ASSESSMENT OF SMARTPHONE-BASED TECHNOLOGY FOR REMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ITS DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Many countries are increasing their research on monitoring technology to identify and systematically manage various domestic changes. In particular, the need for remote monitoring is increasing in response to climatic disasters, such as flooding, storms, and rising tides caused by global warming. We developed a smartphone-based environmental monitoring system that enables remote monitoring in any place and at any time. The overall system is composed of a 24-hour smartphone-based imaging system, a monitoring information management system to receive the monitoring information, and stereo image rectification software that provides lens distortion correction, geometric correction, and stereo matching of the monitoring images. The system was developed using the Samsung Galaxy S with the Android OS, as well as open source–based software and other hardware. It is easy to install, control remotely, and monitor the status of imaging devices. We assessed the accuracy of the micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) sensors of the smartphone to evaluate the applicability of our environmental monitoring system. The assessment was conducted via survey using metric cameras, a global positioning system receiver, a three-dimensional laser scanner and total station, geometric correction, and digital elevation models generated with camera internal elements, external elements, and ground control points. We demonstrated the effectiveness of the system, and showed that the accuracy of the MEMS sensor and camera calibration have a significant effect on image analysis.