Technology Corner: Q&A with Semios

EDITOR’S NOTE: This entry is part of an ongoing series to highlight a new technology related to almond and tree nut production. The question/answer format is set to focus more on the technical aspects and application of the technology. I would like to thank James Watson from Semios who took the time to answer my questions regarding their irrigation monitoring platform

1. Semios is a platform that links in a variety of sensors using IoT and on-farm networks. These sensors provide data for on-farm decision support. They include water monitoring tools, pest management tools for insects, and weather sensors. Would you be able to briefly describe the mission of Semios and how it works to integrate these various sensors?

Semios subscribes to the philosophy that granular, in-canopy climate is the fundamental element of key crop decisions made by growers whether it’s the development of insect and disease pressure or water requirements of the plant. For this reason, the Semios solution always incorporates methods for monitoring climatic conditions at a granular level with the goal to optimize all resource inputs for the best possible crop result.

Semios has developed a configurable platform approach in response to growers telling us how they want their agtech experience simplified. They don’t want to be buried in data or have to log into many different systems to get the information they need to make a decision. By bringing these important elements together into one streamlined system, Semios gives growers a holistic view of the information that informs their key crop management decisions.

2. Please describe the basic hardware and sensor systems utilized within the platform.

The basic Semios offering includes at least one out-of-block weather station and, depending on acreage, one to many in-block weather stations tracking the core climatic conditions of the orchard. These stations include temperature, wind, rain, barometric pressure and leaf wetness and are connected directly to the in-orchard network with their measurements summarized and delivered to Semios users via their personalized dashboard.

Additional modules such as mating disruption or water management capitalize on the same important climate data provided by the in-canopy weather stations to help refine the decisions made by the grower and their consultants.

For example, when mating disruption is added to the solution, Semios networked camera traps and pheromone dispensers are included.  The camera traps provide automated trap counts and the supporting daily images of the liner, both of which are available for users within the Semios Platform. The networked pheromone dispensers provide the climatic conditions down to the  acre from their on-board mini-weather station, delivering a granular view of temperature and humidity over both time and space. The connected dispensers also receive pheromone dispensing schedule updates as the climatic conditions and trap counts progress through the season.

Customers can choose to add water management sensors including pressure transducers, soil moisture sensors, trunk and fruit dendrometers all connected to the in-orchard network. These sensor measures can increase the understanding of the water status of an orchard including available soil water content and the current stress level of the trees as inputs to irrigation decisions.

3.  How are these sensors connected? Are they all utilizing a direct point of communication, or are all of the nodes connected using a wide-area network (i.e. LPWAN via Lora, ZigBee, etc?

Depending on circumstances- geography, acreage, and sensor types- the Semios platform can connect to sensors through several different in-orchard communication technologies including via LTE CAT-M1 and NB-IOT or via a LPWAN such as Semios’ original proprietary networking protocol or LoRa.

4. A sensor that caught my eye is the insect trap counter. How does this system work? Does it work on all insect pests
Semios has deployed over 8,000 camera traps in multiple geographies and incorporates a proprietary image processing algorithm to identify and count target pests on trap liners. Daily trap images are remotely transferred to the Cloud where they are processed and a count and the image itself are provided to the grower and/or their PCA through our web. Summarized data is delivered via the mobile app. Semios camera traps are used to monitor diverse pests including Navel orangeworm or codling moth in addition to insects like Walnut husk fly, California redscale or Vine mealybug. To allow our technology to address different pests, we have developed various trap architectures that are validated for efficacy both internally and via independent, peer-review processes including field trials and wind-tunnel studies. As we develop trapping solutions for additional insects, we add these to our proprietary processing algorithms, which are continually refined as greater volumes of images are processed.

5. Semios is one of the few companies that provide aerosol emitters for mating disruption. How is Semios’s system different from other market competitors? What mating disruption pheromones are available?

Semios has taken an innovative approach to mating disruption that incorporates the phenological tendencies of the target pest. Prior to this approach, the application of pheromones was only very generally associated with actual pest activity. Semios again uses the in-canopy climate status that dictates the development of the target pest to help optimize timing and intensity of pheromone release.

With alternative systems, there is simply a static release methodology of the pheromones with little relationship to the actual pest behavior other than ensuring release starts some time prior to when the insect mating flight is expected to begin. The pheromones are then applied at the same static rate until the supply is exhausted.

