All About IoT Based Environmental Monitoring System

WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING APPLICATIONS AND SCOPE

One of the most important and widespread applications of Wireless Sensor Networks is Environmental monitoring. An environmental monitoring system using IoT is not a short period of monitoring but one that extends over months, years, and even a lifetime sometimes. The lifetime of the sensor network is limited by the constraints of limited battery power in Battery powered Sensor nodes. This has indeed emerged as a key hurdle in upscaling WSNs for environmental monitoring.  In recent times, WSNs have emerged to be vitally important in keeping an eye on real environmental changes such as global warming. These days, the increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters have also necessitated the use of well-functioning WSNs to predict or warn about natural disasters. 

IOT BASED ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING FOR AIR QUALITY, CARBON DIOXIDE, SMOG-LIKE GASES, CARBON MONOXIDE IN CONFINED AREAS, INDOOR OZONE LEVELS

Air quality sensors are devices used to detect contaminants in the air. This includes particulates, pollutants, and noxious gases that may be harmful to human health. They are used in applications like air quality monitoring, gas detection in industry, combustion controllers, and oxygen generators in aircraft. Volatile organic compound (VOC) sensors are available that are capable of detecting volatile chemicals and odorous pollutants.

MONITORING OF WATER FOR QUALITY, POLLUTANTS AND THERMAL CONTAMINANTS

Water quality sensor data is commonly used for various management purposes, such as meeting regulatory requirements, identifying key non-regulatory aspects for users, validating water quality models, and alerting for contamination.

The chemical, biological, and physical conditions of water indicate its quality in numerous ways. Even small shifts in these characteristics can impact people and industries that rely on water. To maintain quality, tracking water parameters like conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, temperature, and turbidity is essential.

IOT BASED ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING OF SOIL FOR MOISTURE AND VIBRATION LEVELS TO DETECT LANDSLIDES

Wireless Sensor Networks can monitor soil for landslides, using slopes, moisture, and vibration sensors to provide predictive data.

Another similar application is the monitoring of agricultural fields using various sensors which provide insightful data to grow crops more efficiently.

MONITORING FORESTS AND PROTECTED LANDS FOR FOREST FIRES

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) can be deployed in a large number of systems, with one potential application being forest fire detection. Sensors are able to influence physical parameters such as pressure, temperature, gases, radiation, humidity, and many other parameters. Sensor networks are normally deployed in large-scale random distributions in remote or inaccessible places and under harsh environments for a certain period of their lifetime. This technology relied on low data rates and short ranges of communication in a multi-hop fashion to reach the sink.

MONITORING FOR NATURAL DISASTERS LIKE EARTHQUAKES AND TSUNAMI WARNING

All over the world, authorities are installing seismic sensors along with structural health monitoring(SHM) sensors (such as 3-axis deflection, vibration, stress, strain, etc. )  on important structures like bridges, power transmission poles, hospitals, etc. active seismic zones. Such seismic monitoring equipment and instruments help scientists to estimate the damages from minor earthquakes. Then, by taking help from mathematical models, it becomes possible to predict the damage caused by major earthquakes.

MONITORING FISHERIES FOR BOTH ANIMAL HEALTH AND POACHING

These days, continuous real-time monitoring of the water quality of inland fisheries is possible. The parameters being monitored are pH, temperature, turbidity, water level, dissolved oxygen & nitrogen, and area-wise fish density. These systems also have provisions for:

(i) restoring water level if it decreases below the threshold and

(ii) automatic feed mechanism for fishes. 

MONITORING SNOWFALL LEVELS AT SKI RESORTS AND IN NATURAL FORESTS FOR WEATHER TRACKING AND AVALANCHE PREVENTION

Snow levels can be monitored using ultrasonic sensors. Snow ultrasonic sensors are able to continuously measure snow depth. These are commonly used for hydrological monitoring and avalanche prediction. In natural forests, monitoring snow levels can give an idea about weather conditions.

MONITORING DATA CENTERS FOR AIR TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY

As soon as there is a change in environmental conditions, a server, router, gateway, or other devices, the sensors notice it and the system sends alarm messages to designated personnel. Parameters such as temperature and humidity are monitored using such a sensor system.

The following are some of the important parameters monitored using the Wireless Sensor Network (WSN).

• Airflow
• Gas
• Pressure
• Flood and leak
• Humidity
• Temperature

AIR FLOW SENSORS

Air flow sensors are used to control airflow in ventilation and air-conditioning. Moreover, they are utilized in IoT based wireless sensor networks for air pollution monitoring. These are quite easy to install and control the total pressure, the static pressure of the airflow, and the average velocity of air.

GAS SENSORS

The aforementioned gas sensors are deployed for monitoring and detecting changes in air quality and the presence of toxic, combustible, or hazardous gases. These sensors have a variety of applications in industries such as mining, oil and gas, chemical research, and manufacturing. One of the most common uses of gas sensors is in consumer-based carbon dioxide detectors, which can be found in many homes.

PRESSURE SENSORS

A pressure sensor is used to detect pressure changes. It senses changes in the pressure of gases and liquids. When the pressure changes, the sensor detects these changes and communicates them to connected systems. The most common use cases of pressure sensors include leak testing, which can be a result of decay. Pressure sensors are also suitable for use in the manufacturing of water systems as they are easily able to detect fluctuations or drops in pressure.

FLOOD AND LEAK SENSORS

These sensors are able to detect the presence of water, fuel, and other types of liquids. Wireless rope sensors issue alerts regarding liquid spillages, pump failures, or floods over wide areas. Wireless leak sensors can be mounted on walls or along pipes to detect leaks and frozen water. Besides detecting leaks, wireless sensors are also used to monitor water levels in diverse environments.

Wireless ultrasonic level sensors can be used to track water levels in lakes, reservoirs, storage tanks, and rivers.

HUMIDITY SENSORS

Humidity sensors measure the amount of water vapor or moisture content in the atmosphere of air or other environments. These sensors are commonly used in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in both industrial and residential settings. They are also utilized in hospitals and meteorology stations to compile weather reports and predict meteorological conditions.

TEMPERATURE SENSORS 

Temperature sensors are devices that detect changes in temperature by measuring the amount of heat energy in a source. The recorded temperature data is then translated into meaningful information. These sensors have a wide range of applications, commonly used in manufacturing machinery where specific environmental and device temperatures are critical. They are also crucial in agriculture, where soil temperature plays a critical role in crop growth.

These sensors can be installed using LPWAN such as SigFox, Sub-1 GHz or LoRaWAN.

Also Read: Monitoring of the environment with the help of Wireless IoT Sensors.

Nevertheless, PsiBorg, an IoT service provider, specializes in designing and building Wireless Sensor Networks for environmental monitoring. We build the most cutting-edge WSN solutions tailor-made for your requirements and satisfaction.