EnviSensor: Environmental Data Collection via Participatory Sensor Networks Utilizing Mobile Devices

This master’s thesis will present the EnviSensor project, a mobile application paired with a low-cost Bluetooth sensor module to be utilized in the collection of environmental factors via a participatory sensor network. The EnviSensor project seeks to further research in the area of environmental data collection within a participatory sensor network as well as demonstrating the viability of wide-spread use of this approach. Research in the area of participatory sensing has shown a tremendous potential in utilizing mobile devices to gather, analyze and share local knowledge. The term, participatory sensing, relates to data collection through a group of individuals who willingly participate in the collaborative data collection to form a more detailed network of data than would be possible with a collection of stationary sensing devices. The EnviSensor system provides functionality for its users to make subjective observations pertaining to their local environment, record environmental sensor observations within their local environment, and transmit these observations along with relevant location and time data to a remote server for storage and analysis. Evaluation of the EnviSensor system by a small user group demonstrated a very high level of user satisfaction with the system as well as a high level of confidence in its ability to improve environmental quality, awareness and policy. Test subjects also showed a strong probability of individual involvement in a participatory sensor network utilizing the EnviSensor system, which is key to the success of participatory sensing. It has also been stated that utilizing a system similar to EnviSensor would benefit greatly from environmental sensors being embedded into the mobile phone itself. As technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, and public awareness and interest in the area of participatory sensing increases, so too will the feasibility of the production of commodity mobile phones with embedded environmental sensors. The findings presented here reinforce the possibilities of environmental data collection via participatory sensor networks as well as the far reaching impact utilization of this data can have on our environment.