Development of a Low-Cost Automated Hydrological Information System for Remote Areas in Morelia, Mexico

Abstract

Measurement of meteorological variables is essential to assess and analyze extreme events, such as droughts and floods, and even more so when the purpose is to generate early warnings of such natural phenomena. Nowadays, several mechanisms can estimate climatic variables like precipitation and temperature. However, no device measures precipitation values in real-time and at a low-cost, much less are these installed in remote areas of difficult access. Therefore, an Automated Hydrological Information System was developed based on low-cost meteorological stations with two communication protocols, Wi-Fi and GSM. The devices are equipped with a self-sustainable power supply, including a solar panel and energy storage that can last for up to three cloudy days. The precipitation, temperature, and relative humidity values are sent to a database, where they are then processed and displayed on a web page, accessible for download. Users can easily access the data from an official application that redirects them to the website without the need for a computer or a mobile browser. Warning systems are feasible due to the use of IoT services such as ThingSpeak and Ubidots. Ultimately, they allow the analysis of information and immediately send alerts if it exceeds the tolerance ranges.