--- title: "Field research campaigns monitoring | Nexus Observatory" description: "Field campaigns put many instruments in a remote place for weeks or months: weather masts, lidars, drones, soil and water sensors." url: https://observatory.global/industries/research/field-campaigns/ publisher: Nexus Observatory Inc. updated: 2026-11-02 --- [Nexus Observatory](https://observatory.global/) / [Research](https://observatory.global/industries/research/) / [Specialized fields](https://observatory.global/industries/research/fields/) / **Field research campaigns** # A field campaign online from the first day. Field campaigns put many instruments in a remote place for weeks or months: weather masts, lidars, drones, soil and water sensors. A deployable network with satellite backhaul and an edge node brings every instrument online, keeps teams safe and turns raw data into documented datasets others can reuse. [Plan a deployment](https://observatory.global/contact/deployment/) How it works [Station Builder](https://observatory.global/studio/builder/) **Industry**: Research **Measurements**: 4 **Sources cited**: 4 1. Research · Field research campaigns Weeks in a remote place Field campaigns put many instruments in a remote place for weeks or months. Instruments fail unnoticed, data sit on cards, teams lose contact, and years later nobody can reuse the results. Funders now expect data to be findable and reusable from the start. 2. What is measured Masts, lidars and drones Weather masts and lidars across the campaign area measure the boundary layer from second to minute, drones survey the terrain and surfaces, and every instrument reports its own health and data flow, so the campaign knows at once if something stops. InstrumentsWeather masts · Lidars · Drones · Instrument health 3. The base node Backed up and described The node collects data from every instrument, backs them up from the first minute, attaches metadata, and processes quick-look products so scientists can adapt the next day's plan, while the record of every site and change builds itself. Every value is signed at the node before it leaves. 4. Radio and links Mesh across the terrain Instruments spread across valleys and ridges are linked by a mesh that reroutes around terrain. Base camp reaches home institutions by satellite, and cellular adds capacity where coverage exists. Teams in the field stay in contact on the same network. LinksMesh · Satellite · Public cellular 5. How it works From a quick look to a changed plan On day five, quick looks show a cold pool forming in the valley each night. The scientists move a lidar and two masts to the valley floor that afternoon; the next nights capture the process the campaign came for, and every move is in the record. 6. From order to operation · Order Scope the campaign The scope reads the science plan, instruments, area, season, team and the funder's data requirements. Nexus Observatory Inc. returns the network and power design, data practice, safety communications and a price per campaign. The scope is agreed before any site work begins. [Plan a deployment](https://observatory.global/contact/deployment/) 7. From order to operation · Survey Survey the area Crews survey the campaign area from maps and a visit where possible: instrument sites, mesh paths across terrain, base camp, sky view for satellite and access. Findings are recorded with coordinates and photographs. Findings shape the kit for each site before anything is built. 8. From order to operation · Permits Permits and flights Land and research permits are obtained, drone flights are approved under aviation rules, radio use is licensed, and every permit is kept with the campaign record. No crew goes to site before its approvals are in place. Approvals are tracked site by site, so nothing waits unseen. 9. From order to operation · Build Build and rehearse Kits are configured with every instrument's interface, nodes enrolled with their identities, metadata templates prepared and the whole network rehearsed on a test field before shipping. Nothing ships until the whole kit has passed its tests together. Test results travel with the kit to the site. [Open the Station Builder](https://observatory.global/studio/builder/) 10. From order to operation · Install Deploy in days Crews and scientists raise masts and lidars, place mesh radios on ridges, set up base camp with the node, satellite terminal and power, and bring every instrument online. Every site is photographed and recorded. Crews follow the site safety plan throughout the work. 11. From order to operation · Commission Commission with first data Each node proves its identity. Every instrument's data reach the node, are backed up and described, quick looks are checked by scientists, and safety communications are tested with every team. Acceptance is recorded with the owner before handover. Results are signed and kept with the site record. 