Open-source Internet of Things remote aquatic environmental sensing

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Computer Science

Background:

• Environmental monitoring requires robust, adaptable sensor platforms.
• Existing systems may lack flexibility and long-term deployment capabilities.
• Real-world water quality studies informed the system's design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detail the physical and hardware design of a flexible, open-source IoT platform.
• To develop a remote water quality monitoring buoy for near-shore aquatic environments.
• To create a general-purpose hardware design for repurposing in future environmental sensing applications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an Arduino Mega 2560 microcontroller.
• Integrated off-the-shelf Adafruit lux and temperature sensors.
• Adapted and incorporated a light attenuation turbidity sensor.
• Employed a TinySine 3G GSM module for data transmission.
• Leveraged a ThingsBoard IoT dashboard for data visualization.

Main Results:

• The developed buoy system demonstrates stability and reliability over time.
• The platform exhibits low energy consumption, powered by renewable energy sources.
• Successfully transmitted remote sensor readings for water quality monitoring.
• The hardware design is flexible and adaptable for future environmental sensing needs.

Conclusions:

• The open-source IoT platform offers a stable, reliable, and energy-efficient solution for remote water quality monitoring.
• The general-purpose hardware design facilitates repurposing for diverse environmental sensing applications.
• The system's design, informed by practical experience, is suitable for calm, shallow aquatic environments.