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TWIGA · Project

Affordable Weather and Water Sensors Delivering Real-Time Geo-Data Services for Africa

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Imagine trying to farm or manage water in sub-Saharan Africa but having almost no reliable weather or soil data — like driving blind. TWIGA built a network of over 500 cheap, rugged sensor stations across Africa that feed into satellite data, creating a much clearer picture of weather, water, and soil conditions. They then turned that raw data into ready-to-use information services — think of it like a weather app on steroids, but for farmers, water utilities, and disaster responders. The sensors are so cheap (down to one-tenth or even one-hundredth of current prices) and some are even biodegradable.

By the numbers
500+
in situ measurement stations deployed using citizen science
20+
new information products validated and ready for large-scale implementation
10+
innovative cost-efficient robust sensor types developed
1/10 to 1/100
sensor cost reduction compared to current prices
20
consortium partners across 10 countries
9
SMEs in the consortium
The business problem

What needed solving

Businesses operating in sub-Saharan Africa — from agriculture to water management to disaster response — face a critical data gap: reliable, real-time weather, soil moisture, and climate information is either unavailable or prohibitively expensive to collect. Traditional sensor networks cost too much and break too easily for widespread African deployment. Without this ground-truth data, satellite observations remain unvalidated and decision-making stays guesswork.

The solution

What was built

The project built and deployed over 500 in situ sensor stations across sub-Saharan Africa, developed at least 10 innovative sensor types (including biodegradable options at 1/10 to 1/100 of current prices), and created a platform hosting over 20 validated geo-information services covering food security, water management, energy, climate change, and natural hazard resilience. All certified geodata was delivered to GEOSS in OGC-compliant format.

Audience

Who needs this

Precision agriculture companies expanding into African marketsWater utilities and resource management agencies in sub-Saharan AfricaCrop insurance and parametric insurance providers needing ground-truth weather dataEnvironmental sensor manufacturers seeking low-cost product linesClimate adaptation consultancies and disaster risk reduction firms
Business applications

Who can put this to work

Agricultural Technology
SME
Target: Precision agriculture or crop insurance companies operating in Africa

If you are an agritech company struggling with unreliable weather and soil moisture data in sub-Saharan Africa — this project developed over 500 in situ sensor stations and at least 20 validated information products covering food security, water, and climate. The sensors cost one-tenth to one-hundredth of conventional alternatives, meaning you can deploy dense monitoring networks at a fraction of current prices.

Water Resource Management
any
Target: Water utilities or environmental monitoring firms

If you are a water utility dealing with poor visibility into soil moisture and rainfall patterns across African regions — TWIGA built an integrated system that combines satellite data with ground-truth sensors, including radar-derived soil moisture readings that work even under cloudy conditions or vegetation cover. Over 20 new geo-information products were validated and made ready for large-scale deployment.

Environmental Sensor Manufacturing
SME
Target: Sensor hardware companies or IoT device manufacturers

If you are a sensor manufacturer looking for the next growth market — TWIGA developed at least 10 innovative sensor types including fast neutron counters, consumer lightning sensors for tracking storms, and accelerometer-based tree-crown weighing devices. These biodegradable sensors are reduced to one-tenth to one-hundredth of current prices, opening entirely new markets in developing regions.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

How much do these sensors cost compared to existing alternatives?

The project achieved sensor costs reduced to one-tenth to one-hundredth of their current price. These sensors are designed to be extremely low-maintenance and some are biodegradable, which further reduces total cost of ownership in remote deployments.

Can these services scale beyond the pilot regions?

The project validated at least 20 new information products specifically designed to be ready for large-scale implementation. The platform showcases cover food, water, energy security, climate change, and natural hazard resilience, all built on OGC-compliant and GEOSS-integrated standards.

What about intellectual property and licensing?

TWIGA was a Research and Innovation Action with 20 consortium partners including 9 SMEs and 10 industry partners. IP arrangements would have been defined among these partners. Contact the coordinator at TU Delft for licensing specifics on individual sensor designs or data services.

Is the data compatible with existing systems?

Yes. All science-grade geodata (atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere) was delivered as OGC-compliant datasets to GEOSS. This means the data integrates directly with Copernicus and other standard Earth observation platforms without custom adapters.

What types of sensors were actually built?

At least 10 innovative sensor types were developed, including fast neutron counters for soil moisture, consumer lightning sensors for tracking convective storms, accelerometers for tree-crown weighing, and biodegradable sensors. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles were also integrated for data collection.

What is the current project status and timeline?

TWIGA ran from February 2018 to July 2022 and is now closed. The technology was validated over 4+ years across multiple African countries. The consortium included partners in Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa for real-world testing.

Consortium

Who built it

TWIGA assembled a strong 20-partner consortium across 10 countries with a notable 50% industry ratio — half the partners come from the private sector, including 9 SMEs. The geographic spread covers both European tech hubs (Netherlands, Germany, UK, Italy, Spain, Slovakia) and African deployment countries (Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa), which means the technology was built where the engineering expertise is and tested where the customers are. TU Delft coordinates, bringing world-class water and climate science credibility. For a business looking to enter African geo-data markets, this consortium already has the local partnerships and deployment experience in place.

How to reach the team

The coordinator is Technische Universiteit Delft (TU Delft) in the Netherlands. Use SciTransfer's coordinator lookup service to get the right contact person.

Order a report on this consortiumSee TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFT profile →
Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to TWIGA's sensor developers or data service teams? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the right consortium partner for your specific use case.

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