On June 11, 2022, we participated in a hometown revitalization gathering in the Kounose district.
At the previous Hometown Revitalization Gathering , Project Leader Shimatani gave an explanation about green watershed flood control, and this time a workshop was held to discuss where to install cameras in the Kounose area.
Weather sensors installed at Kounose Nursery School
In the morning, we worked with Madam Kounose to prepare meals for the children, and also installed a weather sensor at Kounose Nursery School. This weather sensor communicates using a method called LoRa (Long Range).
As its name suggests, LoRa is a central communication method that enables long-distance communication as part of LPWA (Low Power Wide Area).
Once installed at Kounose Nursery School, the following seven types of weather information will be available for easy viewing on your smartphone.
Temperature | Humidity | Rainfall | Illuminance | Atmospheric pressure | Wind speed | Wind direction |
In this project, we will proactively make use of these existing products wherever possible, providing local people with options for receiving information in a variety of forms.
An important part of this project is to carefully listen to feedback about what is easy to use and what is difficult to use, analyze problems, and then proceed with improvements.
In addition, this time we installed a "gateway" as an experiment with the LoRa communication method.
The LoRa gateway has the role of receiving radio waves and distributing them on the network, similar to the base stations of major carriers. Therefore, a sensor that can send a signal to the gateway (for example, a sensor that measures water levels) is required, but this time we only installed the gateway and conducted an experiment on communication.
Plot camera locations on a map
In the afternoon, we moved to the Watari area of Kumamura and participated in a hometown revitalization gathering.
For this workshop, the participants brought enlarged printed aerial photographs of the Kannose area and discussed how to place the cameras while looking at the map.
While looking at the map, we asked them to look back on what happened during the heavy rains of 2020.
"At that time, this bridge was clogged with trees and the water overflowed."
"The roads here are flooded."
"This mountain caused a landslide, resulting in a mudslide."
The extent of the damage at that time became clear in three dimensions.
Based on that experience, we consulted with local residents about where would be best to install cameras to check.
At the workshop, opinions were expressed by people who actually live in the area, rather than just looking at the river water level, such as, "I want to see what the bridge looks like, not just the water level in the river. Whether the bridge is flooded or not will tell us whether it is dangerous to evacuate."
Through the workshop, we were able to pick out about four locations to install the cameras. What was particularly impressive was that the locations for the cameras were immediately decided on the spot, with participants saying, "Maybe we can use the grounds of Mr./Ms. X here."
When installing cameras or sensors on rivers or bridges, it is necessary to notify the local government or police that manages the river, and a considerable amount of effort is required from application to approval.
On the other hand, being able to set up on city-owned land with permission from local residents is a unique IoT activity that we are creating together with local residents.
After the workshop, we were given a tour of the sites, and we were able to set up two of the units the very next day, which enabled us to proceed quickly.
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