The EXO Sonde Platform - Continuous Monitoring for Superior Water Quality Data

The EXO Sonde Platform

It's your world. Protect it.

It’s never been more critical to monitor and protect the world’s most precious resource - water.

Here at YSI, our goal is to provide you with the most advanced, reliable, accurate, and user-friendly instruments for water quality monitoring. Like you, our engineers and scientists have spent years in the field, developing and using the products we design. Following a legacy of cutting-edge technology, the EXO Sonde Platform was designed to be the ultimate tool for monitoring the health of our oceans, estuaries, rivers, lakes, and groundwater.

EXO helps you protect the world one data point at a time.

water quality monitoring system

Better data starts with better instruments

Good data is paramount in environmental monitoring, and it all starts with selecting the best instrument for the job. EXO is more than just a state-of-the art sonde – it’s a platform with unmatched flexibility for long-term water quality monitoring. EXO’s modular design offers endless customization, with a range of multiparameter sonde models, interchangeable smart sensors, industry-leading anti-fouling, as well as multiple integration and communication options.

Better data is also more comprehensive. EXO’s unmatched range of sensor and parameter options give you a wider view of your watershed while ultra-durable components make long-term deployments longer so you can see trends in data over time.

EXO is the ideal monitoring system for your next mission.

EXO2
The ultimate monitoring platform

Built for the true professional, EXO2 is the ultimate sonde platform for continuous water quality monitoring. Seven ports offer superior flexibility with the widest range of smart sensor combinations for water quality monitoring. Extend your deployments by adding our best-in-class anti-fouling wiper brush to the central port. EXO2 also features an auxiliary port so you can daisy-chain additional sondes or integrate third-party sensors.

water quality sonde exo2

Don't need a battery compartment? Try the EXO2s

water monitoring system with sensors

EXO3
Streamline continuous monitoring

Offering the greatest value of any sonde available on the market, EXO3 combines the maneuverability of the EXO1 with the powerful anti-fouling wiper of the EXO2. Five ports can be configured for any combination of smart sensors plus the central wiper for extended deployments. EXO3 also includes SDI-12 communications for streamlined integration into collection platforms or installations.

water quality monitoring system

Don't need a battery compartment? Try the EXO3s

water monitoring system with sensors

EXO1
Precision data on the go

With its small diameter, EXO1 can fit perfectly into most monitoring applications - including pipes and groundwater wells where space is limited. Four sensor ports provide space for multiparameter monitoring with the most common water quality parameters or any combination that works best for your job.

water monitoring system exo1 sonde

Don't need a battery compartment? Try the EXO1s

water monitoring equpiment sonde

EXO-S
Minimal size, maximum options

EXO-S Series Sondes provide the same payload and capabilities of their full-size counterparts, but in a compact design to go more places. These batteryless sondes deliver high-quality data and reliable performance in smaller spaces and applications where external power is available. Lighten your load for spot sampling or integration with drones, AUVs, and buoys.

  • water monitoring sonde
  • water monitoring system exo2s sensors
  • water quality monitoring system exo3s
water quality monitoring system

water quality monitoring sensors

Get the big picture

Multiparameter deployments provide a more comprehensive view of the water quality in your ecosystem. EXO Sondes can be configured with any variety of sensors to monitor the parameters you need. Digital smart sensors also allow for faster readings, better communication, and superior accuracy.

Sensors are auto-recognized by the sondes for fast, easy setup. Calibration data are stored in each sensor for traceability even when disconnected from an instrument.

Vital Parameters

Track the health of your ecosystem with EXO’s reliable Conductivity / Temperature, Optical Dissolved Oxygen, pH, and Turbidity smart sensors.

But you don’t have to stop there! Thanks to our commitment to innovation, we’ve expanded our selection with other ground-breaking sensors to provide the widest variety of parameters for sondes.

water monitoring sensors

Superior Sensor Selection

Our Total Algae Sensor combines chlorophyll and either phycocyanin or phycoerythrin into a single sensor for a more accurate estimation of algae biomass.

The fDOM Sensor (fluorescent dissolved organic matter) provides faster and easier means of tracking dissolved organic matter concentrations in natural waters.

With the Rhodamine Sensor, you can monitor the movement of water along with measuring water quality for a better view into dispersion and mixing dynamics.

water monitoring sensor algae

Light up your monitoring

Our revolutionary NitraLED UV Nitrate Sensor utilizes state-of-the-art LED technology for long-term nutrient monitoring. NitraLED’s compact form-factor is small enough to fit in your hand, but more importantly it fits into your EXO Sonde alongside any other water quality parameters you need to measure.

Reduced power consumption lets the sensor run off the EXO Sonde’s user-replaceable batteries.

Nitrate monitoring is more accessible than ever with a UV Nitrate Sensor in a portable, battery-powered, multiparameter instrument.

water quality sensor nitrate nutrient monitoring

Limitless potential

Each EXO Sonde features universal ports that accommodate any EXO sensor for limitless parameter and sensor combinations. Wet-mate connectors on all smart sensors provide plug-and-play functionality to make them easy to swap out in the lab or field. You can even calibrate all your sensors in the lab and install them into a deployed sonde rather than carrying entire replacement instruments.

