Design of an Aquaculture Monitoring System Based on Android and GPRS

Abstract

<abstract><title>Abstract.</title> In order to promote the development of intelligent agriculture in China, we developed a wireless remote monitoring system of water quality parameters for aquaculture which is based on an Android mobile phone platform and GPRS communication technology. The system could accomplish the remote collection, storage, and management of water quality parameters such as the water level, temperature, potential of hydrogen (PH), and dissolved oxygen, and could also remotely control the work of water level valve and aerator. The signals of all the water quality sensors amplified by conditioning circuit were sent to the 12 high precision analog-digital (A/D) converter for analog-to-digital conversion, and then these were input to a 16-bit TI MSP430f149 microprocessor (MSP430). The microprocessor processed data and data was sent to General Packer Radio Service (GPRS) module. The GPRS module sent it to the remote server. The Android mobile phone and computer could access the server and monitor the water quality. As long as it was abnormal, the manager would send commands to the server. The server sent the command to the GPRS module on the water level valve and aerator. The GPRS module then sent them to MSP430. Based on the difference between the current value and the setpoint value, microprocessor run Proportional-Integral-Differential (PID) algorithm to control the work of water level valve and aerator, and then water quality reached the ideal state. The system performed well in Liyang, Jinagsu province, China. Compared with the data measured by handheld devices, measurement accuracy of water level, temperature, dissolved oxygen, PH in this system were within ±1 cm, ±0.5℃, ±0.2mg/L, and ±0.3, respectively. Furthermore, control precision of water level and dissolved oxygen could be within ±3cm and ±0.3 mg/L, respectively. The effect was better than that of no control equipment and manual control. This system was suitable for the remote monitoring and control in aquaculture.