ABSTRACT
Atmospheric researchers, meteorologists, and farmers continue to face difficulties in assessing real-time weather data. This project created a solar-powered Arduino microcontroller-based weather station that uses meteorological sensors to measure atmospheric temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, and wind direction. The temperature, relative humidity, pressure, wind direction, and wind speed monitoring elements are all part of the weather station. The power supply, electronic control, display, and data transfer sectors are among the others. The output of the sensors is processed by an Arduino Atmega 2560 microcontroller, which displays it on an LCD for on-site users and also transmits it to the Wi-Fi module, which uploads the data online so that out-of-site users can access the measured weather information. For the storing and analysis of measured meteorological parameters, the weather station uses Thinkspeak Technology’s Internet of Things (IoT) initiative. For successful real• time atmospheric data logging, the results of the performance evaluation demonstrated appropriate synchronization between electronic sensors, microcontroller, and the internet. Utilisation of low-cost sensors and locally available components made it possible to spend as little as N216, 400 (Two Hundred and Sixteen Thousand Four Hundred Naira) to develop to this weather station compared to an imported one which is about $8,000 (Eight Thousand Dollar)
CHARPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Weather tracking is of great importance in our society today, in the past weather monitoring was only useful for agricultural purpose. But with recent advancement in technology, weather information is of great importance in other field of life (Jahedul et al., 2018).
Weather monitoring checks the behaviour of some atmospheric parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, wind speed, wind direction, due point, rain fall and cloudiness (Ukhureboret al., 2017). Global warming may also lead to weakened and failed states, creating yet more poverty, forced migrations and resource scarcity-conditions that foster extremism and terrorism (smartclimatchoice 2009).
The importance of weather tracking cannot be over emphasised, this is due to it great importance in agriculture, communications, air transportation, industries, meteorologist and to atmospheric physicist (Anthony et al., 2017).In agriculture, weather is one factor which determines how much success that can be recorded, because crop yield depend on weather in providing energy and water for it sustenance (Abubakar and Sulaiman, 2018). Research has proved that climate change will have great effect on agricultural yield and human activities in the next century(Walthall et al., 2018).Hence there is need to have an effective means of monitoring atmospheric parameter at all times. Such a weather station should have an independent power source such as solar energy, for all time weather monitoring. A microcontroller weather station reads and records atmospheric parameters using sensors without any external intervention. The recorded atmospheric parameters can be processed as wired information, in which case, it can be downloaded in a computer or through a server as in wireless communication (U ghanze et al., 2019).
1.2 Statement of the Research Problem
The importance of weather station cannot be over emphasised. Hitherto, the source of atmospheric information is majorly from conventional weather stations, though available in limited numbers, some difficulties are associated with their operations. Some of the challenges associated in them are that:
Real time assessment of atmospheric parameters from conventional weather station for out-of-site users is not achievable, this is because they are not internet driven. Conventional weather station is prone to human error because it requires human presence due to its manual operation. Cost of acquiring conventional weather station is often on the high side. Conventional weather stations are scares to see around due to its size. Malfunctioning of components in existing conventional weather station due to it obsolete nature, leaves one with the option of combining readings from more than one weather station to get reasonable weather parameters of interest. Conventional weather stations are not portable and as such, cannot be moved to different locations for the purpose of gathering atmospheric parameters. To address these challenges, a solar powered microcontroller weather station was conceived. It utilise electronic sensors which will read and record atmospheric parameters, display such data on an LCD for on-site users and also transmit to an online server which will display real time atmospheric data to off-sites users. Such weather station will be portable and solar powered for round the clock acquisition of weather information of interest at any location.
1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of this work is to design and construct a portable solar-powered microcontroller-based weather station that will transmit real time atmospheric parameter to an online server.
This aim will be achieved through the following objectives, which are to:
1. design an electronic circuit using a microcontroller as it central processing unit which will retrieve and record atmospheric temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind direction and wind speed from respective electronic sensors and display the values for on-site users.
11. interface a Wi-Fi module into the design to serve as a transmission link between acquired atmospheric data and a webpage for use for-off-site users.
iii. utilize miniature, low-cost and locally available components to construct the design, using solar energy as its source of power supply.
1v. evaluate theperformance of the constructed weather station if it meets design objectives.
1.4 Significance/Justification of the study
The study has the following significance:
1. the microcontroller-based weather station is of great benefit to atmospheric physicists and meteorologist under taking research studies, since the weather station provides the needed weather data for atmospheric studies.
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11. weather information that the microcontroller-based weather station provides is of great benefit to the agricultural sector, aviation sector, military operation, to mention just a few for planning and safety.
iii. the wireless and internet driven nature of the microcontroller-based weather station makes it possible for measured atmospheric parameter to be available online to a wider user.
1v. the use of solar energy as a source of power supply for the weather station accounts for the resourceful nature of the study in that it utilise the abundant solar energy available in the study area
1.5 Scope and Limitation of the Study
This work develops a solar powered microcontroller-based weather station that will measure atmospheric temperature, pressure, relative humidity, wind speed and wind direction with the aid of electronic sensors at sixty seconds interval. The weather station is solar powered in order to harness the abundant solar energy of study area. Also the atmospheric data measured will be displayed on a web site for easy accessibility by out- of-site users.
The limitation of the study is that, the measured parameters are limited to those of atmospheric temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and wind direction only. The weather station can be upgraded in future to incorporate more atmospheric parameters
1.6 Justification of the Study
International professional bodies such as The International Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, International Center for Environmental Information and World
Metrological Organisation advocates for local collection of data. This requires the
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deployment of weather stations to locations. This work makes available low cost and portable weather station that could be easily installed in various locations. Atmospheric data acquisition is crucial to the study of atmospheric physics, metrology and aviation. The weather station to be designed and constructed in this work is capable of real time digital data acquisition on-spot and online for purposes of record keeping and further analysis by professionals and researchers.
This material content is developed to serve as a GUIDE for students to conduct academic research
DEVELOPMENT OF REAL-TIME, SOLAR POWERE D MICROCONTROLLER-BASED WEATHER STATION FOR THE ACQUISITION OF ATMOSPHERIC PARA METERS
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