The project RuralTHINGS (Internet of Things) focuses on the research and development of an ecosystem of solutions based on the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm, to be applied in rural and remote areas. The main objective is to protect the health of the residents in remote and rural regions through real-time monitoring, including the detection of dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, radon gas, and other harmful substances. In this way, the aim is to contribute to the prevention of diseases such as lung cancer.
The main outcome of the project is a new system for monitoring homes in rural and remote areas that includes temperature, humidity, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and radon gas. The active radon detector is also considered one of the key project outcomes, as it aims to build a new detector. From the actual pilot, a report will be produced proposing a set of architectural and educational standards to raise awareness among residents about the risks of radon gas. The project also aims to produce other outputs such as:
Also, the project includes a study and analysis of the architecture and behavior of residents, which can have an impact on reducing the risk of radon gas in homes. This study aims to propose a set of educational measures to raise awareness among residents about the risks of radon gas and the importance of regular measurements. These studies will be put into practice with the help of the real pilot test conducted in the Fundão municipality, Castelo Branco district, and the Pinhel municipality, Guarda district. The choice of these two municipalities was made considering their distinct soil characteristics, allowing for result comparisons within the project's lifecycle. Fundão is a municipality with approximately 700 km2, characterized by mountains and mixed soil, rich in shale. On the other hand, Pinhel is a municipality with around 485 km2 but has soil rich in granite. Both municipalities have very remote and rural parishes, with populations that perfectly fit the project's target audience. In the end, both municipalities will have a more accurate picture of the quality of life in some of these remote areas at their disposal.
Another important scientific and innovative merit is the implementation of new network architectures and cloud infrastructures in remote, rural, and mountainous areas. These network architectures include the use of technologies such as LoRaWAN, Zigbee, etc., which enable long-distance communication with low energy consumption and greater range than traditional networks. Furthermore, the use of cloud infrastructures allows for remote and secure access to the collected data, regardless of the physical location. This implementation can be a valuable source of information for scientific studies and for making decisions related to public health and the environment. Additionally, it can provide valuable information for the development of policies and programs for natural resource management and the implementation of climate change adaptation measures.
This project team is comprised of Bruno Silva, Nuno Pombo, and Pedro Inácio.
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