This paper presents a new Ubiquitous Sensor Network (USN) Architecture to
be used in developing c... more This paper presents a new Ubiquitous Sensor Network (USN) Architecture to be used in developing countries and reveals its usefulness by highlighting some of its key features. In complement to a previous ITU proposal, our architecture referred to as “Ubiquitous Sensor Network for Development (USN4D)” integrates in its layers features such as opportunistic data dissemination, long distance deployment and localisation of information to meet the requirements of the developing world. Besides describing some of the most important requirements for the sensor equipment to be used in a USN4D setting, we present the main features and experiments conducted using the “WaspNet” as one of the wireless sensor deployment platforms that meets these requirements. Furthermore, building upon “WaspNet” platform, we present an application to Air pollution Monitoring in the city of Cape Town, in South Africa as one of the first steps towards building community wireless sensor networks (CSN) in the developing world using off-the-shelf sensor equipment.
Abstract Open Wireless Sensors are based on the Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware par... more Abstract Open Wireless Sensors are based on the Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware paradigms. The code used to program them and the information about the hardware design are freely released. We present the main characteristics of Open Wireless Sensor Networks (OWSNs) and report on two examples with the experimental results revealing the performance of OWSNs in terms of link quality and battery life. We demonstrate the relevance of using OWSNs in Next Generation Networks by showing the advantages ...
Abstract Open Wireless Sensors are based on the Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware par... more Abstract Open Wireless Sensors are based on the Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware paradigms. The code used to program them and the information about the hardware design are freely released. We present the main characteristics of Open Wireless Sensor Networks (OWSNs) and report on two examples with the experimental results revealing the performance of OWSNs in terms of link quality and battery life. We demonstrate the relevance of using OWSNs in Next Generation Networks by showing the advantages ...
This paper describes recent work on the development of a wireless based remote monitoring system ... more This paper describes recent work on the development of a wireless based remote monitoring system for renewable energy plants in Malawi. The main goal was to develop a cost effective data acquisition system that continuously presents remote energy yields and performance measures. A test bed comprising of a solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant has been set up at Malavi Primary School and a central management system at Malawi Polytechnic. The project output gives direct access to generated electric power at the rural site through the use of wireless sensor boards and text message (SMS) transmission over cellular network. The SMS recipient at the central site houses an intelligent management system based on FrontlineSMS for hosting SMSs and publishing remote measurement trends over the Internet. Preliminary experimental results reveal that the performance of renewable energy systems in remote rural sites can be evaluated efficiently at low cost.
This paper describes recent work on the development of a wireless based remote monitoring system ... more This paper describes recent work on the development of a wireless based remote monitoring system for renewable energy plants in Malawi. The main goal was to develop a cost effective data acquisition system that continuously presents remote energy yields and performance measures. A test bed comprising of a solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant has been set up at Malavi Primary School and a central management system at Malawi Polytechnic. The project output gives direct access to generated electric power at the rural site through the use of wireless sensor boards and text message (SMS) transmission over cellular network. The SMS recipient at the central site houses an intelligent management system based on FrontlineSMS for hosting SMSs and publishing remote measurement trends over the Internet. Preliminary experimental results reveal that the performance of renewable energy systems in remote rural sites can be evaluated efficiently at low cost.
Abstract Open Wireless Sensors are based on the Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware par... more Abstract Open Wireless Sensors are based on the Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware paradigms. The code used to program them and the information about the hardware design are freely released. We present the main characteristics of Open Wireless Sensor Networks (OWSNs) and report on two examples with the experimental results revealing the performance of OWSNs in terms of link quality and battery life. We demonstrate the relevance of using OWSNs in Next Generation Networks by showing the advantages ...
This paper describes recent work on the development of a wireless based remote monitoring system ... more This paper describes recent work on the development of a wireless based remote monitoring system for renewable energy plants in Malawi. The main goal was to develop a cost effective data acquisition system that continuously presents remote energy yields and performance measures. A test bed comprising of a solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant has been set up at Malavi Primary School and a central management system at Malawi Polytechnic. The project output gives direct access to generated electric power at the rural site through the use of wireless sensor boards and text message (SMS) transmission over cellular network. The SMS recipient at the central site houses an intelligent management system based on FrontlineSMS for hosting SMSs and publishing remote measurement trends over the Internet. Preliminary experimental results reveal that the performance of renewable energy systems in remote rural sites can be evaluated efficiently at low cost.
