Weather Monitoring is an essential problem in today’s world. The absence of adequate weather monitoring infrastructure leads to significant calamities impacting people severely. There are lots of IoT devices that can monitor the weather in a region over the Internet. The meteorological department also takes advantage of these smart devices to keep an eye on the weather. An IoT-based weather monitoring system is a sophisticated network of sensors, devices, and software that collects, processes, and analyses weather-related data in real time. This system makes use of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology to provide accurate and timely information about various weather parameters such as temperature, humidity, air quality, and wind speed.
The motivation for this project includes measures to:
This comprehensive IoT weather monitoring system fosters a safer, more resilient society, prepared to address the challenges of a changing climate.
The project aims to design, develop, and evaluate a functional prototype of an IoT-based Weather Monitoring System. This system aims to provide real-time weather data monitoring and analysis capabilities, catering to the needs of meteorological agencies, disaster management teams, and environmental researchers. The prime objectives are:
By achieving these objectives, the IoT-based weather monitoring system aims to revolutionize how weather data is monitored, analyzed, and utilized for decision-making and research.
The MQ-135 is a semiconductor-based analog air quality sensor that takes air samples from the surroundings and gives out an analog voltage at its output terminal. It works on the principle of gas sensing through the change in electrical conductivity when exposed to different gases. The sensor’s detection range and sensitivity can be adjusted by varying the circuit’s load resistance.
The ESP8266 is a very user-friendly and low-cost device to provide internet connectivity to our projects. The module can work both as an Access point (can create a hotspot) and as a station (can connect to Wi-Fi), hence it can easily fetch data and upload it to the cloud server making the Internet of Things as easy as possible. It can also fetch data from the internet using API hence the project could access any information that is available on the internet, thus making it smarter. Another exciting feature of this module is that it can be programmed using the Arduino IDE which makes it a lot more user-friendly.
A 16×2 LCD display is a liquid crystal display that can show 16 characters in each of its two rows, providing a total of 32 characters of information. It’s commonly used to display alphanumeric information in various electronic devices. A 16×2 LCD display works by controlling the liquid crystals to either block or allow light to pass through, creating characters and symbols on the screen. It is controlled by sending data and commands to its controller, which, in turn, manages the display of information.
The data sent by ESP8266 to the cloud server will also be showcased on the 16x2 LCD Display so that we can observe the real time data locally.
Digital-output relative humidity and temperature sensor or DHT22 (aka AM2302) is a device which is used to measure the humidity and temperature of the surroundings.
The Ultrasonic Sensor is an electronic device that calculates distance by emitting sound waves and collecting their echoes.
It can measure objects from up to 4.5 meters away, which makes it a versatile instrument for correctly measuring both short and long distances without making contact with the target object, which is critical in many applications such as obstacle avoidance systems in robotics or autonomous cars.
The sensor features adjustable pulse widths, allowing for higher resolution measurements when set at lower levels though this comes at the cost of range accuracy diminishing as a result, however, due to its affordability compared to other forms of distance sensing technologies makes it incredibly suitable where budget constraints are paramount factor within projects evaluating solutions using ultrasonic technology.
Working Principle: An ultrasonic sensor is a type of electronic sensor that uses ultrasonic waves to determine the distance between two objects and converts the reflected sound into electrical signals.
The distance is calculated by measuring the ultrasonic sound's travel time and speed.
Distance = (𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑥 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑)/2
Ultrasonic sensors can measure rainfall by calculating the height of water in a rain gauge. The sensor emits a sound wave at a frequency above human hearing, and a transducer acts as a microphone to receive the reflected sound. The sensor then measures the time it takes for the sound to travel to the water and back, which determines the distance to the water.
Arduino is an open-source physical computing platform based on a simple input/output (1/0) board and a development environment that implements the Processing language. Arduino can be used to develop standalone interactive objects or can be connected to software on a computer. Arduino hardware is an open-source circuit board with a microprocessor and input/output (1/0) pins for communication and controlling physical objects (LED, servos, buttons, etc.). The board is powered via USB or an external power supply which, in turn, allows it to power other hardware and sensors.
A digital anemometer is a type of wind speed sensor that measures wind speed using digital technology and displays the readings digitally.
The working of a digital anemometer involves several key steps:
The DHT22 (Digital-output Humidity and Temperature) Sensor, Air quality sensor, ultrasonic sensor, power supply, LCD Display, piezoelectric buzzer and ESP8266 are connected to the Arduino UNO.
The Arduino processes the code and displays the data of the weather conditions to the LCD Display. The Wi-Fi module ESP8266 provides internet connectivity through which the data will be monitored on the IoT server. Thus, people can access the weather data and monitor the changes remotely.
A remote weather monitoring system using IoT is proposed, where people can access the real-time statistics of the weather conditions in an area.
The DHT22 sensor utilizes exclusive digital-signal-collecting-technique and humidity sensing technology which makes it more precise and reliable.
The ESP8266 is a very user-friendly and low-cost device to provide internet connectivity to our projects. It can also fetch data from the internet using API hence the project could access any information that is available on the internet, thus making it smarter.
Arduino hardware is an open-source circuit board with a microprocessor and input/output (I/O) pins for communication and controlling physical objects (LED, servos, buttons, etc.). The board is powered via USB or an external power supply which in turn allows it to power other hardware and sensors.
The temperature and humidity sensor (DHT22), Anemometer, Air quality sensor, Ultrasonic sensor, power supply, and ESP8266 are connected to the Arduino UNO. The sensor measures the weather conditions of the surroundings. The Arduino processes the code and displays the data of the patient on the LCD Display. The Wi-Fi module provides internet connectivity through which the data will be monitored on the IoT Server.
The temperature sensor measures the Temperature.
Thus, the meteorological department and the people in the locality can monitor the changes in the weather remotely.
The implementation of IoT based weather monitoring system incorporating temperature, humidity, anemometer, air quality and ultrasonic sensors make a significant stride towards revolutionizing weather monitoring. By harnessing the power of the Internet of Things technology, this robust framework has been developed capable of continuously monitoring weather parameters of an area with unprecedented accuracy and efficiency.
The seamless integration of the above-mentioned sensors into the IoT ecosystem empowers individuals to know the real-time weather conditions by facilitating remote monitoring and timely detection of changes.
In essence, this IoT-based weather monitoring system represents a paradigm shift in meteorological data collection and analysis, bridging the gap between conventional weather monitoring methods and advanced technology. By leveraging the interconnectedness of the digital world, the aim is to provide real-time weather data, improve forecasting accuracy, and enhance disaster preparedness and response efforts. This approach seeks to empower individuals and organizations with actionable weather insights, ultimately contributing to safer communities and better decision-making in various sectors worldwide.
Report prepared on May 6, 2024, 4:13 p.m. by:
Report reviewed and approved by Aditya Pandia [CompSoc] on None.