Research on the framework of the Environmental Internet of Things

Abstract

Higher urbanization rates cause new urban environmental problems and changing trends. New technologies also provide novel techniques for environmental management. This paper establishes a framework for an Environmental Internet of Things (EIoT) and describes key technologies, including Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), network techniques, Geographic Information System (GIS), WebGIS, and distributed database techniques. The framework of the EIoT from bottom to top includes environmental sensors, real-time network monitoring system, environmental databases, environmental information platform, and environmental management system. We discuss the construction of our EIoT and show how it provides real-time monitoring at the residential level of environmental factors such as water, soil, atmosphere, noise, and wind. The EIoT can also realize online environmental simulation and management and is currently being extended to the city, regional, and national levels. The EIoT can improve understanding of the urban environment and help to provide advanced technological solutions for increasingly serious environmental problems.

Keywords:

• urban environment
• Environmental Internet of Things
• framework
• Wireless Sensor Network
• information platform

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX2-YW-453) and the National Science and Technology Support Program (2012BAC17B01).

Notes

Tianhai Zhang is co-first author.