Smart Citizen Hardware¶
The Smart Citizen Hardware is an open source boilerplate for anyone, no matter their expertise, to capture environmental data with modular, hackable, and easy-to-use electronics. The hardware has been developed through various projects and collaborations, resulting in different hardware generations, but it has always aimed at providing meaningful data insights on a relatively low budget.
Building upon previous versions
Our hardware architecture is continuously evolving and will always remain a set of tools for experimentation. Given that, it should be seen more as a toolset for communities, research, and education, not as a final commercial product with full-fledged big-corporation-type-of-support.
Is it low-cost?
Well, that depends on many factors, even the definition of low-cost. When you purchase the Smart Citizen Kit through SeeedStudio, it costs around 150 (USD or EUR) and is the central piece of the ecosystem. This price can be low-cost in some contexts and expensive in others. More advanced configurations are available, which generally feature more sensors and require more lab work. The cost increases as we include additional sensors in the budget, but the idea is to keep it affordable, easy to use, and hackable. As an open source project, the hardware, firmware, and data platform are provided as-is.
However, if you are looking for more advanced environmental monitoring setups or want to develop a project together, you can write us at info@smartcitizen.me.
Applications¶
Air¶
Air measurements are the most common use case. These are measurements that imply measuring the physical properties of the air (temperature, pressure, relative humidity), things that are in the air (gases, particulate matter), or things that travel through the air (noise, ambient light, UV-index). For this, we use a series of different sensors. These sensors can be standalone units (for instance, a CO2 sensor) or on sensor boards (like the Urban Board). When the Data Board alone can't read the sensor directly, we need to use interface electronics to get their readings.
Take a deeper look
Air sensors are fully detailed in the air section.
Soil and Water¶
Another common use case is the measurement of physico-chemical parameters in water. These parameters are measured with specialised sensor probes that can measure pH, water temperature, conductivity, or dissolved oxygen. We have generally worked with Atlas Scientific probes, which use dedicated drivers to interface with those probes. The Data Board can directly interface with those drivers via I2C through the auxiliary port.
There are various possible configurations for water measurements. Typically, we have built multi-parametric units, but simpler units are possible with one or two probes. All the different configurations are modular and can include more or less probes depending on the particular needs. Some interface boards, like the Analog Sensor Board, can also be used in this context to read analog turbidimetry sensors or water level sensors, for instance.
Take a deeper look
Water sensors are fully detailed in the soil and water section.
Similar to water measurements, soil parameters require specialised sensor probes. In this case, some water probes can be also used in soil (conductivity, temperature, pH), but we also support additional sensor probes, such as soil moisture probes. These probes are interfaced with through the auxiliary port via I2C.
Other¶
Of course, there's more to it. In other measurements, we include everything possible with the hardware beyond taking air or water measurements. This section is a bit more eclectic since it uses no single category of parameters. Instead, it includes everything from electric properties, such as current and voltage, to geolocation. Take a look at the other measurements section.