Geospatial sensor integration: Design of an automated collection, management and visualization system for water quality data

Abstract

Water resources have become an increasingly important topic in the world of resource management. Researchers are constantly looking for ways to make the process of data collection, analyzation and visualization more efficient. The current methods involve a multi-step process that is cumbersome and require a lot of man-hours from start to finish. The cost of water quality sensors is also an issue for researchers. Many sensors on the market today range from the $1,000 to $10,000 range making it difficult for small research firms and non profits to conduct water quality monitoring projects. This project attempts to construct a water quality-monitoring platform that will automate the process of collecting, analyzing and visualization water quality data. Special attention will be given to the data visualization aspect of the process with an emphasis on web mapping applications.