Designing a Low-Cost System to Monitor the Structural Behavior of Street Lighting Poles in Smart Cities

Area of Science:

• Engineering
• Computer Science
• Urban Planning

Background:

• Structural collapse of street lighting poles is an underestimated safety risk.
• Traditional inspection methods are ineffective, costly, and do not predict remaining lifespan.
• A need exists for efficient, cost-effective structural health monitoring (SHM) solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a low-cost, easily integrated Internet of Things (IoT) system for monitoring street lighting pole structural behavior.
• To collect structural and meteorological data for smart city applications.
• To lay the groundwork for a method to prevent pole collapse.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of low-cost sensors and devices for data acquisition and transmission.
• Utilizing Cloud/Edge computing strategies for data storage, processing, and presentation.
• Experimental evaluation of the metrological performance of the sensing system.

Main Results:

• The system successfully monitors structural behavior and collects meteorological data.
• Low-cost equipment and open-source software offer cost advantages and flexibility.
• Sensor calibration, reliability, and uncertainty necessitate rigorous metrological evaluation.

Conclusions:

• The developed IoT-based SHM system provides a viable, cost-effective solution for monitoring street lighting poles.
• Metrological validation of low-cost sensors is crucial for ensuring system reliability and accuracy.
• This approach contributes to enhanced urban safety and infrastructure management in smart cities.