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MORE DATA. BETTER DATA. FASTER DATA.
ADDRESSES A GLOBAL NEED
Until Veriground developed its unique weather station, data about weather conditions where crops grow outside of North America, Europe, and a few other developed countries, was sparse and delayed. Aviation dictated location weather station placement. Some weather reporting services attempted to create estimates by interpolating over hundreds of kilometers between airports. Meteorological services, even for the existing stations, kept paper records, and transmitted numbers to the WMO with delays and errors. The errors spread through the WMO global reporting system.
In crop regions close to the equator, weather conditions can be very different over distances of only a few kilometers. CRA recognized that the spread of mobile telephone service and the rapid miniaturization of electronic devices offered important components for creating the Veriground network
SUPPLEMENTS CONVENTIONAL WEATHER SOURCES
ACCURACY. COVERAGE. TIMELINESS. UTILITY.
Veriground is a network of unique weather stations designed and deployed by Commodities Risk Analysis (CRA). CRA serves the confectionery industry with reporting and advice about the world's cocoa markets. When CRA tried to increase its coverage of weather in cocoa-growing areas, it found that no data was available from where cocoa grows. The closest data came from airports and was neither reliable nor timely. CRA has designed and built a weather station to fill that need.
CRA created the Veriground station to report weather where crops grow. Such a station must install easily, connect reliably to existing mobile data services, require very little maintenance, require no theft protection, report reliably and accurately, and have low manufacturing costs.
Veriground weather stations are part of an integrated network, in which servers monitor every station, receive hourly reports, confirm completeness and accuracy, and distribute data and forecasts. In addition to reporting rain, temperature, humidity, pressure and sunlight, each station reports its own operating details to inform staff of any needs and to ensure smooth network operation.
EASILY INSTALLED BY LOCAL RESIDENTS
EXTENSIVE TRAINING NOT NEEDED
Veriground stations are designed to be installed and serviced by local associates, contractors, or any other person with basic carpentry skills. Because the stations are not a target for theft, fencing in most areas is not needed. Veriground stations are installed in or near crops.
Service requirements are minimal. Typical service involves cleaning a station about once a year, which takes about 15 minutes. The service team wipes off the solar panels, removes spider webs from the exterior, checks for and removes wasp or other insect nests from the interior, refills a pad that holds spider repellant, and disassembles and flushes the rain measurement apparatus with hydrogen peroxide and clear water. About once every five years, the team replaces the lead-acid battery that powers the station. Because the stations report extensively on their condition, Veriground staff can notify the installation team if extra service is needed.
RELIABLE WHERE RELIABILITY MATTERS
SELF CORRECTS. RESISTS DATA LOSS
To provide reliable data and contribute to accurate forecasts, stations in remote areas must operate for long periods without service, must advise when serviced is needed, must resist insect intrusions and bird nesting, must minimize reasons for theft, and must preserve data when mobile service fails.
Veriground stations meet these requirements. Stations are built from materials that are not readily repurposed. Besides reporting all important weather data except wind (which can be added), stations report dozens of internal functions. These include their GPS coordinates, their vertical orientation, the condition of their battery and solar panels, the strength and characteristics of mobile signals, and success of data transmission.
Veriground calibrates and monitors the operation of each sensor within a station. Each station contains duplicative sensors for backup.
NOT ONLY A DEVICE—A NETWORK
DATA FOR MULTIPLE USES. INCLUDING AI.
Every Veriground station is part of an integrated and supported network. Veriground is a network of uniform devices, uniform communication procedures, uniform standards, and uniform management. Stations report to cloud servers through the mobile towers and Internet with error checking, correction, and accounting to ensure that all records arrive and are valid. When the servers detect a problem, they ask the station to repeat the problem record. The servers notify the system managers and the users about problems at stations or anywhere in the network.
