Exploring the atmosphere using smartphones

Physics Education, 2016

We measure the vertical velocities of elevators, pedestrians climbing stairs, and drones (flying unmanned aerial vehicles), by means of smartphone pressure sensors. The barometric pressure obtained with the smartphone is related to the altitude of the device via the hydrostatic approximation. From the altitude values, vertical velocities are derived. The approximation considered is valid in the first hundred meters of the inner layers of the atmosphere. In addition to pressure, acceleration values were also recorded using the built-in accelerometer. Numerical integration was performed, obtaining both vertical velocity and altitude. We show that data obtained using the pressure sensor is significantly less noisy than that obtained using the accelerometer. Error accumulation is also evident in the numerical integration of the acceleration values. In the proposed experiments, the pressure sensor also outperforms GPS, because this sensor does not receive satellite signals indoors and, in general, the operating frequency is considerably lower than that of the pressure sensor. In the cases in which it is possible, comparison with reference values taken from the architectural plans of buildings validates the results obtained using the pressure sensor. This proposal is ideally performed as an external or outreach activity with students to gain insight about fundamental questions in mechanics, fluids, and thermodynamics.

Space Weather, 2010

True to the saying that "a picture is worth a thousand words, " society's affinity for visual images has driven innovative efforts to see space weather as it happens. The newest frontiers of these efforts involve applications, or apps, on cellular phones, allowing space weather researchers, operators, and teachers, as well as other interested parties, to have the ability to monitor conditions in real time with just the touch of a button.

arXiv: Physics Education, 2015

Remotely-controlled helicopters and planes have been used as toys for decades. However, only recently, advances in sensor technologies have made possible to easily flight and control theses devices at an affordable price. Along with their increasing availability the educational opportunities are also proliferating. Here, a simple experiment in which a smartphone is mounted on a quadcopter is proposed to investigate the basics of a flight. Thanks to the smartphone's built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, take off, landing and yaw are analyzed.

Jurnal Infotel, 2022

The first stage of this research aims to develop a quadrotor system as unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs, or drones) for atmospheric data collection in a targeted area. The system consists of an APM 2.8 arducopter flight controller, Ublox NEO M8N GPS module with compass, Racerstar 920kV 2-4S Brushless Motor, Flysky Receiver FS-iA6B with FS-i6 Remote Control Transmitter, DJI F450 quadcopter frame kits, and a LiPo Battery 3300 mAh 35C. The system is set up and run through a Mission Planner. As for monitoring atmospheric conditions, the system consists of an Arduino Uno ATmega328P, BME280 sensors, and several modules (DS3231 Real-Time Clock (RTC), micro SD card, and 16×2 LCD). With a total weight of 1 kg, the drone can fly into space and maneuver to an altitude of more than 200 meters in an average of 10 minutes based on the line of sight (LOS). Atmospheric conditions such as air temperature, relative humidity, air pressure, altitude, and precipitable water vapor can be measured and logged properly from drones. By this development, the system can be applied in the future to detect or measure weather extremes, air pollution, or monitoring aerial topography automatically when equipped with gas sensors and cameras, respectively.

Workshop on Sensing on Everyday …, 2007

The World Health Organization reports that 2 million people die each year from the effects of air pollution, twice the number of fatalities as from automobile accidents [1]. Direct causes of air pollution related deaths include aggravated asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, lung and heart diseases, and respiratory allergies. While civic agencies address large-scale environmental health problems from the top down by working directly with governments and industries, we explore the design of personal platforms for sensing our natural environment and empowering collective action across blocks, neighborhoods, cities, and nations. In this paper, we report early findings from two field studies of human centered air quality measurements and a simple technology deployment in the spirit of this new Participatory Urbanism: (1) an interview survey of air quality awareness, (2) a field study using several mobile air quality environmental sensors deployed across Accra, Ghana, and (3) the release of an on-the-go air quality awareness mobile SMS tool.

2020

We live in an age of relentless and accelerating change, driven by demographic, social, and economic evolution. Daily, humans consume the finite natural resources of the planet. Our impact on the planet is increasing through industrialization, urbanization, energy utilization and waste production. This impact is not without consequences. Levels of pollution are increasing in our environment, with corresponding effects on our health and well-being. Gaseous chemicals are introduced to the atmosphere daily which is harmful to man. Thus, this research work aims to design and construct a microcomputer-based system that senses and reports the environmental air conditions (air quality, temperature, and relative humidity). The readings can be accessed directly on the display screen of the microcomputer or indirectly through an application running on an android-based smartphone, achieved via the aid of Bluetooth technology. The proposed system design and implementation was guided by the wate...

Agronomie, 2002

The atmospheric surface layer couples processes in the atmosphere with those at the land surface, but is not fully understood for heterogeneous land surfaces. A small remotely piloted aircraft was flown during the ReSeDA experiment to measure profiles of heat and humidity in the surface layer near boundaries between different land cover types to study atmospheric structure over heterogeneous terrain.

2012

A new method for measuring the intensity of turbulence in the planetary boundary layer was investigated, and showed high correlation with measurements from weather radar. This method takes measurements of cell phone signal strength and uses scintillation in the signal to estimate the strength of local turbulence. Using cell phone signals provides unique measurement advantages: it is a passive measurement method, it is not strongly affected by precipitation, and one device can potentially measure several paths at once. The measurements were taken using an Android cell phone running a custom built application. Turbulence was quantified using the index of refraction structure constant, C 2 n , which is related to the amount of energy in the turbulence. The goal of the investigation was to determine if C 2 n values calculated from the cell phone signal power show a relationship to C 2 n measurements taken over the communication path. Based on the strength of the agreement between measurements made by the new method and those done with an established method, it is concluded that turbulence changes can be measured using cell phone signals. The correlation of C 2 n values measured using the two methods was calculated for 42 periods of about 12 hours each. Correlation varied over the 42 periods, but was high and statistically significant in most measurements. The mean absolute value of peak Pearson correlation was 0.5865 with a mean p-value of 0.0251. Standard deviations of these values are 0.2311 and 0.0264, respectively. The standard deviations are relatively high due to two outliers where the correlation was particularly low. This thesis presents the experimental work that was done, the results of the work, the author's interpretation of the results, and suggestions for continued research.

Preface to the Series-Second Edition vii this work, for seeing an immediate value to the readers in publishing the second edition of this book and allowing me enough time to prepare this work. The diligent editing and composing staff at Informa, particularly Joseph Stubenrauch, Baljinder Kaur and others are highly appreciated. Regardless, all errors and omissions remain altogether mine. In the first edition, I had dedicated each volume to one of my mentors; the second edition continues the dedication to these great teachers.

Theoretical Decoding of Russia-Ukraine War: Realism vs Liberalism, 2024

To analyze the Ukraine conflict, two contrasting theories of international relations (IR), notably Realism and Liberalism has been implemented. In addition to outlining key theoretical concepts, the article explores both of these theories' explanatory potential through a comparative approach while highlighting the developments surrounding the Ukrainian conflict. Based on Mearsheimer's Offensive Realism and Ikenberry's Liberal Internationalism, respectively, this research attempts to understand the Ukrainian conflict and its escalation into a war. This article justifies the theoretical perspective by evaluating the Russian invasion and Ukrainian reaction throughout the war. With a focus on the West, this study is also intended to offer insights into how to end the war in Ukraine through the lens of these theories.