A new approach to meteorological observations on remote polar glaciers using open-source internet of things technologies
Key regions of the world lack sufficient infrastructure to collect geophysical observations, often due to logistical challenges such as difficult accessibility and cost. With the advent of Internet-of-Things (IoT) technologies and low-cost electronics, it is possible today to build monitoring system...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1085708/full |
| _version_ | 1797848118071394304 |
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| author | Simon Filhol Pierre-Marie Lefeuvre Juan David Ibañez John Hulth Stephen R. Hudson Jean-Charles Gallet Thomas Vikhamar Schuler John F. Burkhart John F. Burkhart |
| author_facet | Simon Filhol Pierre-Marie Lefeuvre Juan David Ibañez John Hulth Stephen R. Hudson Jean-Charles Gallet Thomas Vikhamar Schuler John F. Burkhart John F. Burkhart |
| author_sort | Simon Filhol |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Key regions of the world lack sufficient infrastructure to collect geophysical observations, often due to logistical challenges such as difficult accessibility and cost. With the advent of Internet-of-Things (IoT) technologies and low-cost electronics, it is possible today to build monitoring systems collecting spatially distributed, in-situ data with real-time connectivity to online servers for immediate and long-term usage at costs comparable to those of a single autonomous weather station. We present here a custom-built, modular system that collects quality data, and, that is, robust to adverse meteorological conditions and lack of energy. It integrates commercial and custom-built sensors connected to a node (main device) that manages power, data and radio communication. Data is sent to gateways and then to a server that parses, stores and quality controls the data. We deployed two networks in the vicinity of Ny-Ålesund in Svalbard, and operated from May 2021 to April 2022 to measure meteorological and glaciological variables. Our system collected reliable data and had sufficient power resources to survive 4–5 months of darkness during the polar night. Here, we present the design considerations and performance metrics, report our lessons learned from this challenging deployment, and suggest pathways for future improvements. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T18:22:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-92754652345a489dbf3ad91d09f65134 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-665X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T18:22:19Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-92754652345a489dbf3ad91d09f651342023-04-12T05:38:31ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Environmental Science2296-665X2023-04-011110.3389/fenvs.2023.10857081085708A new approach to meteorological observations on remote polar glaciers using open-source internet of things technologiesSimon Filhol0Pierre-Marie Lefeuvre1Juan David Ibañez2John Hulth3Stephen R. Hudson4Jean-Charles Gallet5Thomas Vikhamar Schuler6John F. Burkhart7John F. Burkhart8Department of Geoscience, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayNorwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, NorwayDepartment of Geoscience, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayDepartment of Geoscience, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayNorwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, NorwayNorwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, NorwayDepartment of Geoscience, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayDepartment of Geoscience, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayStatkraft AS, Oslo, NorwayKey regions of the world lack sufficient infrastructure to collect geophysical observations, often due to logistical challenges such as difficult accessibility and cost. With the advent of Internet-of-Things (IoT) technologies and low-cost electronics, it is possible today to build monitoring systems collecting spatially distributed, in-situ data with real-time connectivity to online servers for immediate and long-term usage at costs comparable to those of a single autonomous weather station. We present here a custom-built, modular system that collects quality data, and, that is, robust to adverse meteorological conditions and lack of energy. It integrates commercial and custom-built sensors connected to a node (main device) that manages power, data and radio communication. Data is sent to gateways and then to a server that parses, stores and quality controls the data. We deployed two networks in the vicinity of Ny-Ålesund in Svalbard, and operated from May 2021 to April 2022 to measure meteorological and glaciological variables. Our system collected reliable data and had sufficient power resources to survive 4–5 months of darkness during the polar night. Here, we present the design considerations and performance metrics, report our lessons learned from this challenging deployment, and suggest pathways for future improvements.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1085708/fullInternet of Thingsobservationmeteorologytechnologypolar sciencewireless sensor network |
| spellingShingle | Simon Filhol Pierre-Marie Lefeuvre Juan David Ibañez John Hulth Stephen R. Hudson Jean-Charles Gallet Thomas Vikhamar Schuler John F. Burkhart John F. Burkhart A new approach to meteorological observations on remote polar glaciers using open-source internet of things technologies Frontiers in Environmental Science Internet of Things observation meteorology technology polar science wireless sensor network |
| title | A new approach to meteorological observations on remote polar glaciers using open-source internet of things technologies |
| title_full | A new approach to meteorological observations on remote polar glaciers using open-source internet of things technologies |
| title_fullStr | A new approach to meteorological observations on remote polar glaciers using open-source internet of things technologies |
| title_full_unstemmed | A new approach to meteorological observations on remote polar glaciers using open-source internet of things technologies |
| title_short | A new approach to meteorological observations on remote polar glaciers using open-source internet of things technologies |
| title_sort | new approach to meteorological observations on remote polar glaciers using open source internet of things technologies |
| topic | Internet of Things observation meteorology technology polar science wireless sensor network |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1085708/full |
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