12. From order to operation · Operate Run the campaign Scientists see every instrument and quick-look products daily and adapt the plan; teams in the field stay in contact; data are backed up and described as they arrive, ready for release. Every alert and action is kept on the record. 13. From order to operation · Maintain Release and redeploy At the end, instruments are recovered, datasets are released with identifiers and metadata, and kits are refurbished for the next campaign. The campaign record keeps every site, change and dataset. Maintenance history stays with each site for its whole life. [Book field services](https://observatory.global/contact/field-service/) 14. Data products For scientists and repositories Campaign scientists receive quick-look products; technicians receive instrument health; researchers and repositories receive documented datasets with persistent identifiers; campaign safety officers receive team location and contact, each tied to site and time. Every product can be traced back to its readings. [See the data products](https://observatory.global/data-products/) 15. Evidence Reusable from the first day Data follow the FAIR principles, datasets carry identifiers under the persistent identifier metadata schema and geographic metadata under the international standard, and weather instruments follow the WMO guide. Every dataset can be traced to its instruments, sites and changes. The record is kept for as long as the duty lasts. Drawn againstFAIR Principles · DataCite Metadata Schema · ISO 19115-1 · WMO-No. 8 16. What you get Research site and instrument services Site power, connectivity, timing and operations for telescopes, flux towers and research stations. Delivered as managed service and professional services, for universities, research infrastructures, space agencies. Scale: Global research sites. Service levels are written as numbers you can measure on your own dashboard. [Talk to sales](https://observatory.global/contact/sales-enquiry/) 17. Next step Plan field research campaigns 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 field research campaigns. 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 deployment](https://observatory.global/contact/deployment/) [Open the Station Builder](https://observatory.global/studio/builder/) [Open the Studio](https://observatory.global/studio/) **01** The place and its hazards ## Where it runs, and what can go wrong. Operating contextResearch funders increasingly require data to be findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable, with persistent identifiers and rich metadata. Geographic metadata follows the international standard, datasets are registered with a persistent identifier schema, and weather instruments follow the WMO instrument guide so campaign data can be compared with networks. Hazards - Instruments that fail unnoticed for days - Data lost on cards and laptops - Teams out of contact in remote terrain - Campaign data that cannot be reused later - Too little power for everything at once **02** What 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Campaign weather and boundary layer | Masts and lidars across the campaign area | Every second to every minute | 1 | | Instrument health and data flow | Every instrument on the network | Continuous | 2 | | Drone survey data | Flights over the campaign area | Each flight | 3 | | Dataset metadata and identifiers | Every dataset produced | On every release | 42 | **03** The 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. 1. **01** Base unit A kit: a mesh radio, an edge node, a satellite terminal and power in rugged cases. [Build a station →](https://observatory.global/studio/builder/) 2. **02** Site A campaign: instruments across the area linked by mesh, the node at base camp and satellite backhaul. [Plan a site →](https://observatory.global/contact/deployment/) 3. **03** Fleet A research group's campaigns run with the same kits and data practice year after year. [Managed offers →](https://observatory.global/industries/research/solutions/) 4. **04** Network Datasets are published to repositories with persistent identifiers and standard metadata. [The open protocol →](https://observatory.global/protocol/) - **01** Compact weather station - **02** Lidar scanner - **03** Drone (UAS) - **04** Deployable mesh comms kit - **05** Edge node (Wedge) - **06** LEO flat-panel terminal - **07** Cellular modem/router - **08** Battery case - **09** Solar array - **10** Telescopic mast Radio and links ### Mesh network Instruments spread across valleys and ridges are linked by a mesh that reroutes around terrain. Radio and links ### Satellite Base camp reaches home institutions by satellite. Radio and links ### Public cellular Where coverage exists, cellular adds capacity and a second path. Edge computeThe node collects data from every instrument, watches their health, backs data up from the first minute, attaches metadata and processes quick-look products so scientists can adapt the campaign day by day. PowerSolar panels, batteries and a small generator at base