Published October 1, 2023

Heat Warning System

This is a proposed system that would aid municipalities in warning citizens about current weather conditions using real time data.

IntermediateWork in progress117

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Arduino UNO

Ideally, we would have used a platform that supports WiFi.

Temperature Sensor

Make sure the polarity is connect or you might smoke up the room.

DFRobot I2C 16x2 Arduino LCD Display Module

Having an I2C module makes things easier, but it will make it difficult to have multiple LCD modules.

HDF board

This was just for the enclosure. Any material could be used.

Software apps and online services

Arduino IDE

Hand tools and fabrication machines

Laser cutter (generic)

Sure is nice to have one of these around.

Story

The Makeathon

The challenge for the UW Makeathon was to create a solution to mitigate the effects of rising heat, with an emphasis on equity and inclusion. With this in mind, our two intrepid competitors, MJ and Bis, decided to team up on this challenge. Through a robust design process, the two came to a thrilling plan.

The Plan

Rising heat affects people differently, especially those from vulnerable and low-income groups. Heat can even affect neighborhoods differently. High-income areas with adequate tree cover and shade fare better than the concrete jungles of low-income areas. In addition, the dangers of heat are not as apparent compared to other weather phenomena.

One of the documents used for prototyping

To address these concerns specifically, the two decided to develop the Heat Warning System. Firstly, the HWS would display current temperature data to the public through an LCD. It would also contain recommendations when the temperature reached certain thresholds. The duo were also able to achieve a primitive form of data storage through TeraTerm.

Reach goals were also developed that, in the end, the two weren't able to achieve within the one-day time frame. These included integration with the OneWeather API, and a speaker system for the visually impaired.

The Prototype

MJ and Bis used the Arduino platform to develop their solution. In the beginning, the two wanted to use the Raspberry Pi ecosystem, but alas, the Pi has no analog ports for temperature measurement. They moved onto a Arduino MKR 1010 WiFi board. However, the chip's architecture wasn't suitable for the libraries they were to implement. In the end, they settled for the robust and proven Arduino UNO for their solution. Using a TMP36 sensor and a 2x8 LCD screen, they were able to develop their idea to fruition.

The enclosure for the system

For temperatures within 50-95 degrees, the LCD displays a friendly remark about the nice weather. Temperatures in the range of 95 to 105 degrees display helpful advice about the high risks associated with the current temperatures. Crossing the 105 degree threshold displays a warning to stay inside.

The internal electronics

Using TeraTerm, users can extract data from the system. Multiple stations can be used within a municipality to collect and compare data between neighborhoods. The data can then be parsed into something useful.

The data collected was stored into a CSV file for future use.

Future Steps

There were many goals that the two could not realize. The first being the integration with the API. WiFi communication is difficult to do, and it's something that could not have been achieved within a day. That is why it was omitted from the project.

Ideally, the setup would include a better temperature and humidity sensor. A DHT11 would have worked great for this purpose. But the two worked with the current resources that they had.

Finally, the user interface could have been much improved from just a simple LCD. Ideally, they would have used a large OLED or e-ink display, so that people would have a better view of the information.

Code

Heat Warning System Code

#include <LiquidCrystal_I2C.h>;

// Initialize LCD
LiquidCrystal_I2C lcd(0x27, 20, 4);

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);

  lcd.init();
  lcd.backlight();

}

void loop() {

  int sensorValue = analogRead(A0);
  float voltage = sensorValue * (5.0 / 1023.0);
  float temperature = voltage * 100;
  //float temperature = 98; //We can change this value for testing purposes

//Data Storage
  Serial.println("Time, Temperature");
  Serial.print(",");
  Serial.println(temperature);

  int roundedTemp = (int)temperature;

  String tempStr = String(roundedTemp);
  tempStr = tempStr + "F";
  

if (temperature > 50 && temperature < 95){
  lcd.clear();
  lcd.setCursor(2, 0);
  lcd.print("Temperature");
  lcd.setCursor(6, 1);
  lcd.print(tempStr);
  delay(10000);
  
  lcd.clear();
  lcd.setCursor(4,0);
  lcd.print("Nice and");
  lcd.setCursor(4,1);
  lcd.print("Comfy!");
  delay(10000);
}
else if (temperature > 95 && temperature < 105){
  lcd.clear();
  lcd.setCursor(2, 0);
  lcd.print("Temperature");
  lcd.setCursor(6, 1);
  lcd.print(tempStr);
  delay(5000);

  lcd.clear();
  lcd.setCursor(2,0);
  lcd.print("High Risk");
  lcd.setCursor(2,1);
  lcd.print("of Heatstroke");
  delay(5000);

  lcd.clear();
  lcd.setCursor(2,0);
  lcd.print("Hydrate");
  lcd.setCursor(4,1);
  lcd.print("Often");
  delay(5000);

  lcd.clear();
  lcd.setCursor(4,0);
  lcd.print("Stay");
  lcd.setCursor(4,1);
  lcd.print("Inside");
  delay(5000);
}
else if (temperature > 105){
  lcd.clear();
  lcd.setCursor(2, 0);
  lcd.print("Temperature");
  lcd.setCursor(6, 1);
  lcd.print(tempStr);
  delay(5000);

  lcd.clear();
  lcd.setCursor(4,0);
  lcd.print("DANGER");
  lcd.setCursor(2,1);
  lcd.print("STAY INSIDE");
  delay(10000);
}

else {
  lcd.clear();
  lcd.setCursor(2, 0);
  lcd.print("Temperature");
  lcd.setCursor(6, 1);
  lcd.print(tempStr);
  delay(10000);
}

}

Credits

Biswajit Mishra

3 projects • 1 follower

UW Madison Electrical Engineering Student

Manguru Rakhra

1 project • 0 followers

Heat Warning System