Collection: Datasets From Real-Time In-Situ Soil Monitoring for Agriculture 2025

The <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Real-Time In-Situ Soil Monitoring for Agriculture</i> (RISMA) dataset is a collection of publicly available high-quality soil volumetric water content (VWC), soil temperature, and meteorological data for agricultural regions in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario, Canada. The RISMA network was established beginning in 2011, and data collection continues at the time of publication. Currently, datasets are available for 36 VWC monitoring stations, where sensors are located within annually cropped and pasture sites. Available data varies depending on location but include soil VWC and soil temperature from surface to as deep as 1.5 m, rainfall, air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and solar radiation. The RISMA stations cover a wide variety of soil types, from clay and clay loams to sandy loams and sand. The data are processed using an automated script which includes a quality control process. This dataset is valuable for researchers working in agriculture, soil science, meteorology, and remote sensing. Data are used to calibrate and validate remote sensing products as well as hydrological, meteorological, and agricultural models. Sites within Manitoba were extensively detailed as core validation sites for NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite.