Development of inexpensive multi-parameter sensors based network system for water environment monitoring

In the conservation of water environments, it is necessary to monitor the physico-chemical parameters, such as color of water, spectroscopic data of water surface, CO₂ density, temperature and pressure around the shore. However, the designing of a flexible multi parameter sensing system using a computer is generally considered expensive. In addition, programming and circuitry of a multi-parameter sensing system is complex. A computer also requires electrical power. In this paper, we propose a new technique to modularize sensors. Applying this technique, a multi-parameter sensing system can be constructed with relative ease, and a controlling program of computer and an electrical circuit can be simplified. Using a small computer, a prototype measurement system was constructed and fundamental measurement was carried out. The power consumption and data acquisition process are also discussed.