Advancements in sensing technology have sparked a new age of data acquisition and transmission that continue to change the way we understand the world around us. In earth science, we often must move and store tremendous amounts of data from remote locations. Present options are limited to costly propriety devices, which are rigid in structure and have numerous expenses associated with their use. The solution developed in the Openly Published Environmental Sensing Lab (OPEnS) at Oregon State University, was to employ a new methodology using low-power, open-source hardware, and software, to achieve near-real-time data logging from the field to the web. This new approach simultaneously lowers the cost of experimentation and data collection and breaks down traditional technical barriers. Data can be collected remotely from nearly anywhere on Earth using a decentralized OPEnS Hub which can utilize a host of low bandwidth transmission protocols and modes of communication, such as: 900 MHz Long Range Radio (LoRa) with a transmission distance of up to 25 km, the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) using well established cell network infrastructure, Wi-Fi for high bandwidth applications, and Ethernet where LAN connections are available. It is notable that LoRa technology is still developing and has been expanded to transmit to an ever-growing constellation of satellites, making this technology truly global in its applicability. The OPEnS-Hub is capable of mesh networking with other nodes and will parse and back up the data to an onboard microSD card. By first exploiting a free open-sourced Application Programming Interface (API), PushingBox, acting as a data broker, and secondly, a customized Google App script, the OPEnS-Hub was able to achieve a dynamic, low latency portal connecting to google sheets. These methods working in tandem allowed for near real-time data logging of over a dozen devices each with unique sensor suites to form valuable time series data. This poster details our methods and evaluates the application and development of PushingBox’s API, Google App Script, Adafruit’s open-hardware Feather development boards, the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and various modes of data communication used to collect nearly half a million data points dispersed across remotes sites in the state of Oregon to date.

In earth science, we must often move and store tremendous amounts of data from remote locations. Present options are typically limited to costly proprietary devices which are rigid in structure and require numerous ongoing expenses. The Openly Published Environmental Sensing (OPEnS) Lab at Oregon State University developed the OPEnS Hub, a new approach using low-power, open-source hardware and software to achieve near real-time data logging from the field to the web. The Hub is two orders of magnitude less expensive than commercial products, inherently modular and flexible, and aims to reduce technical barriers for users with little programming experience. Data can be collected remotely from nearly anywhere on Earth using a host of transmission protocols to relay data from distributed in-situ monitoring devices. Telemetry options include 900 MHz Long Range Radio (LoRa) with up to 25 km range and Nordic Radio Frequency (nRF) for higher data rates. Internet gateways include the established cell network infrastructure, Wi-Fi for high bandwidth applications, and Ethernet where available. The OPEnS Hub is capable of mesh networking with several nodes and backs up to an onboard microSD card. The Hub engages a dynamic, low-latency portal to Google Sheets via the free Application Programming Interface (API), PushingBox, and an adaptable Google Apps Script. This framework was tested on 12 unique sensor suites at remote sites in Oregon. This manuscript details our methods and evaluates PushingBox, Google Apps Script, Adafruit Industries’ open-hardware Feather development boards, the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and the foregoing modes of data transfer.

The original Evaporometer prototype was designed by the Openly Published Environmental Sensing (OPEnS) Lab at Oregon State University to remotely collect near real-time environmental data, including temperature, humidity, luminosity, and amount of precipitation, and transmit it to a receiver hub, where it can be viewed online by researchers worldwide. This eliminates costly and time-consuming site visits. Deployed during the summer of 2017 in OSU’s HJ Andrew’s Experimental Forest, the prototype failed after three months due to excess moisture entering the enclosure and damaging the hardware. Over its first two months, the prototype performed well, gathered over 90,000 data points, updating every five minutes. To extend the lifespan of the Evaporometer, the enclosure was redesigned to improve weatherproofing, include additional sensors, and improve the accuracy of data readings. These improvements will extend the Evaporometer’s field life, allowing it to reliably gather and transmit data for longer periods of time while the ability to gather albedo measurement expands the device’s sensing capabilities. The upgraded Evaporometer provides researchers with a reliable, low-cost, and open-sourced method of collecting environmental data in locations that may not have previously been feasible.