Learning embedded systems through a water quality monitoring system in riverside communities with Arduino

Abstract

Water is a natural resource, whether as a biochemical component of living beings, as a way of life for various plant and animal species, as a representative element of social and cultural values and as a production factor for various consumer goods. However, in recent years, with population growth and exacerbated industrial expansion, water quality has been compromised, harming human health and affecting communities that need it to survive, such as riverside communities located in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. Geographic isolation and the lack of public policies for these communities make it difficult to access essential services, such as health, education, electricity, basic sanitation, communication technology, among others. In this context, the teaching of embedded systems technology can be redirected to water monitoring and serve as an auxiliary tool in the verification of its quality, from the verification of total dissolved solids (TDS) and pH, to provide health, safety and guarantee that the water consumed by these populations is suitable for daily use. Therefore, in this work we chose to elaborate a didactic project using Arduino and sensors that consists of a prototype that helps in this measurement. In this way, we built a prototype, integrating low-cost sensors for real-time monitoring of water quality, which is capable of measuring its chemical parameters, so that communities that do not have the necessary information to classify the water as potable, can have knowledge of the state of the water they consume.

DOI:https://doi.org/10.56238/sevened2024.003-065