camp; instruments carry their own power and report its state. **04** How 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. Field research campaigns: data path – of 07 01 Instruments Measurement with sensor identity andcalibration 02 Field radio 03 Node – Wrap in an observation envelope with timequality– Measure quality and uncertainty, attachquality flags– Buffer locally (store-and-forward when thelink drops) 04 Backhaul Commit with transactional outbox andpublish, delivered at least once 05 Site Consumer inbox deduplicates and applieseach record once into governed data 06 Data store Governed product through API, map orexport, correction-aware 07 Products netCDF-CFDataCiteISO 19115 08 Power and structure Supplies 12 V DC, 24 V DC, 48 V DC to thefield equipment 01 Compact weather station SDI-12 · RS-485 · Ethernet 02 Lidar scanner Ethernet · USB 03 Drone (UAS) USB · Video 04 Deployable mesh comms kit Ethernet Drone ground control station Not in the reference kit 05 Edge node (Wedge) Ethernet · Fibre · USB · RS-485 ·BMC 06 LEO flat-panel terminal Ethernet 07 Cellular modem/router Ethernet · USB · RS-232 Site MQTT 5 with Sparkplug B Governed data store Versioned, correction-aware Quick-look products Instrument health Documented datasets with identifiers Team location and contact 08 Battery case USB 09 Solar array RS-485 10 Telescopic mast Ethernet Ethernet · MQTT 5 MAVLink Ethernet Ethernet Ethernet Ethernet Satellite IP LTE/NR From the instrument to the published product: each band is a tier, each connector names its interface, and the numbers match the bill of materials. Hover or focus a block to trace its path; scroll or step to follow one observation. | Item | Equipment | Data ports | Protocols | Power in | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 01 | **Compact weather station** All-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 | **Lidar scanner** Terrestrial or mobile lidar for 3D scans of terrain, structures and vegetation. | EthernetUSB | MQTT 5 | 12 V DC | | 03 | **Drone (UAS)** Uncrewed aircraft carrying sensors or a radio relay, operated within airspace rules. | USBVideo | MAVLink | Internal battery | | 04 | **Deployable mesh comms kit** Case-packed set of mesh radios, a satellite or cellular uplink and a battery, carried in to restore communications. | Ethernet | IEEE 802.11, Bundle Protocol v7 | 12 V DC, Internal battery, AC mains | | 05 | **Edge node (Wedge)** Rugged edge node that boots from signed media, attests itself and establishes a site cell from little or no infrastructure. | EthernetFibreUSBRS-485BMC | MQTT 5, DMTF Redfish, IEEE 1588 PTP, NTP with NTS, OPC UA | 12 V DC, 24 V DC, 48 V DC, AC mains | | 06 | **LEO flat-panel terminal** Electronically steered flat-panel user terminal for low-Earth-orbit broadband constellations. | Ethernet | — | PoE, 48 V DC, AC mains | | 07 | **Cellular modem/router** LTE or NR modem or router that uses a public carrier or private network as backhaul. | EthernetUSBRS-232 | 3GPP E-UTRA air interface, 3GPP NR air interface, OMA LwM2M | 12 V DC, PoE | | 08 | **Battery case** Portable battery pack with DC outputs for field kits. | USB | Modbus | AC mains, HV DC, USB PD | | 09 | **Solar array** PV modules with charge controller sized to the site's load and climate. | RS-485 | Modbus | — | | 10 | **Telescopic mast** Pneumatic or winch telescopic mast on a trailer, vehicle or base. | — | — | — | 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 The smallest deployable unit is one node; the same unit is replicated to meet the demand. Nodes form a site, sites may form a cluster, sites and clusters are coordinated as a fleet, and fleets exchange across independently administered trust domains. Each plane is a separate channel with its own open binding. **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. **05** From 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. 1. 01 Order Scope the campaign The scope reads the science plan, instruments, area, season, team and the funder's data requirements. Nexus Observatory Inc. returns the network and power design, data practice, safety communications and a price per campaign. The scope is agreed before any site work begins. 2 2. 02 Survey Survey the area Crews survey the campaign area from maps and a visit where possible: instrument sites, mesh paths across terrain, base camp, sky view for satellite and access. Findings are recorded with coordinates and photographs. Findings shape the kit for each site before anything is built. 3. 03 Permits Permits and flights Land and research permits are obtained, drone flights are approved under aviation rules, radio use is licensed, and every permit is kept with the campaign record. No crew goes to site before its approvals are in place. Approvals are tracked site by site, so nothing waits unseen. 4. 04 Build Build and rehearse Kits are configured with every instrument's interface, nodes enrolled with their identities, metadata templates prepared and the whole network rehearsed on a test field before shipping. Nothing ships until the whole kit has passed its tests together. Test results travel with the kit to the site. 5. 