Background

Environmental monitoring is the monitoring of the quality of the environment, it includes monitoring of air quality, soils and water quality. This kind of monitoring plays a vital role in measuring the impact of human activity as well as natural phenomena, on the environment; for example the air may be monitored for pollutants from traffic, soils may be monitored for pesticides from farming, water may be monitored for contamination from industry, and so forth. Environmental monitoring may also natural phenomena, such as the fallout from a volcano, or to collect data to hold individuals and government to account, where excess pollution is occurring, or illegal practices are taking place. Citizen science is research done by the public, or amateurs in areas of study including ecology, biology and conservation, health and medical research, and so forth.
A smart electronic device is a useful instrument, machine, or gadget that is controlled by electronic circuitry microcontroller boards, or sometimes by a single-board computer like a Raspberry Pi, and that perform only a few limited functions. We have many different kinds of devices at home, on our person, or at school to perform useful work for us, or to provide us with information, in order to increase our well-being.
 

The design brief

Design an environmental monitor for monitoring important data on the environment in your neighbourhood, town or region, using simple electronic circuitry, or a microcontroller board like the Arduino. Your environmental monitor may collect any pertinent data on the environment (except for basic weather information—see the Weather Station topic if you want to design a weather station); for example your environmental monitor may monitor atmospheric pollution levels in the air, or water pollution in waterways, or noise pollution, and so forth. Consider which data are important to your community and how best to measure and informatively display your results; and how to encourage environmental awareness and foster positive community relations. The environmental monitor should be located within the property boundaries of residents of the neighbourhood. Construct a working prototype of your environmental monitor and test it. Work on this project in a small team with a group of your classmates.
 

The design thinking process

​​​​​​​Follow the six stages of the design thinking process to ensure that you are thorough and do everything necessary to succeed in your design project. First, you endeavour to understand the design topic and EMPATHISE with the needs of the users. With that understanding, you can DEFINE what is essential to the product or system that you are designing. Then you IDEATE, that is, you creatively come up with ideas and develop them. The next step is to PROTOTYPE your chosen design solution in a physical form and improve it through trial-and-error. Then you TEST your design idea to elicit the opinions of users. And finally, at the end of the process, you REFLECT upon your project to benefit from the experience. Use the appropriate methods from the Design Thinking for Schools website as you proceed along the design thinking process.
 

Note for teachers

Undertaking a student design project using electrical parts or microcontrollers such as Arduino requires:

• teachers who are able to supervise such a project;
• laboratories or workshops with electrical and electronic parts and tools;
• ​​​​​​​and students who are trained to work with electricity, tools, and equipment.

Read the guide for teachers on Safety for the PROTOTYPE Stage for Level IV to safely supervise this design project.