The City of Tallinn and Tehnopol have awarded a total of €145,000 to six Estonian companies through the Tallinnovation competition, supporting the implementation of smart city solutions in real urban environments. One of the recipients is Paul-Tech, a precision agriculture company whose soil monitoring service will help make Tallinn’s green spaces more efficiently managed. With €28,500 in funding, the company will install 30 soil stations in various locations across the city.
Paul-Tech’s technology allows Tallinn to transition from reactive maintenance to data-driven green area management. The soil stations measure real-time moisture, temperature, nutrient availability and soil electrical properties, giving landscaping professionals a valuable tool to make more accurate and knowledge-based decisions.
Paul-Tech CEO Mikk Plakk noted that the company has so far focused on agriculture, where their solution has already proven successful. “Accurate soil data has helped growers make better decisions on fertilisation, irrigation and harvest timing. Now, we’re bringing those technological benefits into the urban space – for a smarter, more sustainable and greener Tallinn,” said Plakk.
The data collected by the soil stations will enable several practical changes in green space maintenance. Irrigation can be aligned with actual needs, helping to conserve water, reduce labour costs and avoid overwatering – particularly critical for young plants. The technology can also detect the accumulation of de-icing salts used during winter road maintenance. Changes in the soil’s electrical properties indicate problem areas and allow cities to consider switching to alternative methods, such as using salt-free grit.
In addition, the stations can help compare the suitability of different soil types for various plants, laying the groundwork for more durable and high-quality landscaping solutions.
“Green area management should not rely on the calendar or visual guesswork, but on objective soil indicators – exactly what our technology provides in real time,” Plakk added.
According to Agnes Roos, CEO of Tehnopol, the ideas submitted to Tallinnovation clearly demonstrate companies’ awareness of the importance of sustainable urban development.
“Providing companies the opportunity to test their solutions in real urban environments helps bring innovation more quickly to people. The innovation fund fully aligns with Tehnopol’s mission to support world-changing tech entrepreneurship – initiatives like these help smart Estonian solutions reach a wider public and contribute to a smarter, more sustainable future. The quality of the submissions was so high that the entire fund was allocated,” said Roos.
Paul-Tech’s project marks Tallinn’s first major step towards evidence-based urban land management, with measurable impact through water savings, improved plant health and data-backed decision-making.