Buoys for marine weather data monitoring and LoRaWAN communication

Climate change not only affects the environment directly but also challenges the existence of human civilization. Changes observed in the marine environment indicate the planet's health. Continuous ocean observations (ambient conditions, water quality, aquatic life, and disaster management) are crucial for checking and balancing climate change. This research aims to design three prototype smart moored buoys suitable for environmental monitoring. During the project, biconical buoys with a diameter of 30 cm and a height of 80 cm were fabricated. The buoys were fitted with temperature, salinity, and pH sensors to monitor and gather meteorological data. The collected data is transmitted to the cloud environment through a wireless communication device which is installed in all buoys through a LoRaWAN gateway, where it is stored and retrieved for analysis. The energy requirement of these buoys for driving the sensor network and data transmission are taken care by harvesting the solar energy through photovoltaic panels and the secondary energy storage device housed in the buoy. These buoys are installed along the coast in the municipality of Villasimius, Sardinia, Italy. These buoys have been placed within the marine protected area of Capo Carbonara, Sardinia, Italy, at a suitable distance from the communication gateway.