A hierarchical early-warning system for landslide probability issues a first level warning based on measured rainfall amounts exceeding a determined threshold, a second level warning, after the first level warning, based additionally on measured soil moisture content measured at different levels, and Factor of safety derived from forecasted pore pressure (FPP) each exceeding a determined threshold, a third level warning, after the first and the second level warnings, based additionally on ground movement measurements compared to a determined threshold, and a fourth level warning after the first, second and third level warnings, based additionally on data from movement-based sensors including strain gauge data.

An in-ground wireless moisture sensor may include one or more ultrasonic sensors in communication with a processor and a wireless communications module. The sensor may be powered by a power source, such as one or more rechargeable batteries as well as a solar panel in the cover of the sensor. Ultrasonic sensors may allow for wireless sensing of in-ground soil moisture levels at a distance farther than traditional sensors and therefore may give more accurate measurements. Methods for use and installation of the in-ground sensor, including a selectively removable cover, are described.

A method of automatically managing a center pivot irrigation machine comprising steps of: (a) providing at least one center pivot irrigation machine and positioning said center pivot irrigation machine such that said center pivot irrigation machine is movable within an irrigated plot around a center thereof; (b) providing a ground penetration radar; (c) mounting said ground penetration radar on said center pivot irrigation machine; (d) moving said center pivot irrigation machine about said center of said irrigated plot; (e) scanning said irrigated by said ground penetration radar at frequencies ranging between 200-1200 MHz; (f) calculating a distribution of soil moisture over a depth from a soil surface; and (g) creating an irrigation plan according to said distribution.

An inductive-capacitive resonant sensor architecture includes an inductively-coupled extender (ICE) that can both increase read range and lessen the effects of reader/sensor misalignment. The ICE can include a first coil configured with respect to a resonant sensor and a second coil separated from the first coil and coupled to the first coil by electrical wires. An external reader can be arranged with respect to the second coil. This architecture can nearly eliminate misalignment issues between the external reader and the resonant sensor. The ICE can be implemented with a closed circuit design. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

A solution for evaluating a medium using electrical signals is described. A plurality of electrical signals having different frequencies are transmitted through the medium and signal data corresponding to the electrical signals after having traveled through the medium is acquired. A complex impedance and a complex permittivity and/or complex conductivity can be calculated for the medium. A set of characteristics of the medium can be computed using mixing models and/or known information of the medium. A level of one or more attributes of the medium can be determined from the characteristics using nonparametric Bayesian inference. One particular application is directed to determining a nitrate level of soil.

A PaaS platform-based ultra-low power consumption soil near-ground wireless sensing system includes a plurality of sensors mounted in soil, a signal transceiver module is arranged in the sensor, the signal transceiver module transmits a signal to a LoRaWan gateway through LoRa wireless communication, and the LoRaWan gateway is successively connected to a PaaS platform and a user group; and the sensors include a soil moisture sensor, a soil salinity sensor and a rainfall sensor. The PaaS platform-based ultra-low power consumption soil near-ground wireless sensing system of the invention enables sensor nodes to have ultra-low power consumption; and through fusion with a LoRa communication technology, a node network with ultra-low power consumption and long-distance transmission is constructed.

A batteryless, chipless, sensor is disclosed which includes a substrate, at least two conductive strips disposed on the substrate, a passivation layer encasing the substrate and the at least two conductive strips, wherein the conductive strips are adapted to respond to an interrogation signal from a reader having a first polarization, with a response signal at a second polarization different than the first polarization.

Disclosed are a soil monitoring sensor and a method of operating the same. The soil monitoring sensor includes a first probe formed to extend in a first direction, and including a first electrode and a second electrode; a first resonance circuit connected to the first electrode and the second electrode of the first probe, and configured such that a first AC signal is applied thereto; a second resonance circuit having the same impedance as the first resonance circuit, and configured such that a second AC signal is applied thereto; and a determination circuit configured to receive a first electrical signal formed in the first resonance circuit, to receive a second electrical signal formed in the second resonance circuit, and to generate a first determination value for the state of the soil based on the first resonant frequency and the second resonant frequency.

A wide area cosmogenic neutron sensor is used for detecting moisture within a measurement surface. A neutron detector is positioned on a stand structure holding the detector above a measurement surface. A moderator material and neutron shield are positioned around at least a portion of the neutron detector. The neutron shield substantially covers an entirety of a bottom of the neutron detector and is not positioned on a top side of the neutron detector. Wide area cosmogenic neutrons propagating from the measurement surface travel through an air space before arriving at the moderated neutron detector.

An artificially intelligent irrigation system on a property may include an irrigation management server with the information for the irrigation system. An artificial intelligence feature may retrieve and access inputs from a plurality of resources or data sources. These sources may include current weather data, historical weather data, current moisture levels, historical moisture levels, sensor information from sensors on or near the property, water utility usage data, and other data. Other inputs may be events on the property as well the frequently or consistently occur and may also be considered historical data. The artificial intelligence feature may manage the schedule and predict the upcoming water schedule based on this information and appropriately water, or not water, or change duration of watering or output of watering based on the information gathered without human intervention.