Merit-IoT Philosophy
Principles we stand by:
Merit-IoT builds tools that increase visibility into your processes and reduces farming guesswork without costly vendor lock-in, hidden fees, or surprising contractual terms.
Design Philosophy: Clarity Over Noise
At Merit-IoT, we believe technology should reduce burden, not add to it. Our tools are designed to turn complexity into clarity — giving growers and educators simple, actionable insights instead of overwhelming dashboards.
This philosophy comes from lived experience: we’ve seen what happens when expectations outpace human capacity. That is why our soil sensor kits focus on one clear recommendation — water today, wait until tomorrow, or no action needed. It’s about supporting decision-making with compassion, ensuring technology integrates seamlessly into daily routines rather than demanding constant management.
For us, clarity is not a convenience — it is a design principle.
Effective date:
Added section on Clarity Over Noise:
Farmer Autonomy
You run your farm. We don't prescribe inputs, enforce a production model, or try to overrun your operation. Merit-IoT provides clear, timely, insightful information so you can make better informed operations and business decisions.
Privacy by Design
Default to minimal data; opt-in for anything extra. No surveillance, and we do not resell your private data to third parties or social media. Data is best kept close to the locale where it is generated, and this may mean on-device where practical. Data is encrypted and accounted for both in storage and in transit.
Open, Interoperable, Durable
We use open protocols (e.g., LoRa, MQTT, JSON) so devices and data outlast any single platform. We feel that if you need to switch tools, you shouldn’t have to start over. Backwards compatibility is a design ethic in our new builds.
Affordability & Practical Value
We are biased toward simple setups that deliver quick wins: better irrigation timing, earlier stress detection, and clearer trends.
Multilingual & Accessible
Farm tech should work for the people who use it. We support multilingual interfaces and plain-language dashboards, with accessibility and low-bandwidth use in mind.
Local Context, Global Respect
Designed and tested in Atlantic Canada, with respect for local knowledge, Indigenous and immigrant farming practices, and environmental stewardship.
Transparency
Frank and honest insight about what our solutions can do for you.
We Build:
- Sensors you can incorporate into your existing infrastructure and facilities.
- Dashboards that show trends, thresholds, and actionable alerts.
- Data plumbing that plays nicely with other tools via open standards.
- Documentation and support that is understandable and actionable.
We Do Not Build:
- No inflexible systems that lock you in or attempt to restrict or confine your data.
- No hidden analytics, cross-site tracking, or ad-driven profiles.
- No one-size-fits-all prescriptions that don't fit.
We Work With Growers
- Evaluate — your goals, constraints, and comfort level with tech.
- Pilot — a small, low-risk setup to learn what helps.
- Iterate — keep what works and scale only when it is appropriate.
Independence & Vendor Relationships
We test and integrate with sensor vendors and platforms, and we operate at arm’s length. When we publish reviews and run trials of vendor equipment, we disclose any material relationships. We do not solicit nor accept compensation for our trials programs.
Measuring Impact
We judge our work by reduced waste (water, inputs), improved timing, less guesswork, and increased farmer satisfaction.
Contact:
Merit-IoT Agricultural Computing
c/o Brian Butts-Heide
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada
[email protected]
Brian's mobile: +1 (902) 719-2516
Click here to contact us with our online form.