People have a need to communicate with their environment. First there were gestures, then language, then painting, then writing. In the twentieth century Internet was created as a communication tool to respond to this human need. Internet has become an everyday part of our lives. And now we have the concept of the Internet of Things to satisfy our need for communicating with others. The Internet of Things can sometimes be seen as a cloud or a vast sea of data, but……Is it possible to turn that image into reality? Can you extract data from the sea using the philosophy of the Internet of Things? This is now possible thanks to devices such as low cost autonomous buoys with 3G connectivity that are continuously uploading to the sea cloud data on…waves, sea temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, UV radiation, temperature and humidity, among others. These buoys give us highly useful real time information on the actual conditions of the sea. What features should these buoys have? Let's analyse a buoy we have developed from the mechanical, electronic and communications points of view. As regards mechanical issues, it is really important to use lightweight and non-polluting materials. So we used marine stainless steel. Size and weight are also important. One of these buoys should weigh less than 12 kilograms and be able to be carried by one person. Finally, the mechanical elements should be cheap and easily available. So the counterweight is a gym weight. From the electronic point of view, the buoy must be able to produce its own power. There is nothing better for this than panels and batteries. For example, an 0.8 W solar panel and a 2300 mAh lithium battery. Another important feature is to use low power microprocessors, such as the MSP430 family from Texas Instruments. It is also necessary to use DC/DC converters and interface circuits between the sensor and micro inputs. Since these buoys are designed for use near the coast, it is best to provide them with mobile connectivity. Simple modules such as the SIM900 are an easy way to achieve this. The SIM900 is a GPRS communications module with very low power consumption (1mA) and is easily controlled by AT commands. The illustration shows a modular hardware design that combines all the electronic features we have mentioned. The end result is a system that can tell us the conditions at our favourite beach from the comfort of an armchair in our sitting room. For example … Is the sea too rough to go canoeing? You can check it on your mobile. The Internet of Things makes it possible for you to "see" the sea on the screen of your mobile device. And this is just the first step!!! There is still a lot of ocean to explore. Are you ready?

2. The
Internet
of
Things
can
some1mes
can
be
seen
as
a
cloud
or
a
vast
sea
of
data,
but
….

3. Is
it
possible
to
turn
that
image
into
reality?
Can
you
extract
data
from
the
sea
using
the
philosophy
of
the
Internet
of
Things?