Zalmotek
Problem/Opportunity
According to World Resources Institute and the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, yearly over 90000 deaths occur due to natural hazards. Similarly, in the past seven years, over five million people worldwide are reported to have been affected by natural disasters. Having the possibility to know when a hazard will happen gives people the opportunity to save their family, belongings and more importantly, their lives.
Value Proposition
Nawgnir can record rainfall and river levels, thus effectively predicting and detecting river floods as well as ground waves produced by earthquakes and landslides. It is based on a mesh network similar to the one used for cell phones, if one node fails for whatever reason, the others can not only keep on communicating but also detect the failure and raise an alert. It will also have a solar charging panel, so we can ensure lifetime functionality.
The only thing that needs to be done is to mount it in the desired location and power it on. It will automatically join the mesh network and transfer data between surrounding nodes.
Tech Solution
Nawgnir uses simple and cheap sensors like vibration, moisture, wind, coupled with Adafruit’s board to create a mesh network of devices. Our products can collect data and transmit it from one to another until it reaches the units mounted in towns and homes, where it’ll trigger a visible and audible alarm.
Use case
The device represents an innovation meant to save lives giving the opportunity to insurance companies, educational institutions, hospitals, underground transport companies, or any well intended corporations to make a difference without having to invest large amounts of money. The data will also be an important asset.
In the future, Nawgnir can be expanded with longer range radios and better atmospheric or hazards prediction models. Similarly, it can take advantage of the energy sources available in the area where it is mounted in order to recharge the device battery.
Currently, there are no open source early warning solutions for natural disasters, as all such systems rely on governmental institutions.
ssla-couk
Jamie Howard
Marco Camilli