Understory has received a patent for its mechanical strain-based weather sensor, the company announced today.

“This patent changes the game,” Understory CEO Alex Kubicek said in a statement. “For the first time, Understory has created a privately owned-and-operated network that collects and delivers granular weather data to clients across industries including insurance, agriculture and research organizations.”

The sensor is a stainless steel ball that detects wind, rain, hail and other atmospheric elements. According to a release, with this patent, Understory is now the only company that can deploy weather sensor technology with real-time data on the ground.

The tech company currently has 500 stations using the sensor and looks to increase the number to 5,000 by the end of 2019.