Vaisala, a global leader in weather, environmental, and industrial measurements, has joined forces with Treon to co-develop an innovative modular framework with reusable assets. This collaboration speeds up R&D and processes for a quicker time to market in the constantly enhancing weather and climate sector. Innovative wireless sensors combined with 85 years of Vaisala’s experience in weather measurement, pave the way for a new generation of weather measurement products, as part of Vaisala Xweather’s solution.
Xweather’s team identified a crucial need within the market. Traditional temperature monitoring and forecasting solutions fell short in some weather critical locations and industries providing local, real-time, and accurate data, impacting their operational efficiency and product quality.
Numerous factors of microclimates such as weather, traffic, structures, and terrain uniquely impact road conditions and frost formation, posing challenges for accurate forecasts – especially in demanding locations.
To serve effectively practically any location with reliable data measurements, required a robust sensing technology integrated seamlessly into a scalable end-to-end solution. Catering to these needs, an intelligent, low-maintenance, battery-operated sensor with cellular IoT connectivity was the only feasible option, presenting technical product challenges for itself.
“We wanted to create a weather sensor that is not only accurate but also extremely easy to deploy. Combining Vaisala's expertise in weather measurements with Treon's expertise in IoT cellular connectivity and power efficiency resulted in products we are truly proud of."
Pekka Rissanen
R&D manager for Weather and Environment, Vaisala
TempCast, Vaisala’s wireless sensor is installed in a matter of minutes in almost any location that requires hyperlocal forecasts. It sends air temperature, road surface temperature, and humidity data via NB-IoT to Vaisala cloud. Users can instantly access the data through Vaisala Xweather’s Solutions or APIs which can be integrated directly into customers’ own systems.
TempCast adds valuable hyperlocal weather insights to the Xweather product suite, bringing visibility even to the most challenging locations. It complements the GroundCast sensor, that is installed in the pavement providing road surface status data. Both sensors offer a long product lifetime, are maintenance free for three years, and do not require any external cabling thanks to NB-IoT. This wireless network is optimized for low-data rate connections and, together with low-power optimized modules, provides maximum coverage and the best possible energy and cost efficiency. Weather measurement data is pre-processed within the sensor and sent along with device diagnostics data to the Vaisala cloud.
Hyperlocal data and most accurate weather forecasts enable businesses to make data informed decisions. One of Xweather’s customers using Wx Horizon – a sensor-based solution designed specifically for winter road maintenance professionals – reports savings of almost $10,000 in material and staff time in one 12-hour shift, since they were able to plan the road winter maintenance activities precisely.
"Treon's expertise in wireless, low-power optimized devices and competence in connectivity was critical for our needs. The synergy between our teams led to the successful creation of reusable assets within a modular framework. This has significantly enhanced our ability to capitalize on new opportunities, accelerating our product development speed and agility.”
Pekka Rissanen
R&D manager for Weather and Environment, Vaisala
Vaisala has established a reliable end-to-end system with excellent radio performance and low-power consumption. The development of TempCast was swift thanks to the modular framework and components that were created earlier within the co-development of GroundCast in 2021.
Building on top of Vaisala’s extensive experience and ready core system design and architecture, Treon offered valuable guidance in selecting the suitable components to enhance connectivity and low-power optimization.
Through this collaborative effort, a cutting-edge sensor has been created that not only reflects Vaisala’s commitment to innovation but also ensures seamless alignment with industry demands and technological advancements.
“Collaborating with Vaisala was an incredibly rewarding experience. With their expertise in environmental sensors, we were happy to complement them with our technological strengths, leading to a harmonious partnership. The seamless collaboration not only resulted in a successful project but also laid the groundwork for potential future endeavors."
Kimmo Lahdensivu
Head of Business Line Life, Treon
Vaisala is a global leader in weather, environmental, and industrial measurements. Building on over 85 years of experience, Vaisala provides observations for a better world, with space-proof technology, even exploring Mars and beyond. We are a reliable partner for customers around the world, offering a comprehensive range of innovative observation and measurement products and services. Headquartered in Finland, Vaisala employs over 2,000 professionals worldwide and is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki stock exchange.
Vaisala Xweather combines Vaisala’s technology with revolutionary weather modelling and data. Committed to uniting the world to solve the environment, Xweather optimizes and protects businesses with its world-leading sensor-enhanced data and solutions-as-a-service for sustainable resiliency.
