The MeteoMex approach by Dr Robert Winkler

Knowledge of air and water quality, and the soil moisture are key to intelligent agriculture. During the Community Challenge, I therefore presented our MeteoMex approach which provides these important parameters. The project involved me building hardware kits and integrating them into current Internet of Things (IoT) platforms. The interconnection of environmental sensors makes it is possible to collect environmental data with high temporal and spatial resolution and to display them in real time via curves and diagrams. The data are then subjected to statistical analysis. The sensor units are very inexpensive and energy-saving, which enables a wide range of applications. Both the hardware and software are open source and can therefore be freely implemented or adapted.

I found it interesting in the context of Community Challenge 2022 to be able to present MeteoMex to a wider, international audience and to learn about other approaches. There are some small projects with outstanding ideas for sustainable business. The main obstacles to comprehensive application of such concepts is probably their non-commercial interest. It would be wonderful if collaborations were formed to successfully bring sustainable concepts to the market.

The coaching during the Community Challenge was helpful for me in this respect: it became clearer to me who would find MeteoMex useful and how we can further develop and disseminate our products. We have for example in the meantime installed MeteoMex sensors at multiple NGOs and companies who want to measure and document air quality online. The platform is also being used in the academic domain, including in studies on the resistance of plants to extreme drought. I would be very happy if even more users participate so that we can use the data to develop more accurate models of climate development and the environmental situation.