Abstract Open Wireless Sensors are based on the Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware par... more Abstract Open Wireless Sensors are based on the Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware paradigms. The code used to program them and the information about the hardware design are freely released. We present the main characteristics of Open Wireless Sensor Networks (OWSNs) and report on two examples with the experimental results revealing the performance of OWSNs in terms of link quality and battery life. We demonstrate the relevance of using OWSNs in Next Generation Networks by showing the advantages ...
This paper describes recent work on the development of a wireless based remote monitoring system ... more This paper describes recent work on the development of a wireless based remote monitoring system for renewable energy plants in Malawi. The main goal was to develop a cost effective data acquisition system that continuously presents remote energy yields and performance measures. A test bed comprising of a solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant has been set up at Malavi Primary School and a central management system at Malawi Polytechnic. The project output gives direct access to generated electric power at the rural site through the use of wireless sensor boards and text message (SMS) transmission over cellular network. The SMS recipient at the central site houses an intelligent management system based on FrontlineSMS for hosting SMSs and publishing remote measurement trends over the Internet. Preliminary experimental results reveal that the performance of renewable energy systems in remote rural sites can be evaluated efficiently at low cost.
For the last 2 decades, Kenya has consistently contributed the highest number of people affected ... more For the last 2 decades, Kenya has consistently contributed the highest number of people affected by natural disasters in Africa. This is especially so for disasters triggered by climatic variations. The Kenya Meteorological Department has provided regular weather forecasts since the 60s. One of the shortcomings of this Department's approach is the fact that their forecasts provide conceptual indications of droughts/floods without giving operational indicators. This makes it difficult for key stakeholders to develop solid strategic plans. Innovative use of ICTs can turn around this situation by realigning the forecasts to aid in answering questions such like, how long and how severe the predicted climatic variations will be. Use of cheaper wireless sensors can also help readdress the current poor coverage by weather stations. Based on analysis of 31 years of historical daily precipitation data from three weather stations, we prove that the Effective Drought Index can be used to quantify droughts/floods. We also present an effective web-based system that policy makers can use to monitor droughts/floods on daily basis. In the discussion, we explain how an on-going initiative aimed at integrating wireless sensor networks and mobile phones will further improve drought monitoring.
Knowledge Management for Development Journal, 2011
Droughts are the most common type of natural disaster in Africa and the problem is compounded by ... more Droughts are the most common type of natural disaster in Africa and the problem is compounded by their complexity. The agriculture sector still forms the backbone of most economies in Africa, with 70% of output being derived from rain-fed small-scale farming; this sector is the first casualty of droughts. Accurate, timely and relevant drought predication information enables a community to anticipate and prepare for droughts and hence minimize the negative impacts. Current weather forecasts are still alien to African farmers, most of whom live in rural areas and struggle with illiteracy and poor communications infrastructure. However, these farmers hold indigenous knowledge not only on how to predict droughts, but also on unique coping strategies. Adoption of wireless sensor networks and mobile phones to provide a bridge between scientific and indigenous knowledge of weather forecasting methods is one way of ensuring that the content of forecasts and the dissemination formats meet local needs. A framework for achieving this integration is presented in this paper. A system prototype to implement this framework is also presented.
Despite global advancements in technology and inter-trade volumes, Sub-Saharan Africa is the only... more Despite global advancements in technology and inter-trade volumes, Sub-Saharan Africa is the only Region where cases of hunger have increased since 1990. Rampant and frequent droughts are one of the major causes of this. Monumental and mostly donor-funded projects have been mounted to counter this but with little success. One of the latest strategies being experimented is a community-based early
... Edge detection contains three steps namely, Filtering, Enhancement and Detection [SR09]. Acco... more ... Edge detection contains three steps namely, Filtering, Enhancement and Detection [SR09]. According to Brendan [McC01], the following are the motivation for edge detection: 1. Humans can recognise an enormous range of objects from just line images. ...
This paper presents a new Ubiquitous Sensor Network (USN) Architecture to
be used in developing c... more This paper presents a new Ubiquitous Sensor Network (USN) Architecture to be used in developing countries and reveals its usefulness by highlighting some of its key features. In complement to a previous ITU proposal, our architecture referred to as “Ubiquitous Sensor Network for Development (USN4D)” integrates in its layers features such as opportunistic data dissemination, long distance deployment and localisation of information to meet the requirements of the developing world. Besides describing some of the most important requirements for the sensor equipment to be used in a USN4D setting, we present the main features and experiments conducted using the “WaspNet” as one of the wireless sensor deployment platforms that meets these requirements. Furthermore, building upon “WaspNet” platform, we present an application to Air pollution Monitoring in the city of Cape Town, in South Africa as one of the first steps towards building community wireless sensor networks (CSN) in the developing world using off-the-shelf sensor equipment.
