Radiating mini balloons Early warning of extreme weather events and environmental disasters

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Fraunhofer-Institut für Integrierte Schaltungen IIS

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Wirelessly networked mini balloons are meant to help predict weather extremes and environmental disasters in time. The biodegradable balloons distribute themselves in the atmosphere and send sensor data during their flight.

Extreme weather events, environmental disasters, or monitoring air quality: Rapid and accurate predictions can save lives and warn people of dangers in advance. Researchers use mini balloons equipped with atmospheric tracers and the Mioty wireless transmission technology for this purpose. The aim is to efficiently capture and evaluate atmospheric data. This makes it possible to make precise predictions about the transport of particles in the atmosphere.

For atmospheric currents, the large-scale transport of pollutants and loads for areas over 50 km  (31 miles) is well studied and is continuously monitored by measuring stations and satellite observations. However, knowledge about smaller areas on the order of 100 m (0.06 miles) to 50 km (31 miles) and the associated concentration fluctuations is currently still limited. This is where the SMARTIES project comes in. The acronym stands for SMART Integrated Electronic Sensors for Quantifying Atmospheric Transport and Mixing.

Collecting atmospheric data in a small space

SMARTIES are small and very lightweight measuring instruments that consist of environmental sensors and a wireless communication unit. They spread in the atmosphere using several small, biodegradable balloons. During the flight, they transmit sensor data to a network of base stations. "Both the data transmission and the location of the balloons work with the Mioty technology developed by Fraunhofer IIS. This makes them much more energy efficient and easier to scale than previous solutions," explains Prof. Alexander Martin, director of the Fraunhofer IIS institute. Thanks to the combination, it is possible for the first time to collect many atmospheric data in a small space. These include temperature, humidity and wind speed, for example.

Wireless communication with Mioty

The Mioty technology plays a central role in this project. Mioty LPWAN (Low-Power Wide Area Network) is based on a PHY (Physical Layer) and MAC (Medium Access Control) approach called Telegram Splitting, which is defined in an open standard.

Mioty is designed for applications in the Internet of Things (IoT). The radio technology is characterized by high energy efficiency and the ability to process data from a large number of sensors simultaneously. This allows SMARTIES to collect data from up to several thousand sensors and transmit it to a single base station. This base station acts as a central collection point and forwards the data for further analysis to ground stations.

Precise predictions become possible

A primary application area for SMARTIES is the accurate recording and prediction of atmospheric transport processes. The acquired data can be integrated into prediction models to better understand and predict the transport of particles such as dust, pollen, or pollutants.

"Using this data, we can develop new models for the flow behavior in local areas," explains Dr. Mohsen Bagheri from MPI-DS the content of the project. This will enable precise predictions of particle distribution. "Through SMARTIES, we can then warn people more accurately by using these new models in the event of acute dangerous events," adds Prof. Eberhard Bodenschatz, Managing Director of MPI-DS.

The SMARTIES project is part of the Fraunhofer-Max Planck cooperation program and is carried out in collaboration with MPI-DS under the co-project leadership of Dr. Mohsen Bagheri and Fraunhofer IIS under the co-project leadership of Dipl.-Ing. Ferdinand Kemeth. The project is based, among other things, on atmospheric measurements at the environmental research station "Schneefernerhaus" on Germany's highest mountain, the "Zugspitze". At the end of the project, the system is to be tested in several measurement campaigns, including in Pallastunturi, Finland. (heh)