At Semios, we predict the mating flights using the known insect phenology combined with the actual degree day accumulation in the environment in which they are developing. These predictions are validated by our camera trapping technology and, with both inputs, we develop pheromone release schedules to maximize application when the pest represents the greatest risk to the crop and reduce it when there is no benefit so that we can save pheromones for additional flights or high risk crop events. 

Through research and years of accumulated insect phenology data, Semios has further evolved its pest management tools for some crops to include custom spray timing guidance based on micro-climate influences and target pest behavior with the goal to help growers apply control measures more efficiently and effectively.

6. Is Semios able to integrate other hardware into its system? For example, weather stations or soil moisture sensors?

The goal at Semios is to offer growers a one-stop, one log-in solution for crop management. To achieve this, we have a strategy of integration of third-party hardware sensing solutions and via API with complementary technology providers for sharing data at the back end or ‘Cloud’ level.

Most of the sensors that Semios currently deploys are third-party products and we are constantly looking for best-of-breed hardware that will help us deliver increasing value to our customers.

Additionally, we are aggressively pursuing our strategy of partnerships and acquisitions for hardware and back-end integration aligned with the priorities identified by our customers. 

Current research is reviewing devices like stem water potential sensors, which have been of particular interest to growers and agronomists of late.

7. Within the software, what type of data is available to the farmer for review? What variables are they able to control? Are there features that they can take offline?

The Semios platform is configured to make it easy for users to access the information they seek fast and efficiently by using key crop management themes combined with the user profile. Depending on my role on the farm, I may have one or two or even up to nine different areas of interest that could include weather, frost management, pest management or irrigation.

Most information is delivered in an observation/decision/action format, which has been developed in collaboration with and feedback from our customers and, in some cases, can be shared via email or report with external third parties. This is the case with our irrigation scheduling tool, for example, or plant phenology observations like chill accumulation in pistachios.

As mentioned previously, Semios is developing third-party partnerships and integrations that will enable data sharing and even remote control. A recent example is our partnership with Altrac for wind machine monitoring and control, which is very powerful for some crops when combined with our per-acre frost reporting.

Semios provides configurable alerts for both Semios users and third parties such as employees that don’t have access to the software but may need to receive a frost or some other notification. Reporting tools also enable sharing of data summaries to additional internal and external parties who can benefit from the insights like 3rd party consultants or even regulatory entities.

8. Would you provide an overview of the web dashboard? Are there differences between the computer and mobile versions ?

The web dashboard is a comprehensive experience that allows the user to benefit from a high-level or very detailed view of the crop data. However, as mentioned previously, depending on their role, a customer may not need to see all of the information available. Alternatively, with individuals like PCA’s or Farm Managers that oversee multiple farms across a large geographical area, or even in different countries,  they can have them all on one dashboard and prioritize activities based on crop status.

The mobile app is a more abbreviated experience given the limited real estate on a smartphone.  Here, we provide condensed, summarized data for the key functions as well as our optional scouting app.

9. What is the maintenance required for the different parts of the system?

A major advantage of the Semios solution that growers really appreciate is our Precision Ag as a Service approach. Semios offers a full-service solution including installation, training, remote monitoring and ongoing maintenance so the grower and their employees can focus on their core competencies and priorities while we make sure that the tech works when it’s needed most.

10.  Outside of almonds, what other crops work well with Semios’s technology?

Semios is used in most major perennial crops both in the US and some in Europe. These include almonds, apples, pistachios, grapes, citrus, fig, walnut, pear, cherry and other important stone fruit. Our rapid growth has led Semios into new geographies and new crops where we can deliver value to the growers that produce them.

11.  What features of Semios are often overlooked? Why do these have value?

We feel Agtech and data are almost dirty words for farmers for having historically overpromised on the impact they could have on their operations. Growers don’t want to be inundated by data or have to waste time trying to make tech work for them. They want the right information at the right time to make the best crop management decision and that is what drives our product development and customer support strategy Semios.

Semios has seen such phenomenal growth due to the combined advantages of distilling data into clear actions while providing the service that makes it easier for growers to adopt it.

DISCLAIMER: Please note that the entry is not a recommendation of the product for use. This article contains facts and opinions, and is intended to provide information so that you can learn about new technology that may be of use for your farm. Furthermore, I did not receive any compensation for this article, I simply find the technology interesting.