PodM2M Connects TAHMO IoT Weather Monitoring Systems to Remedy Chronic Hunger in Africa

PodM2M (a division of Pod Group), a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) specializing in global, mission critical connectivity solutions for the M2M/IoT market, has today announced that it is providing its resilient “Best Signal” IoT connectivity solution to the Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory (TAHMO), a socially driven network of 20,000 connected weather monitoring stations every 30km across the African continent, to accurately measure previously undocumented weather systems.

One in four people in sub-saharan Africa is undernourished. A lack of climatic information across this vast continent makes it difficult to plan a cropping strategy which would go some way to remedying the chronic hunger. Using a combination of weather pattern data and predictive computer models gathered by TAHMO, farmers in Africa can more efficiently plan their crop cycles, improve water productivity by up to 26% and plant more crops, with the risk of failure due to drought or flooding severely diminished.

TAHMO’s requirements for transmitting climate data across a huge distance, from different countries and in an extremely patchy coverage environment made choosing a sufficiently resilient IoT connectivity solution difficult, as many multi-network solutions are not able to transmit data efficiently across borders, and many operators are simply not present in the areas of Africa that benefit from TAHMO’s system.

Pod’s Best Signal Multi-Network SIMs connect to the best available signal on device start-up, and automatically switch networks in case of signal loss. This provides the TAHMO team with the resilient connectivity they need to measure weather systems across multiple countries without risk of losing valuable data. Thanks to Pod’s coverage in 185+ countries and over 600 networks, TAHMO has no problem collecting results from all the countries their devices are present in, and is assured of receiving the best possible coverage in Africa, as well as in US and European partner bases.
Rebecca Hochreutener, TAHMO Operations Manager, immediately recognised the advantages of PodM2M’s specialist remote and mission-critical IoT SIM cards; “Although connectivity in Africa is not always simple, PodM2M has been able to provide reliable services and a very good and responsive support team,” she commented.

Charles Towers-Clark, Managing Director of Pod Group added, “TAHMO´s application is an excellent example of how the IoT can vastly improve standards of living and help to resolve some of the world´s most complex problems. We are extremely excited that our specialist mission critical connectivity is helping to make this project possible.”

About PodM2M
PodM2M is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) specializing in global, mission critical data connectivity solutions for the M2M/IoT market. Our expertise, dedication to innovation, and comprehensive range of products and services help companies develop resilient, future-proof M2M/IoT solutions, generating innovative new revenue streams for IoT communications. www.podm2m.com

About TAHMO:
The Trans-African HydroMeteorological Observatory (TAHMO) aims to develop a vast network of weather stations across Africa. Current and historic weather data is important for agricultural, climate monitoring, and many hydro-meteorological applications. The idea behind this project is to develop a dense network of hydro-meteorological monitoring stations in sub-Saharan Africa – one every 30 km. This entails the installation of 20,000 stations across the continent. By applying innovative sensor technology and ICT, TAHMO stations are both inexpensive and robust. Stations are placed at schools and integrated in educational programs, adding richness to the curriculum and helping foster a new generation of scientists. Local weather data will be combined with models and satellite observations to obtain insight into the distribution of water and energy stocks and fluxes. For more information please visit www.tahmo.org.

PodM2M
1161 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA, USA
Amy Garcia Rendle
Email: amy.garcia@podgroup.com
UK: +44 (0) 1223 850 900
Skype: amygarciarendle
US: +1 415 707 0500

This release was published on openPR.