Averages of the stations’ reports are available in charts on this website. Data by region of crop growing areas is available at this website by registering on the Live Data page. Full details of reports are available via Application Protocol Interface (API) for regions and for individual stations.
Veriground weather stations offer help for many problems. They provide industry with immediate information about conditions where their agricultural feedstocks are growing. They provide weather information from precise locations, such as remote storage facilities. Building engineers can use the stations to build a history of weather conditions at sites that are being considered for development.
Forecasts are an integral part of the Veriground network. Studies already have found that AI-based weather models generate better forecasts than traditional physics-based models. Therefore, an ever-expanding body of detailed weather data can provide a basis for steadily improving forecasts. Furthermore, the database Veriground is creating will lead to better forecasts in the world's remote areas, thereby enabling better calibration of satellite reporting and contributing to a better understanding and knowledge of weather.
ADD-ON DEVICES ARE AVAILABLE ALREADY
WIRELESS REMOTE SOIL MOISTURE SENSING IS HERE NOW
Every Veriground station of current design is ready to receive reports from wireless devices. Stations can receive reports from wireless devices several hundred meters distant. One station in proper conditions of good sunlight and good mobile connection can serve as a base station for multiple devices.
A wireless soil moisture sensor is the first device that the Veriground station supports. Several moisture sensors can report soil moisture within hundreds of meters of a station. The sensors report soil moisture four times each day. Other sensors, such as for methane emissions have been suggested and are possible.
HELP FOR FARMERS, LARGE AND SMALL
HISTORY AND FORECASTS. OPPORTUNITIES FOR CROP INSURANCE
Farmers in emerging markets that grow any crop for local food or for cash usually lack access to weather forecasts for their areas. This causes that seeds, seedlings, fertilizers, agrochemicals and produce often are wasted. Veriground is providing forecasts to farmers in the areas where stations have been placed. As stations spread, Veriground will make local forecasts available to every farmer through mobile services, social networks, community radio, extension agents and other means. Extension agents to cocoa farmers in Ghana see such value in forecasts that they have offered to distribute Veriground forecasts throughout the districts that they serve.
Veriground data also serves large farms and plantations. By preserving all data in one place, farmers near Veriground stations have access to a permanent record of weather that can be studied to understand the effect of weather on crops and how climate is changing in the local area. Veriground data open the possibility to make crop insurance available to all farmers, both large and small.
REAL TIME REPORTING
FROM DISTANT LOCATION TO ANYWHERE
Stations measure weather conditions every hour and report on two-hour intervals from sunrise until late evening. As quickly as records have been validated and compiled Veriground makes these available through charts such as on this website and through detailed data via Application Program Interfaces (APIs) to subscribers. The time between measurement and reporting is 0-12 hours from any remote location in the world.
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THE VERIGROUND WEATHER REPORTING NETWORK
Real-Time, On-Site Weather Data
Built To Collect Local Data Where It Matters
The Veriground Network uses a purpose-built weather station to supply subscribers anywhere in the world with real-time knowledge about weather conditions at locations where their important crops grow. Veriground has designed its stations for easy installation wherever there is reliable mobile service and for infrequent maintenance.
Stations collect hourly rain, temperature, humidity, solar and pressure data to inform subscribers. Stations also can transmit soil moisture from multiple remote wirelessly connected soil moisture sensors. Stations collect other data to inform managers about the operating condition of the stations. Managers use the operating data to organize maintenance where needed.
Veriground transmits the stations’ reports to forecasting models that use the reports to refine the forecast for weather at each station. Veriground provides the forecasts to subscribers anywhere and to small farmers in the vicinity of each station. Farmers can subscribe directly and easily to receive free forecasts for their area.
Key features of the Veriground station:
• Ambient Light Sensor
• Rain Sensor
• Rain Collection
• Solar Collection
• Rain Measurement
• Accelerometer
• Wireless Data Delivery
• Temperature Sensors
• Barometric Pressure Sensor
• Humidity Sensor
