Open-source software is a crucial way for small to medium enterprises to get ahead with technology. Here are the platforms we use at Soil Nerd.
Open Source Software for Agriculture
Part of being a soil nerd is about being a nerd in general. With a very solid background in Digital Technologies, we come out of the box with a slew of understanding about software from both strategic and practical levels. We utilize these open-source software platforms because they're free, and because you own your own data.
Cloudflare
Your first line of defense on the internet. This DNS and tunnel control service provides DoS-level protection at approximately $10 monthly.
pfSense
An industrial-strength firewall and network manager offering packet-based security across all OSI networking model layers. The Community version is available at no cost.
TrueNAS
This platform enables deployment of commercial-grade storage, server, virtualization, and cluster computing using standard hardware components.
Jitsi Meet
A formidable open-source replacement for Zoom. Soil Nerd uses it for microscopy sessions broadcasting to online participants discussing soil food webs.
Mattermost
A team collaboration platform fostering group discussion processes. Soil Nerd uses it to host public forums on regenerative agriculture.
FarmOS
Developed through university collaboration and based on Drupal CMS, this farm records-keeping system uses geo-coordinates to maintain asset records based on spatial, temporal, and usage data.
WeeWx
A personal weather station server connecting to various weather devices with customizable data representation. Adapted by Soil Nerd for farm-centric crop weather monitoring.
QGIS
A geospatial information system tool enabling satellite mapping and land layout planning for farm operation automation.