Abstract Open Wireless Sensors are based on the Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware par... more Abstract Open Wireless Sensors are based on the Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware paradigms. The code used to program them and the information about the hardware design are freely released. We present the main characteristics of Open Wireless Sensor Networks (OWSNs) and report on two examples with the experimental results revealing the performance of OWSNs in terms of link quality and battery life. We demonstrate the relevance of using OWSNs in Next Generation Networks by showing the advantages ...
Abstract Open Wireless Sensors are based on the Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware par... more Abstract Open Wireless Sensors are based on the Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware paradigms. The code used to program them and the information about the hardware design are freely released. We present the main characteristics of Open Wireless Sensor Networks (OWSNs) and report on two examples with the experimental results revealing the performance of OWSNs in terms of link quality and battery life. We demonstrate the relevance of using OWSNs in Next Generation Networks by showing the advantages ...
This paper describes recent work on the development of a wireless based remote monitoring system ... more This paper describes recent work on the development of a wireless based remote monitoring system for renewable energy plants in Malawi. The main goal was to develop a cost effective data acquisition system that continuously presents remote energy yields and performance measures. A test bed comprising of a solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant has been set up at Malavi Primary School and a central management system at Malawi Polytechnic. The project output gives direct access to generated electric power at the rural site through the use of wireless sensor boards and text message (SMS) transmission over cellular network. The SMS recipient at the central site houses an intelligent management system based on FrontlineSMS for hosting SMSs and publishing remote measurement trends over the Internet. Preliminary experimental results reveal that the performance of renewable energy systems in remote rural sites can be evaluated efficiently at low cost.
This paper describes recent work on the development of a wireless based remote monitoring system ... more This paper describes recent work on the development of a wireless based remote monitoring system for renewable energy plants in Malawi. The main goal was to develop a cost effective data acquisition system that continuously presents remote energy yields and performance measures. A test bed comprising of a solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant has been set up at Malavi Primary School and a central management system at Malawi Polytechnic. The project output gives direct access to generated electric power at the rural site through the use of wireless sensor boards and text message (SMS) transmission over cellular network. The SMS recipient at the central site houses an intelligent management system based on FrontlineSMS for hosting SMSs and publishing remote measurement trends over the Internet. Preliminary experimental results reveal that the performance of renewable energy systems in remote rural sites can be evaluated efficiently at low cost.
Abstract Open Wireless Sensors are based on the Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware par... more Abstract Open Wireless Sensors are based on the Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware paradigms. The code used to program them and the information about the hardware design are freely released. We present the main characteristics of Open Wireless Sensor Networks (OWSNs) and report on two examples with the experimental results revealing the performance of OWSNs in terms of link quality and battery life. We demonstrate the relevance of using OWSNs in Next Generation Networks by showing the advantages ...
This paper describes recent work on the development of a wireless based remote monitoring system ... more This paper describes recent work on the development of a wireless based remote monitoring system for renewable energy plants in Malawi. The main goal was to develop a cost effective data acquisition system that continuously presents remote energy yields and performance measures. A test bed comprising of a solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant has been set up at Malavi Primary School and a central management system at Malawi Polytechnic. The project output gives direct access to generated electric power at the rural site through the use of wireless sensor boards and text message (SMS) transmission over cellular network. The SMS recipient at the central site houses an intelligent management system based on FrontlineSMS for hosting SMSs and publishing remote measurement trends over the Internet. Preliminary experimental results reveal that the performance of renewable energy systems in remote rural sites can be evaluated efficiently at low cost.
Abstract Open Wireless Sensors are based on the Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware par... more Abstract Open Wireless Sensors are based on the Open Source Software and Open Source Hardware paradigms. The code used to program them and the information about the hardware design are freely released. We present the main characteristics of Open Wireless Sensor Networks (OWSNs) and report on two examples with the experimental results revealing the performance of OWSNs in terms of link quality and battery life. We demonstrate the relevance of using OWSNs in Next Generation Networks by showing the advantages ...
This paper describes recent work on the development of a wireless based remote monitoring system ... more This paper describes recent work on the development of a wireless based remote monitoring system for renewable energy plants in Malawi. The main goal was to develop a cost effective data acquisition system that continuously presents remote energy yields and performance measures. A test bed comprising of a solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant has been set up at Malavi Primary School and a central management system at Malawi Polytechnic. The project output gives direct access to generated electric power at the rural site through the use of wireless sensor boards and text message (SMS) transmission over cellular network. The SMS recipient at the central site houses an intelligent management system based on FrontlineSMS for hosting SMSs and publishing remote measurement trends over the Internet. Preliminary experimental results reveal that the performance of renewable energy systems in remote rural sites can be evaluated efficiently at low cost.
