  Soil moisture (SM) is referred to as a finite amount of water molecules
within the pore spaces and it is a crucial parameter of Hydro-Meteorological
processes. The behaviour of soil moisture water changes spatially and
temporally in response to topography, soil characteristics, and climate[1].
Soil moisture is overseen by various hydro-meteorological factors that vary
vertically with depth, laterally across terrestrial shapes, and temporarily in
feedback to the climate. The precise monitoring and quantification of
high-resolution surface and subsurface soil moisture observations are very
important [13]. This paper highlights the outcomes of the fieldwork carried out
at IITM, Pune, wherein we have developed a soil moisture and temperature
measurement system using Raspberry Pi and the Internet of things (IoT). The
development is classified into three stages, the first stage includes the
assembly of the sensor with the microprocessor. The deployment of the low-cost
system, data generation, and communication through a wireless sensor network is
part of the second stage. Finally, the third stage includes real-time data
visualization using a mobile application and data server for analysing soil
moisture and temperature. The soil moisture profile obtained through the sensor
deployed is highly correlated (r=.9) with in-situ gravimetric observations,
having a root mean square error (RMSE) of about 3.1%. Similarly, the
temperature observations are well-matched with the in-situ standard temperature
observation. Here we present the preliminary results and compare the accuracy
with the state-of-the-art sensors.
