askcust develops irrigation automation software: irrigation machines and pump stations connect through their controllers to one control room, and irrigation schedules are built from soil moisture, weather data and crop stage. For irrigated farms where machines from different manufacturers are run from different panels and apps.
Irrigation automation is software that collects the status of irrigation machines, pump stations, soil moisture sensors and weather stations, plans irrigation and sends commands to equipment through its controllers. Unlike the control panel of a single machine, the system sees all fields and water sources together: how much water has been applied, how much is still needed and which machine is idle.
Machines from different manufacturers connect through their controllers, telemetry or APIs, and the dispatcher sees them all in one window: position, direction, speed, pressure, pump status. Start and stop commands come from the same system wherever the controller allows remote control.
The schedule takes into account soil moisture from sensors, rainfall and evapotranspiration from weather station data, and the crop's growth stage. The agronomist sees which fields need water first and approves the schedule instead of building it from scratch every day.
A pressure drop, a stopped machine, a pump failure or a lost connection to a controller trigger a notification to the person on duty in Telegram or a push message. Every alarm stays in the log with its time and response.
Flow meters and pump station meters are linked to fields and irrigation runs, so cubic metres and kilowatt-hours per hectare and crop are visible. This data feeds cost calculations and water use reports.
The modules depend on the farm's equipment and tasks; below is a typical set.
Fields with boundaries and irrigation sectors, positions of irrigation machines and pump station status from telemetry on one map, with a history of movements.
Exchange with machine and pump controllers over Modbus RTU or TCP, MQTT or the manufacturer's API; a separate adapter for each equipment type, so new machines are added without reworking the system.
Irrigation plans by field based on soil moisture, rainfall, FAO-56 reference evapotranspiration (ET₀) and crop stage; the agronomist approves or adjusts the system's proposal.
Starting, stopping and changing a machine's application rate or speed from the control room or a phone wherever the controller allows it; scenarios such as stopping irrigation when pressure drops.
Rules on telemetry: pressure, pump current, a stopped machine, a lost connection; notifications by Telegram, push or SMS, and an event log with the response of the person on duty.
Flow meter and energy meter data by pump station and field, cubic metres and kilowatt-hours per hectare and crop, and reports for cost calculations and water use.
If a machine supports variable rate irrigation by sector, the system builds a rate map from soil moisture and vegetation index data, in the same way as variable rate application maps.
askcust builds the software and connects equipment through its interfaces; machines, pumps, sensors and installation stay with suppliers and service companies.
| criterion | Manufacturer's app | System by askcust |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | Runs its own brand's machines; pump stations and other manufacturers' sensors stay separate. | Machines of different brands, pump stations, sensors and weather stations in one system. |
| Schedules | Set by hand for each machine or by the manufacturer's rules. | Built from soil moisture, weather and crop stage for all fields together. |
| Resource accounting | Machine readings are there, but water and energy by field are tracked separately. | Water and energy are linked to fields and crops and feed into cost calculations. |
| Link to farm records | Data stays in the manufacturer's portal; export only if it is provided. | Data in the farm's database, with exchange with the field map, ERP and BAS. |
| Start | Quick: the app works with the machine right after connection. | After an equipment survey and a pilot on a few machines and a pump station. |
| When to choose | One or two machines of one brand, irrigation on a simple schedule. | Several brands, pump stations, water accounting and a need to see everything together. |
A list of machines, pump stations, sensors and meters: controller models, interfaces, existing telemetry, connectivity in the fields. The result is a map of what connects right away and what needs modems or gateways.
The design for collecting telemetry and sending commands, control permissions kept separate from view permissions, and the system's behaviour when the connection drops are agreed and written down before development.
Connecting a few machines and a pump station and testing commands and notifications on real equipment before the irrigation season, so the first irrigation runs do not coincide with fine-tuning.
The whole network runs in the system, the agronomist approves the sensor- and weather-based schedule daily, and alarms and missed irrigation runs are reviewed from the log.
Connecting new machines and sensors, updating adapters when controller firmware changes, season reports and support during irrigation by agreement.
examples of askcust's work →not agriculture, but the same kind of task: records, CRM, automation
Yes, if the machine's controller has a digital interface: Modbus, MQTT, the manufacturer's cloud API or a telemetry modem. askcust writes an adapter for each equipment type, so machines of different brands are shown and controlled in one system. A machine without an interface can be fitted with a telemetry controller; equipment suppliers select and install it.
Not necessarily, but they make the schedule more accurate. Without sensors the system calculates the field's water balance from rainfall and FAO-56 reference evapotranspiration using weather station or weather service data. Moisture sensors at a few representative spots show what is actually happening in the soil and let the calculation be corrected.
The machine keeps executing the task its controller has already received and follows its own safety settings. The system records the lost connection as an event, notifies the person on duty and sends no new commands until the status is confirmed. Once the connection is back, the telemetry history is retrieved if the controller stores it.
Yes: machine and pump station status, the schedule and notifications are available in a mobile app or the web version, and start and stop commands only to those with control permission. Every command from a phone is logged with its author and time, and critical actions can require an extra confirmation.
The cost depends on the number and variety of equipment to connect, existing telemetry and the modules needed: schedules, water accounting, control. askcust estimates a pilot on a few machines and a pump station after the equipment survey, and the extension to the whole network separately. There are no fees per hectare or per machine.
A reply within one business day; the pilot is best done before the irrigation season.