What we deliver
Every remote site is different, so we do not sell a box and leave the rest to you. A MapleTrace system is designed for one site and one question, and delivered as a complete package.
- Site study and measurement plan: which sensors, where, how deep, and how often to record.
- Sensors and installation details, including probe cables that identify themselves to the logger.
- MT-16 data logger in an outdoor enclosure for pole or wall mounting.
- Power system: solar panel, battery and charge controller, sized for the shortest days of the year at your latitude.
- Cold-weather design for the logger and the battery.
- Data retrieval that suits the site: cellular, drone or satellite.
- Mast, mounting, lightning and theft protection, and the data and reports at the end.
Solar power sized for winter
In Canada the hard month is December, not July. Short days, low sun and snow on the panel decide the size of the system. We start from a power budget for your measurement plan, then size the panel and battery so the station keeps running through the darkest weeks.
- The logger sleeps between measurements and powers its sensor cards only when needed, which keeps average consumption low.
- The charge controller reports battery voltage and charging status to the logger, so the health of the power system is part of every data upload.
Heating where it matters
Heating a whole cabinet on solar power through a northern winter is rarely possible. The electronics are therefore designed for cold operation, and active heating goes where it counts: the battery. Lithium batteries must not be charged below freezing, so the battery sits in an insulated box with a heater that runs while the sun is charging it. Where a site needs it, heating for the logger itself and internal temperature and humidity monitoring are part of the design.
Getting the data back
- Cellular where there is coverage: data arrives every day.
- Drone retrieval where there is none: the logger opens a short-range wireless link at an agreed time and a drone flying the route downloads the data from each station in a few minutes. (In development.)
- Satellite status messages as an option: a short daily message with battery, temperature and station health, so you know a site is running without visiting it.
- Local storage on the logger keeps a full copy in every case.
How a project runs
- Tell us about the site and the decision the data has to support.
- We design the system: measurement plan, power budget, thermal design and data route, with a fixed scope and price.
- We build and test it, including a cold test of the assembled station.
- Installation with your crew or ours, and data from day one.