The EXO Platform is also future-proof – meaning your sondes will be compatible with any expansions to the sensor suite like NitraLED or PAR as well as accessories as we continue to build on the best-in-class instruments.

water monitoring sensor ports

water monitoring system deployment

Where will you go with EXO?

Protecting the world means monitoring in remote locations and collecting data even when you can’t be there. EXO Sondes allow for 24/7/365 monitoring and the powerful onboard memory allows for continuous logging and thousands of data sets.

Low power consumption and efficient power management allow you to keep your EXO Sonde continuously deployed for over 90 days at a 15-minute sampling interval on single set of batteries.

Love it and leave it

When you’re leaving sophisticated electronics in water for long, unattended deployments, you need to know they will be protected. Be confident in your extended deployments thanks to EXO’s tough materials and unmatched anti-fouling technology. Titanium sensors and ultra-rugged components provide protection from the harshest field conditions and extreme storms caused by climate change.

With EXO, you can count on the durability of your equipment with our industry-leading 3-year warranty.

monitoring underwater

Industry-leading wiper

No matter how advanced your sensor technology may be, water quality sensors are only as accurate as they are clean. Our industry-leading Central Wiper on EXO2 and EXO3 payloads (as well as EXO2S and EXO3S) protects sensors from all types of fouling.

The powerful wiper sweeps over the sensor faces to keep them clean and extend your deployments. The wiper even has parking garage to keep the brush bristles clean and tidy.

water quality sensors anti fouling

Explore your environment

Discover new ways to measure water quality by adding the smaller, lighter EXO-S Sondes to an autonomous or remote vehicle. The rQPOD lets you collect spatial data in minutes and gives you safe access to locations that are difficult or dangerous to access on foot or by boat.

water monitoring system remote vehicle

water quality data

Monitoring made mobile

EXO GO uses Bluetooth to connect any Windows OS device to a submerged EXO Sonde. Pair with your phone, tablet, or laptop and leverage the full power of Kor Software for your monitoring applications. EXO GO is rugged and field-ready like the rest of the platform and gives you an easy way to communicate with your sonde without needing to remove it from the water.

This small communication device also features highly accurate GPS, temperature-compensated barometer, and a long-lasting rechargeable battery.

remote data water monitoring

Dedicated display

The EXO Handheld was engineered to be the perfect companion to EXO Sondes. The handheld is ready for field work wtih an extremely durable, waterproof case, intuitive user interface, and built-in GPS. Log real-time data, calibrate sensors, set up sondes for deployments, and transfer water quality data to a PC with this feature-packed device.

The rechargeable lithium-ion battery can provide enough power for a full day of spot sampling.

water quality sampling data sonde

Do more and worry less

EXO helps users to collect not just any data, but good data. SmartQC assisted calibrations ensure top sensor performance. Preserve your data quality by checking metadata for errors, sensor age, fouling, or even damage.

Connect your EXO to a PC to view live and logged data, create and manage sites, configure and calibrate your instrument, set deployments, and get more support with our powerful Kor Software.

water quality monitoring data

More data from anywhere

EXO integrates seamlessly into your system for remote access to real-time data. Setup your smart watershed with a network of EXO Sondes providing broader data throughout the waterbody.

Monitor your network from anywhere with HydroSphere, a collaborative data visualization platform. Tell your data’s story with customizable dashboards, graphs, and tables. Build reports, public web portals, and even set alarms to know the moment environmental conditions change. A world’s worth of data is at your fingertips.

water monitoring data management platform

Visual indicators

Simply swipe a magnet to power on an EXO Sonde and activate Bluetooth without a cable interface. Color coded LEDs on the side of your EXO tell you if your sonde is on and communicating without needing to connect to PC or Handheld. These LEDs also show the status of Bluetooth communications.

bluetooth communications

Peace of mind

At YSI, we do our best to support your monitoring efforts and limit your downtime. Our expert Technical Support Team is available to provide helpful assistance and answer any questions that may come up in the field or the lab. Our expert technicians and applications engineers can help with virtual consultations, in-person or on-site training events, and even field service.

We also offer Factory Service Plans to help you protect your investment and get the most out of your equipment.

technical support water monitoring

Who’s minding the planet?

We believe in our customer’s mission to protect the environment. EXO Sondes are constructed from high-grade materials to extend the lifetime of products which cuts down on replacement parts and downtime. EXO Handhelds are powered by long-life, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, removing the demand for traditional disposable alkaline batteries. And the new EXO-S Series sondes remove the need for batteries altogether.

YSI is ISO 14001 certified and recognized by the Ohio EPA for environmental stewardship. Our facility is powered by 95% renewable energy and our parent company, Xylem, is ranked in the top 10 of Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies.

water monitoring diver

Still not sure which instrument is right for you?

Please contact us and we’ll make sure the system you order is right for your application.

Need More Information?

Request a Quote

request exo


Additional Resources

exo sondes

water monitoring equipment manual

exo sonde guide


YSI Webinar | Gearing Up for Fieldwork

EXO2s Sonde Unboxing & Overview

EXO NitraLED UV Nitrate Sensor Overview

NitraLED UV Nitrate Sensor and DB600 Data Buoy

Mission Water Banner Reef CTA