Introducing the STA Sponsored Tier: $0 Annual Subscription

From 1 January, we’re introducing a new way for Australian organisations to access the STA platform.

The STA Sponsored Tier will provide eligible new customers with access to STA without an annual software subscription.

The hardware isn’t free. Organisations will still purchase their STA devices as normal. What we’re removing for sponsored organisations is the ongoing subscription cost.

It’s an initiative we’ve been working towards for some time, with a fairly simple objective: make STA accessible to organisations that could benefit from the technology but struggle to commit to another ongoing subscription.

Why introduce a Sponsored Tier?

STA was developed to make field data collection easier. Rather than stopping throughout the day to manually record activities, STA devices can automatically capture field operations and connect those records with location and other project information.

For many organisations, that can mean better data with considerably less effort from field staff. But we also recognise that the organisations undertaking important environmental work don’t all operate under the same funding model.

Landcare and community groups, smaller environmental organisations, volunteer organisations and project-funded teams may be able to secure funding for equipment but find it much harder to commit to recurring software costs year after year.

The Sponsored Tier is intended to help bridge that gap.

What does $0 subscription actually mean?

Eligible organisations accepted into the Sponsored Tier will not pay the normal annual STA software subscription fee for their sponsored devices during that sponsorship year.

Sponsors will offer their services in the web app. Yes, they’re ads. But highly relevant ads to your industry. Organisations who know the industry and have genuinely useful services to offer.

New STA hardware must still be purchased. The Sponsored Tier therefore isn’t a free hardware program. It’s a different way of providing access to the STA software platform after the initial equipment purchase.

Functionality under the Sponsored Tier is deliberately more limited than our paid subscription options. You can compare the available features and functionality on our Subscriptions page.

For organisations requiring the additional functionality available through our standard paid plans, those subscription options will continue to be available as normal.

Who is the Sponsored Tier for?

We’re particularly interested in supporting organisations doing valuable environmental work where recurring subscription costs can be difficult to accommodate.

That could include community environmental groups, Landcare organisations, smaller not-for-profits, volunteer-based programs and organisations undertaking conservation, weed management, ecological restoration or other environmental field programs.

It may also suit organisations wanting to introduce automated field data collection across a number of operators where the ongoing subscription cost would otherwise prevent deployment.

The program is not restricted exclusively to those examples, so if you think your organisation is a good fit, we’d encourage you to register your interest.

Limited sponsorship places

There is an important reason we’re calling this a Sponsored Tier rather than simply making STA subscription-free. The program is supported through sponsorship and there will be a limited number of sponsored places available.

Access will therefore depend on the sponsorship capacity available for that year.

The Sponsored Tier will operate year to year. Acceptance in one year does not guarantee sponsored access in subsequent years. But if we continue to get sponsors, the program will roll on.

We want to be clear about that from the outset so organisations can make an informed decision before purchasing hardware.

Eligibility and important conditions

The initial Sponsored Tier will have several important eligibility requirements.

It will be:

• Available in Australia only
• Available to new STA customers only
• Available only with the purchase of new STA hardware
• Subject to available sponsorship places
• Provided on a year-to-year basis, with future sponsorship not guaranteed
• Not available for tree planting applications

These conditions allow us to introduce the program at a manageable scale while maintaining our existing services and supporting the organisations already using STA.

Existing customers will continue under their current subscription arrangements and can access the functionality associated with their selected subscription tier.

What happens if sponsorship isn’t available the following year?

Because Sponsored Tier places depend on sponsorship availability, we can’t guarantee that a sponsored organisation will receive a place indefinitely. If sponsored access isn’t available in a subsequent year, organisations will have the option of moving to an appropriate paid STA subscription if they wish to continue using subscription-based services.

Opening 1 January

The first STA Sponsored Tier places will become available from 1 January. Though, purchases of hardware must be completed before then.

We’re taking expressions of interest now so we can understand demand, the types of organisations interested in participating and approximately how many devices they would like to deploy.

If your organisation is interested, contact us through the STA website and tell us a little about your organisation, how you would use STA and approximately how many devices you would require.

Sponsorship places will be limited, so registering your interest early will help us plan the first intake.

Interested in the STA Sponsored Tier? Contact us to register your interest.