Integration of communication technologies in sensor networks to monitor the Amazon environment

Abstract

Monitoring environmental parameters in the Amazon Rainforest is currently of great significance, as the rainforest actively contributes to the reduction of the climate change impact. The present study demonstrates the integration of various communication technologies based on open source software for monitoring environmental parameters in the Peruvian Amazon. The Napo River is a direct tributary of the Amazon River, connecting 450 km in the region of Loreto, Peru. The WiFi network that runs alongside the river is considered the longest in the world. This network will serve as a transport network over which available measurements, including humidity, temperature, total solar radiation (TSR), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and volumetric water content from the environmental sensors, will be relayed. The linkage between the diverse technologies, from the sensor network to the communication network, and the visualisation on the Internet are explained. The entire project has been planned using low-cost sensors, open source software, and minimal energy consumption.