LoRa-based Internet-of-Things: A Water Quality Monitoring System

Rapid convergence of traditional research areas of embedded systems, wireless sensor networks, control systems, automation, and sensors has enabled the evolution of Internet of Things (IoT). The concept of IoT is based on a self-configuring and adaptive system consisting of networks of sensors that interconnect in such a way as to make them intelligent and programmable. An important application of IoT is in water quality monitoring through distributed sensors and controllers that stream data for cloud storage and web access. Lake Dardanelle is the 3rd largest publicly-owned lake in Arkansas covering 138.8 km(2) (34,300 acres). Apart from being a recreational destination, it supports large populations of fish. Currently, the lake does not have any water quality monitoring station that can record data for public or private users. The main goal of this research is to leverage the power of IoT for design and development of a mobile water quality monitoring system (WQMS) for Lake Dardanelle. We survey the available wireless technologies, and then deploy the LoRa (Long Range) network and evaluate its performance. We also present the detailed design and implementation of the mobile WQMS based on an unmanned surface vehicle (USV).