An automated data acquisition system for modeling the characteristics of a soil moisture sensor

Population growth results in an increasing demand on water supply. Usually, growers determine how much water is needed to irrigate their fields on the basis of the amount of time elapsed since the last irrigation cycle. A soil moisture sensor enables the users (or an automated irrigation system) to monitor the relative soil moisture constantly at many different locations throughout the field in order to schedule irrigation cycles more precisely. An automated data acquisition system for measuring the characteristics of a soil moisture sensor under various moisture conditions is presented. Based on the measurement data, an empirical model for the soil moisture sensor is also developed. A comparison of the model and experimental data is included