SMARTIES – SMART Integrated Electronic Sensors for quantifying atmospheric transport and mixing

SMARTIES

"SMARTIES" stands for "SMART Integrated Electronic Sensors for quantifying atmospheric transport and mixing". In this research project, Fraunhofer IIS and the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) are testing small weather balloons equipped with the wireless transmission technology mioty^®. The aim is to develop a system of intelligent atmospheric tracers, known as SMARTIES. This will enable atmospheric data to be collected and processed in order to measure disturbances in the air and thereby improve forecasting models for extreme weather events or environmental disasters, for example.

It can be used to measure the dispersion of dust particles or particulates that occur during extreme weather events or environmental disasters. By predicting the spread in good time, suitable protective measures can be taken.

Situation

Natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, floods and extreme weather events are occurring more and more frequently due to climate change. Man-made environmental disasters, such as the release of toxic gases, also have a negative impact on the environment and the people living in the surrounding area. In order to minimize the consequences of such events, reliable and rapid warning is essential. The same applies to forecasting pollen counts or the distribution of exhaust gases in different weather conditions.

Atmospheric data is crucial for forecasting and correctly assessing and reacting to environmental disasters. The generation of this data is very complex and is mainly carried out using airplanes or weather balloons. In addition, this data is collected over the long term and for a large geographical area. Conventional weather balloons often rise very quickly due to their size and therefore spend very little time in the area relevant for local measurements. This complicates situational forecasting for acute events and requires a new system that enables precise forecasts of atmospheric currents at a local level.

Solution

SMARTIES are miniaturized measuring instruments consisting of environmental sensors and a wireless communication unit. Both are integrated into a flying object. For the measurements, several of these sensors ascend in the atmosphere to an altitude of up to one and a half kilometers. During the flight, they transmit sensor data via mioty® with high energy efficiency and scalability to a network of base stations for real-time localization and data analysis. Localization takes place directly on the basis of the communication signals. This enables reliable coverage of a large area, low power consumption and high security of the transmitted data.