For the last 2 decades, Kenya has consistently contributed the highest number of people affected ... more For the last 2 decades, Kenya has consistently contributed the highest number of people affected by natural disasters in Africa. This is especially so for disasters triggered by climatic variations. The Kenya Meteorological Department has provided regular weather forecasts since the 60s. One of the shortcomings of this Department's approach is the fact that their forecasts provide conceptual indications of droughts/floods without giving operational indicators. This makes it difficult for key stakeholders to develop solid strategic plans. Innovative use of ICTs can turn around this situation by realigning the forecasts to aid in answering questions such like, how long and how severe the predicted climatic variations will be. Use of cheaper wireless sensors can also help readdress the current poor coverage by weather stations. Based on analysis of 31 years of historical daily precipitation data from three weather stations, we prove that the Effective Drought Index can be used to quantify droughts/floods. We also present an effective web-based system that policy makers can use to monitor droughts/floods on daily basis. In the discussion, we explain how an on-going initiative aimed at integrating wireless sensor networks and mobile phones will further improve drought monitoring.
Knowledge Management for Development Journal, 2011
Droughts are the most common type of natural disaster in Africa and the problem is compounded by ... more Droughts are the most common type of natural disaster in Africa and the problem is compounded by their complexity. The agriculture sector still forms the backbone of most economies in Africa, with 70% of output being derived from rain-fed small-scale farming; this sector is the first casualty of droughts. Accurate, timely and relevant drought predication information enables a community to anticipate and prepare for droughts and hence minimize the negative impacts. Current weather forecasts are still alien to African farmers, most of whom live in rural areas and struggle with illiteracy and poor communications infrastructure. However, these farmers hold indigenous knowledge not only on how to predict droughts, but also on unique coping strategies. Adoption of wireless sensor networks and mobile phones to provide a bridge between scientific and indigenous knowledge of weather forecasting methods is one way of ensuring that the content of forecasts and the dissemination formats meet local needs. A framework for achieving this integration is presented in this paper. A system prototype to implement this framework is also presented.
Despite global advancements in technology and inter-trade volumes, Sub-Saharan Africa is the only... more Despite global advancements in technology and inter-trade volumes, Sub-Saharan Africa is the only Region where cases of hunger have increased since 1990. Rampant and frequent droughts are one of the major causes of this. Monumental and mostly donor-funded projects have been mounted to counter this but with little success. One of the latest strategies being experimented is a community-based early
... Edge detection contains three steps namely, Filtering, Enhancement and Detection [SR09]. Acco... more ... Edge detection contains three steps namely, Filtering, Enhancement and Detection [SR09]. According to Brendan [McC01], the following are the motivation for edge detection: 1. Humans can recognise an enormous range of objects from just line images. ...
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be used in developing countries and reveals its usefulness by highlighting some of its
key features. In complement to a previous ITU proposal, our architecture referred to as
“Ubiquitous Sensor Network for Development (USN4D)” integrates in its layers features
such as opportunistic data dissemination, long distance deployment and localisation of
information to meet the requirements of the developing world. Besides describing some
of the most important requirements for the sensor equipment to be used in a USN4D setting,
we present the main features and experiments conducted using the “WaspNet” as one of the
wireless sensor deployment platforms that meets these requirements. Furthermore, building
upon “WaspNet” platform, we present an application to Air pollution Monitoring in the city
of Cape Town, in South Africa as one of the first steps towards building community wireless
sensor networks (CSN) in the developing world using off-the-shelf sensor equipment.
be used in developing countries and reveals its usefulness by highlighting some of its
key features. In complement to a previous ITU proposal, our architecture referred to as
“Ubiquitous Sensor Network for Development (USN4D)” integrates in its layers features
such as opportunistic data dissemination, long distance deployment and localisation of
information to meet the requirements of the developing world. Besides describing some
of the most important requirements for the sensor equipment to be used in a USN4D setting,
we present the main features and experiments conducted using the “WaspNet” as one of the
wireless sensor deployment platforms that meets these requirements. Furthermore, building
upon “WaspNet” platform, we present an application to Air pollution Monitoring in the city
of Cape Town, in South Africa as one of the first steps towards building community wireless
sensor networks (CSN) in the developing world using off-the-shelf sensor equipment.