Particulate Matter Monitoring Using Inexpensive Sensors and Internet GIS: A Case Study in Nan, Thailand

Abstract

Thailand has faced environmental issues that affect people all the time.  Haze from the forest fires for instance is concerned as national problem that we confront every year.  To determine the severity of smog conditions being a consequence of haze fire in some areas cannot be easily done.  Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) then could be easily used as a tool for surveying in such difficult burning areas.  Furthermore having the environmental sensing devices developed and mounted on the UAV would be a worthy approach for monitoring environmental status in hazardous areas. This research was conducted to assemble the UAV and sensor device for measuring the environmental data including temperature, humidity and dust particle.  The sensor was calibrated with reference devices.  The field test was carried out in Nan province. Together with temperature, humidity and dust particle value, the location and time from GPS on UAV will be integrated correspondingly with environmental measuring data.  Those entirely data will be imported to GIS and rendered in map form subsequently.