26 IoT (Internet of Things) climate devices will be installed this summer in rural communities of Armenia to collect climate data, allowing for the research, prevention, and prediction of weather crises and analysis of local climate patterns. The project is implemented through the Climate Net initiative run by TUMO Labs – an educational hub that provides free education in engineering and technology for individuals over the age of 18.
The devices are installed on top of TUMO Boxes – mini TUMO centers made of recycled containers that serve as satellite TUMO locations in smaller communities. Five TUMO Boxes in Artik, Maralik, Azatan, Panik, and Vazgen Sargsyan University have already been equipped with these devices.
The IoT climate devices are created and deployed by TUMO Labs students who receive educational training where they learn how to make both the hardware and software for the device. The devices measure temperature, humidity and pressure, air quality, air speed, direction, rain, light intensity, and spectral information. This data is open for anyone to use and analyze via the Climate Net website (climatenet.am). The collected data can help predict and reduce the damage of severe weather. In the future, students at TUMO Labs can use this data to create different kinds of weather maps.
Climate Net project manager, Ruben Mirzoyan states, “Armenia is a landlocked country that is susceptible to weather changes and natural disasters, and we don’t have the data gathered in one place. When we do have it, it is often scattered. This new data allows for predictions, research, and even testing.”
The summer stage of installment is part of a larger project to design, construct, and deploy a total of 78 IoT climate observatories and weather forecasting stations at various TUMO Box locations before mid-2025.
Climate Net is a project run by TUMO Labs, a tuition-free education program that connects higher education with industry and enables students to acquire knowledge and practical skills in the fields of technology, applied science, and engineering. TUMO Labs hosts projects from international and national companies, allowing students to work and develop these projects and learn up-to-date skills. Climate Net is one of these projects. Climate Net started in January of 2023 in an effort to make weather data in Armenia comprehensive and available to all.
