02 Node The minimum useful deployable unit: server, ruggedappliance, radio node, sensor gateway, satelliteterminal, AI, scientific, vehicle or virtual node. Node Node agent 03 Site The minimum independently operable localgovernance and failure domain: one or more nodesplus local network, identity, policy, evidence,storage, products and operator surfaces.SITE
Node Node Node ×n 04 Cluster An optional scale or specialisation domain forscheduling, shared storage, accelerators or datalocality.CLUSTER
×n 05 Fleet Coordinates plans, acknowledgements,convergence evidence, update campaigns andcorrection propagation across nodes and sites.FLEET
Fleet controller ×n 06 Federation An exchange of products, capabilities, events orwork across approved, independently administeredtrust domains, using explicit trust, policy,data-locality, version and correction contracts.TRUST DOMAIN
TRUST DOMAIN
TRUST DOMAIN
×n Verifier Applications Data in the field Telemetry Control Data upstream Control Data upstream Control Exchange Evidence Events Exchange- Data in the field
- MQTT 5 with Sparkplug B; connectors for LoRaWAN, OPC UA and instrument buses.
- Telemetry
- OpenTelemetry OTLP.
- Control
- TLS 1.3 with mutual authentication; protobuf messages over gRPC or HTTP/2.
- Data upstream
- At-least-once publication with repeat-safe keys over the control channel or NATS JetStream; QUIC MAY be used on lossy links.
- Evidence
- DSSE-signed in-toto statements; SLSA provenance; SCITT transparency receipts.
- Events
- Event envelopes mapped to CloudEvents 1.0; channels described in AsyncAPI 3.
- Exchange
- OpenAPI 3.1; the OGC API family; SensorThings; STAC; WIS 2.0.
05From order to operation
Every step, from the first call to a running site.
The same crew and the same record carry the work from scope to maintenance.
- 01 Order
Scope the range and the decisions
The scope reads the grazing units, water points, herd movements and the early warning arrangements the area depends on. Nexus Observatory Inc. returns the point plan by unit and water point, the satellite and LoRaWAN design, the integration with agencies and a price per point and per service. 3
- 02 Survey
Survey with the herders
Crews travel the range with ranchers or pastoral elders to find representative rain gauge sites, soil probe points and the water points that matter most. They choose a hill for the gateway, confirm sky view for satellite and note where livestock and wildlife could damage equipment.
- 03 Permits
Land, communities and consent
On communal land the community agrees through its own institutions, in writing, and keeps a say over the data. On ranches the landholder agrees. Data sharing with drought agencies is set out, so information that helps herders reaches them first.
- 04 Build
Build to be left alone
Gauges, probes, water point sensors, cameras, endpoints and the solar gateway are built for dust, heat and animals, tested together and enrolled with their identities. Each point is configured for its unit and its alarms, and labelled so a herder can report it by name.
- 05 Install
Install with fences and care
Crews set rain gauges level and clear of obstructions, place soil probes, fit level sensors and cameras at water points, and raise the gateway and satellite terminal on the hill. Points are fenced against livestock where needed, and every point is located and photographed. 1
- 06 Commission
Check, then hand over
Each device proves its identity. Rain gauges are checked with a measured volume, water point levels against a dip, and the satellite link against its first messages. Alarms are tested to the ranch manager or the community contact, who is shown how to read the record.
- 07 Operate
Move herds on evidence
Ranchers and herders see rain, soil moisture and forage by unit and which water points are full, low or failing. Drought agencies see the same signals across the area, with satellite forage maps checked on plots, and warnings go out before the dry season bites. 43
- 08 Maintain
One visit a year, and repairs on call
A yearly visit cleans gauges and panels, checks sensors against references and changes batteries on plan. Water point faults reported by the system or by herders are repaired on call. Every change is recorded, so long rain and forage series stay consistent.
06Data products and integration
What it delivers, to whom, and into which systems.
Data products
- Rain and soil moisture by grazing unitRanchers and herders
- Water point status and alarmsRanch managers and community water committees
- Forage condition mapsRange managers and drought agencies
- Drought early warning signalsAgencies and pastoral associations
Integration
- Drought early warningRain, soil moisture and forage signals are delivered to the agency’s early warning system.
- Ranch or community toolsSimple views and text messages for herders, served from the same record.
- Range monitoringPlot records and forage maps join the range monitoring programme with their coordinates.
Exchanged through OGC SensorThings API, Common Alerting Protocol, WMO WIS 2.0.
07Questions buyers ask
Before you scope it.
Does this work without any network?
Yes. Each grazing unit has its own satellite link, powered by the sun.
Who owns the data on communal land?
The community, through its own institutions; sharing with agencies is agreed in writing.
Will animals damage the equipment?
Points are placed and fenced with herders’ advice, and built to be repaired quickly.
How do herders see the information?
On simple views or text messages, in the language the community uses.
08Resources
The sources behind this page.
Public standards, regulations and guidance, cited where they apply. Each applies only where its jurisdiction or scope does.
- 1Guide to Instruments and Methods of Observation (WMO-No. 8)World Meteorological Organization
- 2Guide to Agricultural Meteorological Practices (WMO-No. 134)World Meteorological Organization · 2010
- 3National Range and Pasture HandbookUnited States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
- 4Copernicus Sentinel-2 missionEuropean Space Agency
09Related
Use cases and solutions.
Use caseAgromet cooperative network
Compact weather stations and soil probes on farms, feeding irrigation, frost and disease models for a cooperative or an insurer.The full use case →Use caseState or provincial mesonet site
A full weather station on a solar-powered tower with soil sensors, one of a dense network run by a university.The full use case →SolutionAgricultural field observatories
Soil moisture profiles, micro-weather and evapotranspiration with irrigation thresholds per field.Solutions for agriculture →SolutionSatellite and non-terrestrial backhaul
LEO and GEO backhaul, 3GPP non-terrestrial integration and direct-to-device fallbacks for remote sites.Solutions for agriculture →SolutionMicrogrids and off-grid site power
PV, storage and generator sizing for instruments and edge sites, with telemetry and remote control.Solutions for agriculture →10Agriculture: specialized fields
Other fields of this industry.
Specialized fieldRow crops and grain
Soil moisture and temperature by zone, field weather for spraying and disease, evapotranspiration for irrigation and satellite crop vigour, on LoRaWAN across the farm and cellular back to the office.The full field →Specialized fieldOrchards and vineyards
Frost watch at dawn, leaf wetness and disease risk, soil water for deficit irrigation and canopy cameras, on LoRaWAN across the blocks with alerts that wake the grower in time.The full field →Specialized fieldLivestock and dairy
Barn air and ammonia, heat stress, water and feed, animal welfare cameras and pasture water points, on a farm network that keeps the herd’s record and the emissions record in one place.The full field →Specialized fieldGreenhouses and controlled environment
Climate, carbon dioxide, substrate water and nutrient dosing, energy and outside weather for greenhouses and vertical farms, on the site network beside the climate computer, never in its way.The full field →Specialized fieldIrrigation districts and canals
Canal levels and flows, offtake deliveries, water quality, district weather and crop demand, on LoRaWAN along the canals and microwave to the district office, for fair and accountable sharing of water.The full field →Specialized fieldForestry and plantations
Fire watch from towers, forest weather and fire danger, sound for illegal logging, growth and carbon plots and satellite change, on LoRaWAN, microwave and satellite across the estate.The full field →Specialized fieldAquaculture
Dissolved oxygen, temperature and salinity at the pens, met-ocean conditions, feeding cameras and harmful algae watch for fish and shellfish farms, on cellular and satellite from the water.The full field →Bring us the site.
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