HIP:PosterSession

KECK Project Narrative

Abstract

Computer Science will have four distinct roles in this W. M. Keck project. First, we will be designing and building field-deployable remote monitoring systems for the on-campus study plot. These will be small, solar powered, single-board computer based units with the capability to monitor, record, and up-load temperature, pH (digital), conductivity, redox potential, pressure, and nitrate levels. This will make current data available to any campus-linked computer system for classroom or laboratory use, for archiving and for model development and testing. These developments will build on existing work that the Hardware Interfacing Project, one of our student/faculty applied computer science groups, has done with field-deployable weather stations.

The primary role of the Computer Science division of the W. M. Keck project is to design and build field-deployable remote monitoring systems for the on-campus study plot. These will be small, solar powered, single-board computer based units with the capability to monitor, record, and up-load temperature, pH (digital), conductivity, redox potential, pressure, and nitrate levels. This will make current data available to any campus-linked computer system for classroom or laboratory use, for archiving and for model development and testing. These developments will build on existing work that the Hardware Interfacing Project, one of our student/faculty applied computer science groups, has done with field-deployable weather stations.

The primary role of this project is to design and build field-deployable remote monitoring systems for the on-campus study plot. We, the Hardware Interfacing Project, have finished field-deployable water monitoring devises, which are small, solar powered, single-board computer based units with the capability to monitor, record, and up-load temperature, pH (digital), conductivity, redox potential, and etc. During the summer in 2008, we made field trips at springwood lake in Richmond, IN, and we monitored the water quality with our exciting tools. These devises will make current data available to any campus-linked computer system for classroom or laboratory use, for archiving and for model development and testing. --Mikio, 07 Oct 2008, 1:55 pm

The primary role of this project is to design and build field-deployable remote monitoring systems for the on-campus study plot. We, the Hardware Interfacing Project, have finished field-deployable water monitoring devices, which are small, solar powered, single-board computer based units with the capability to monitor, record, and upload temperature, pH (digital), conductivity, redox potential, and similar data to a database accessible anywhere on-campus. During the summer of 2008, we made field trips to springwood lake in Richmond, IN, and we sampled the water quality with our exciting tools. These devices will continuously upload the latest data for archiving, laboratory use, and for model development and testing. -- Dylan 10 Oct 2008 4:36 PM

Design - Hardware

The ultimate goal of the hardware created by HIP for use by this project is to be a simple, durable and functional as possible. The outer shell of each unit is a waterproof Pelican case with holes drilled in it at regular intervals to allow for the attachment of internal components. The heart of the device is a small, independent computer unit, called the PMP, which drives the functionality provided by the unit. The PMP is a small, single-board embedded processor, using an ARM chip and flash memory. The entire unit is powered by a large battery situated at the bottom of a case, which is connected to a charge controller, which sits next to the PMP. Power to all components is routed through the charge controller. Connections to the outside world are handled threefold. The PMP has a wired connection directly to the sonde unit, which plugs into a port on the side of the Pelican case. There is an additional port to handle charging the battery, which is done by solar power, and a Serial / Null Modem port allows direct access to the PMP through a nearby laptop with the appropriate software installed. In order to gain remote access to the machine, a Motorola RAZR cellphone is affixed directly inside the case, which allows the PMP to send data to a central database as it accumulates. Short of full immersion, the entire unit is waterproof. The cable from the case to the sonde itself is fully waterproof and can easily survive full immersion. The sonde gives the unit the capability to run many different tests on the water its submerged in, such as Ph, Dissolved Oxygen, and Oxygen Reduction Potential.

Design - Software

All software run by this project functions under Linux version 2.6.20-17-generic. The centerpiece of the operation is Infobomb. Infobomb is a web interface to a mySQL database stored on Stewie, which enables an easy view of the data without requiring the user to log into the database itself. On top of being a front end to the database, Infobomb guarantees a reliable data transfer from the client to the database by checking for duplicates. This is made possible by the structure in the file name. Each file name sent to Infobomb from the client has information on the time the data was collected, the project the data was collected for, and a checksum at the end of the file name to make sure the file has not been sent previously or corrupted in transfer. The main piece of software on the PMP itself is minicom. Minicom is used on the PMP in order to provide a direct route of access through the laptop connected to the PMP to the Sonde itself. The sonde itself is self-sufficient, as it contains the appropriate software to run all required tests, as well as to calibrate itself to insure optimal measurements in whatever environment its run in. A series of scripts in the PMP memory synchronizes the PMP to the local time, runs the sonde, collects the data in a file, and sends the file to Infobomb via the RAZR, as well as making sure that all scripts are up to date directly from the source.