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Automated Low-Cost Soil Moisture Sensors: Trade-Off between Cost and Accuracy

Schwamback, Dimaghi LU orcid ; Persson, Magnus LU ; Berndtsson, Ronny LU orcid ; Bertotto, Luis Eduardo ; Kobayashi, Alex Naoki Asato and Wendland, Edson Cezar (2023) In Sensors 23(5).
Abstract
Automated soil moisture systems are commonly used in precision agriculture. Using low-cost sensors, the spatial extension can be maximized, but the accuracy might be reduced. In this paper, we address the trade-off between cost and accuracy comparing low-cost and commercial soil moisture sensors. The analysis is based on the capacitive sensor SKU:SEN0193 tested under lab and field conditions. In addition to individual calibration, two simplified calibration techniques are proposed: universal calibration, based on all 63 sensors, and a single-point calibration using the sensor response in dry soil. During the second stage of testing, the sensors were coupled to a low-cost monitoring station and installed in the field. The sensors were... (More)
Automated soil moisture systems are commonly used in precision agriculture. Using low-cost sensors, the spatial extension can be maximized, but the accuracy might be reduced. In this paper, we address the trade-off between cost and accuracy comparing low-cost and commercial soil moisture sensors. The analysis is based on the capacitive sensor SKU:SEN0193 tested under lab and field conditions. In addition to individual calibration, two simplified calibration techniques are proposed: universal calibration, based on all 63 sensors, and a single-point calibration using the sensor response in dry soil. During the second stage of testing, the sensors were coupled to a low-cost monitoring station and installed in the field. The sensors were capable of measuring daily and seasonal oscillations in soil moisture resulting from solar radiation and precipitation. The
low-cost sensor performance was compared to commercial sensors based on five variables: (1) cost, (2) accuracy, (3) qualified labor demand, (4) sample volume, and (5) life expectancy. Commercial sensors provide single-point information with high reliability but at a high acquisition cost, while low-cost sensors can be acquired in larger numbers at a lower cost, allowing for more detailed spatial and temporal observations, but with medium accuracy. The use of SKU sensors is then indicated for short-term and limited-budget projects in which high accuracy of the collected data is not required. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Sensors
volume
23
issue
5
article number
2451
pages
18 pages
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • scopus:85149797984
  • pmid:36904655
ISSN
1424-8220
DOI
10.3390/s23052451
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e4c2df95-e664-42d5-a674-d3c80667364d
date added to LUP
2023-03-06 10:24:46
date last changed
2025-10-14 11:21:42
@article{e4c2df95-e664-42d5-a674-d3c80667364d,
  abstract     = {{Automated soil moisture systems are commonly used in precision agriculture. Using low-cost sensors, the spatial extension can be maximized, but the accuracy might be reduced. In this paper, we address the trade-off between cost and accuracy comparing low-cost and commercial soil moisture sensors. The analysis is based on the capacitive sensor SKU:SEN0193 tested under lab and field conditions. In addition to individual calibration, two simplified calibration techniques are proposed: universal calibration, based on all 63 sensors, and a single-point calibration using the sensor response in dry soil. During the second stage of testing, the sensors were coupled to a low-cost monitoring station and installed in the field. The sensors were capable of measuring daily and seasonal oscillations in soil moisture resulting from solar radiation and precipitation. The<br/>low-cost sensor performance was compared to commercial sensors based on five variables: (1) cost, (2) accuracy, (3) qualified labor demand, (4) sample volume, and (5) life expectancy. Commercial sensors provide single-point information with high reliability but at a high acquisition cost, while low-cost sensors can be acquired in larger numbers at a lower cost, allowing for more detailed spatial and temporal observations, but with medium accuracy. The use of SKU sensors is then indicated for short-term and limited-budget projects in which high accuracy of the collected data is not required.}},
  author       = {{Schwamback, Dimaghi and Persson, Magnus and Berndtsson, Ronny and Bertotto, Luis Eduardo and Kobayashi, Alex Naoki Asato and Wendland, Edson Cezar}},
  issn         = {{1424-8220}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{Sensors}},
  title        = {{Automated Low-Cost Soil Moisture Sensors: Trade-Off between Cost and Accuracy}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s23052451}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/s23052451}},
  volume       = {{23}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}