In-House Developed IoT-Enabled Water Quality Measuring Device

The dynamic ecosystems of water bodies like rivers and lakes are heavily dependent on parameters like temperature, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen. Continuous monitoring of these parameters is very much required to maintain the good health of aquatic ecosystems. In this work, a new water quality measurement device has been developed to monitor the health of lakes and rivers. The developed system can be used as a standalone unit and can also be used as an array of multiple interconnected systems through a cloud-based communication protocol. The device runs on the Atmel328 microcontroller with integrated sensors. It is capable of measuring, recording, displaying, and transmitting the sensor data to a cloud-based data storage facility. It is powered by a rechargeable Li-ion battery, chargeable with an onsite 20W solar-powered unit. The first prototype has five sensors, viz., pH, temperature, turbidity, pressure, and total dissolved solids, to measure corresponding water quality parameters. An enclosure has been designed from ABS plastic to safeguard all the electronic components. This in-house-developed watertight enclosure has an IP67 rating under laboratory testing conditions. In its current form, the developed device can be deployed in any remotely located water body for monitoring and measuring critical water quality parameters. The module-based design allows for easy installation and integration of desired sensors. The lightweight and portable design of the developed device also facilitates the user carrying it to any aquatic body for measuring its water quality easily.