LakeNet Stateless LoRa Mesh Network

The goal of the project is................................. =Problem Definition= Project Goal: The goal of this project is to develop a mesh network of nodes to be placed in buoys around lake Coeur d'Alene. These buoys will contain ESP-32 modules to monitor and record data such as O2 content, water temperature, and air temperature around the lake, and send that data back to a database in Coeur d'Alene to help with future lake reclamation projects.

Background
North Idaho has an extensive mining history that has created environmental problems that threaten Lake Coeur d'Alene. Currently, 75 million metric tons of contaminated sediment on the lake bed are the focus of ongoing cleanup by the EPA. The computer science department at the University of Idaho is involved in Our Gem Coeur d'Alene Lake Collaborative to "preserve lake health and protect water quality." Our team is tasked with creating a low-cost, low maintenance mesh network of nodes to collect data about the lakes of Coeur d'Alene to aid in the environmental monitoring of the lake.​

Deliverables
The devices must:
 * Collect data such as O2 content, water temperature, and air temperature around the lake.
 * Be part of a stateless mesh network to be able send data to a database in Coeur d'Alene.
 * Be designed to run on solar panels
 * Be designed to be able to add or remove nodes if the existing ones are not working or damaged.

Specifications
Product Specifications:
 * Must be ESP-32 arduino boards
 * Must run on solar power
 * Must collect O2 content, water temperature, air temperature, and any other types of sensors added
 * Must allow for flexibility and reliability within the network to be able to maintain usefulness if nodes stop working
 * Must have a database with strong data integrity
 * The LoRa mesh network algorithm must work in harsh conditions such as freezing temperatures.

Value Proposition Statement
Value Proposition: The lakes and waters of North Idaho and the surrounding areas are in need of environmental monitoring and data gathering in order to maintain the health of the bodies of water. There is a need to create some sort of system that can be implemented into the lakes to collect data in an efficient and low-cost manner. The goal of this project is to implement ESP32s, low-powered microcontrollers, into these bodies of water to create a network of nodes using LoRa, or Long Range communication. This solution will be inexpensive and will also require little maintenance, while also providing frequent information gathering.

=Design Considerations=
 * Each LoRa node should maintain a degree of independence so that if a node goes down, the system can remain operational.
 * The buoys containing the ESP-32s should be waterproof.
 * Sensors should collect appropriate types of data to be used for lake reclamation work
 * Packets sent by the LoRa nodes should maintain data integrity

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Project Schedule



Meeting Minutes

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Client Interview