DAPhone - Data acquisition system for smartphones

Author(s):

  • Miguel Moura Dionísio, Instituto Superior Técnico, Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal

Source: M.Sc. Thesis, Instituto Superior Técnico / Technical University of Lisbon, May 2015

Citation:

Keywords: Wireless Sensor Networks, Opportunistic Communication, Bluetooth, Smartphones, Android, Web Services

Abstract:
Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have emerged over the years as possible solutions for data acquisition systems in diverse scenarios. For instance, the application of WSNs in harsh environments for catastrophe prevention or safety monitoring has already been proposed by different studies. However, in such conditions, it is often more practical or even necessary to have the acquired data at one's disposal without having to access a computer to retrieve such data. With smartphones having become part of everyday's lives, it makes sense to think of ways to integrate both systems. This dissertation aims to develop a way to promote interoperability between WSNs and smartphones. By equipping a WSN node with a Bluetooth module for interacting with an Android smartphone, it is possible to have a smartphone communicating with a WSN and acting both as a data acquisition platform and as a control panel. The smartphone application - DAPhone - provides a powerful tool for users to interact with a WSN, acquiring sensory data on the go and uploading it to a web server for remote access. The user can also use the smartphone to define measure thresholds on the network and have alert logs on the application screen each time a measure exceeds those limits. The proposed solution proves that smartphones can be useful tools for interacting with complex data acquisition systems, acting as a portable control panel for the system and allowing the user to quickly evaluate the acquired data.

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