Abstract
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.