Wireless acquisition for vigilant earthquake in the sea (WAVES)

Abstract

Tsunami is a wave, or series of waves in a waves train, generated by the sudden, vertical displacement of a column of water. This displacement can be due to seismic activity, explosive volcanism, landslide above or below water, an asteroid impact, or certain meteorological phenomena. As a coastal province, Batangas, Philippines is identified as a tsunami hazard province, specifically the municipalities of Nasugbu, Lian and Mabini. The recent earthquake swarms in April 2017 in different municipalities of Batangas which caused fear among coastline communities paved way for the researchers to develop a technology that can assist in detecting the occurrences of tsunami. This research aimed to develop a wireless sensor network for detecting the occurrence of tsunami. It aimed to make use of a ZigBee – based mesh network and GSM for data transmission. All electronic components were mounted on a fabricated buoy. The study made use of the innovative development approach. Evaluations of appropriate sensors, wireless transmission protocol and design standards were considered. After the conduct of thorough testing and evaluation of the system, the following conclusions were drawn. The sensor nodes composed of capacitive sensor arrays effectively detected possible presence of tsunami based on the sudden change of sea water level. The effective distances of the 1st, 2nd and 3rdsensor arrays were 25 m, 50 m, 75 m, and 100 m away from the seashore respectively, the combined ZigBee and GSM wireless protocol was effective in transmitting the status of the sensors which indicated the possible occurrences of tsunami. Overall, the system was found to be functional and efficient after series of actual in-situ testings.