05 Install Deploy in days Crews and scientists raise masts and lidars, place mesh radios on ridges, set up base camp with the node, satellite terminal and power, and bring every instrument online. Every site is photographed and recorded. Crews follow the site safety plan throughout the work. 6. 06 Commission Commission with first data Each node proves its identity. Every instrument's data reach the node, are backed up and described, quick looks are checked by scientists, and safety communications are tested with every team. Acceptance is recorded with the owner before handover. Results are signed and kept with the site record. 1 7. 07 Operate Run the campaign Scientists see every instrument and quick-look products daily and adapt the plan; teams in the field stay in contact; data are backed up and described as they arrive, ready for release. Every alert and action is kept on the record. 2 8. 08 Maintain Release and redeploy At the end, instruments are recovered, datasets are released with identifiers and metadata, and kits are refurbished for the next campaign. The campaign record keeps every site, change and dataset. Maintenance history stays with each site for its whole life. 43 **06** Data products and integration ## What it delivers, to whom, and into which systems. Data products - **Quick-look products** Campaign scientists - **Instrument health** Technicians - **Documented datasets with identifiers** Researchers and repositories - **Team location and contact** Campaign safety officers Integration - **Home institutions** Data reach institution storage over the satellite link. - **Repositories** Datasets are released with persistent identifiers. - **Safety** Team contact reaches the campaign safety plan. Exchanged through netCDF-CF, DataCite, ISO 19115. **07** Questions buyers ask ## Before you scope it. Can our own instruments join? Yes, through their interfaces into the mesh and node. Will data be FAIR? Metadata and identifiers are attached from the first day. What about power? Base camp has solar, batteries and a small generator. Can kits be reused? Yes. They are refurbished between campaigns. **08** Resources ## The sources behind this page. Public standards, regulations and guidance, cited where they apply. Each applies only where its jurisdiction or scope does. 1. **1** [WMO-No. 8: Guide to Instruments and Methods of Observation](https://library.wmo.int/) World Meteorological Organization 2. **2** [FAIR Principles for scientific data management and stewardship](https://www.go-fair.org/) GO FAIR · 2016 3. **3** [ISO 19115-1: Geographic information, metadata](https://www.iso.org/) International Organization for Standardization 4. **4** [DataCite Metadata Schema](https://schema.datacite.org/) DataCite **09** Related ## Use cases and solutions. [Use case Research-infrastructure gap nodeA standardised observation package with a FAIR data pipeline, built to extend a research infrastructure's coverage.The full use case →](https://observatory.global/use-cases/ri-gap-node/) [Solution Research site and instrument servicesSite power, connectivity, timing and operations for telescopes, flux towers and research stations.Solutions for research →](https://observatory.global/industries/research/solutions/#research-site-services) [Solution Deployable connectivity and sensing kitsA cell on wheels with satellite backhaul, mesh telemetry and environment nodes for incident bases and events.Solutions for research →](https://observatory.global/industries/research/solutions/#deployable-kits) [Solution Drone survey and 3D site twinsSurvey campaigns planned to the ground sample distance, photogrammetry and LiDAR, and site twins kept current.Solutions for research →](https://observatory.global/industries/research/solutions/#drone-twins) **10** Research: specialized fields ## Other fields of this industry. [Specialized field Radio observatories and quiet zonesInterference monitoring, site weather and timing for radio telescopes and their quiet zones, so astronomers know what in their data is the sky and what is a transmitter.The full field →](https://observatory.global/industries/research/radio-observatories/) [Specialized field Polar research stationsPower, fuel, environment, weather and communications at polar research stations, run so science continues through the winter and the station meets its environmental duties.The full field →](https://observatory.global/industries/research/polar-stations/) [Specialized field Geophysical observatoriesSeismic, magnetic, gravity and GNSS observatories in quiet vaults, run to the standards of the international data centres so their decades-long records are trusted worldwide.The full field →](https://observatory.global/industries/research/geophysical-observatories/) ### Bring us the site. 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