Introduction to Sanitation Monitoring

The Sanitation module is the heart of preventive monitoring in Arlo. It allows you to detect pest and disease problems before they cause significant economic damage, using a systematic, data-driven approach.

Why Systematic Monitoring?

In perennial crops like citrus, avocado, or coffee, pests and diseases can go unnoticed until damage is considerable. Ad-hoc or reactive monitoring has several problems:

Late detection: Problems are identified when already visible to the naked eye
Inconsistent coverage: Some lots get checked more than others
Non-comparable data: Without standard structure, it’s hard to see trends
Intuition-based decisions: Without historical data, treatment decisions are subjective

The Arlo Approach

Arlo implements a digital Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system:

Planned monitoring: Weekly routes with clear deadlines and responsibilities
Standardized forms: Same questions in each inspection for comparable data
Action thresholds: Automatic alerts when levels require intervention
Historical analysis: Trends and patterns for informed decisions

How Routes Work

A sanitation route is a scheduled inspection that includes:

Form: What data to collect (pests, diseases, observations)
Lots: Where to perform the inspection
Monitor: Who will execute it
Due date: When it must be completed

The Typical Weekly Cycle

Monday      → Schedule week's routes
Tue-Thu     → Execute field inspections
Friday      → Review results, make decisions

This weekly rhythm keeps the team in a constant monitoring-analysis-action cycle.

Route Statuses

Status	Meaning
Scheduled	Created but not yet started
In progress	Monitor has started the inspection
Completed	All data captured and synced
Overdue	Due date passed without completion

Coverage Strategy

A good monitoring program balances two factors:

Frequency vs. Depth

High frequency, low depth: Check all lots superficially each week
Low frequency, high depth: Check few lots exhaustively each month

Most farms use a hybrid approach:

Weekly quick surveillance inspections in all lots
Detailed monthly inspections or when problems are detected

Representative Sampling

For high-density crops, it’s impractical to check every tree. Arlo forms support two modes:

Closed sampling: Fixed number of trees per lot (e.g., 10 trees/lot)
Open sampling: Monitor decides how many points to evaluate based on lot size

Module Components

Configuration

Component	Purpose
Monitors	Registration of field inspectors
Forms	Design of what data to collect
Alerts	Thresholds and automatic notifications

Operations

Component	Purpose
Calendar	Route scheduling and tracking
Launcher	Starting inspections with offline support
Data entry	Mobile capture with GPS and photos

Analysis

Component	Purpose
Route analysis	Individual results with AI summary
Sanitation map	Spatial visualization of findings
Analytical reports	Trends, coverage, and metrics

Behind the Scenes

Arlo automates several processes that facilitate work:

Automatic status transitions

When a monitor starts a route → Status changes to “In progress”
When all data is synced → Status changes to “Completed”
When due date passes without completion → Status changes to “Overdue”

Report generation

When completing a route, the system automatically:

Aggregates counts by field type
Calculates averages and percentages
Generates an AI summary including weather context
Triggers alerts if thresholds are exceeded

Calculated fields

Forms can include fields that are calculated automatically:

Cross-references between levels (tree can use route data)
Averages, sums, and counts by section
Custom composite indices

Next Steps

Register your monitors - The people who will do inspections
Create your first form - Define what data to collect
Schedule a route - Assign date, lots, and responsible person