In today’s increasingly polluted world, accurate and reliable environmental monitoring systems are essential. sensors.AFRICA, a pioneering citizen-science initiative, has been using innovative, low-cost sensors to track air, water and sound pollution and other environmental hazards with the goal of providing citizens and watchdogs with actionable information about their environment.
However, the project has often faced challenges with sensor failures, resulting from interruptions in connectivity, power and network issues, battery charging systems, or blockage of solar panels by dust and sheds. In the past, troubleshooting required on-site visits from our hardware engineers. To overcome this, we have developed a flexible Battery Management System (BMS) that remotely monitors the status of batteries, charging systems and solar panels for various sensors deployed across Africa.
The BMS not only ensures reliable power supply to the sensors but also enhances their performance, optimises energy consumption and allows remote monitoring of sensor failure. This means we can provide more accurate data to policy makers and stakeholders, thereby empowering them to make informed decisions.
One of the key advantages of incorporating BMS into our devices is the improvement of data accuracy. The BMS ensures a stable power supply to the sensors, enabling consistent and reliable measurements by regulating the voltage and current supplied to the sensors. Additionally, BMS minimises fluctuations and reduces the risk of measurement errors caused by unstable power supply.
We are currently monitoring a custom charging algorithm tailored to different sensor deployment scenarios, which include environmental conditions on site, power requirements for sensor boards, and the overall budget for sensor design.
Energy efficiency and sustainability are vital considerations in the design of environmental monitoring systems. BMS plays a crucial role in optimising energy consumption by managing the power requirements of the sensors. Through intelligent power management, BMS will efficiently allocate power resources to different sensor modules, optimising their operation and reducing overall energy consumption. This in turn extends the operational lifespan of the sensor devices and reduces the frequency of battery replacements, which improves our overall carbon footprint.
Battery safety is of paramount importance, especially when deploying sensors in public places or remote locations. Our BMS provides comprehensive safety features to prevent overcharging, over-discharging and thermal runaway. This ensures not only protection of equipment but also prevents environmental contamination caused by battery leaks or improper disposal. Real time diagnostics also allow for proactive maintenance and replacement of batteries.
The integration of remotely managed Battery Management Systems (BMS) into environmental monitoring sensors offers a myriad of benefits i.e., performance and accuracy, optimised energy consumption, ensures safety, and contributes to a more sustainable future. By harnessing the power of this technology, we can unlock the potential for advanced environmental monitoring systems for reliable data that supports evidence-based decision-making, while paving the way for smart cities, and a healthier, more sustainable planet.
____
Code for Africa (CfA) is the continent’s largest network of civic technology and data journalism labs, with teams in 21 countries. CfA builds digital democracy solutions that give citizens unfettered access to actionable information that empowers them to make informed decisions, and that strengthens civic engagement for improved public governance and accountability. This includes building infrastructure like the continent’s largest open data portals at openAFRICA and sourceAFRICA. CfA incubates initiatives as diverse as the africanDRONE network, the PesaCheck fact-checking initiative, the sensors.AFRICA air quality sensor network and the research and analysis programme CivicSignal.
CfA also manages the African Network of Centres for Investigative Reporting (ANCIR), which gives the continent’s best muckraking newsrooms the latest possible forensic data tools, digital security and whistleblower encryption to help improve their ability to tackle crooked politicians, organised crime and predatory big business. CfA also runs one of Africa’s largest skills development initiatives for digital journalists, and seed funds cross-border collaboration.
