Meteo sensors to “change weather” in Armenia

The team of Armenian AMP Technologies (Sensorship) is developing sensors that will provide real-time information about the weather conditions in Armenia.

The project financed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) was worked out during the Social Innovation Camp organized by Kolba Labs and was named a winner.

Author of the idea Aleksey Chalabyan told Itel.am that the sensors can provide information concerning the degree of humidity of temperature, soil and atmosphere, atmospheric pressure, lighting and 35 other criteria.

According to him, the overall number of criteria depends on the funding of the program.
 
“The sensor network will be denser in high-altitude areas, and sparser in lowlands. We expect to have data on every six kilometer. The sensors are quite unique in terms of fixing both the weather data and climate changes and more effective organization of the work of sectors such as agriculture, alternative energy, construction, tourism, etc.,” said Aleksey Chalabyan.

According to him, in case of sustainable energy sources the device can transfer data at every minute.

AMP Technologies estimates that around 5000 sensors are required for the entire territory of Armenia. They can be installed in all schools in the Republic.

“This is a good option as the school area is controlled and there is electricity. Within the framework of teaching at engineering labs, we can also engage schoolchildren in these works,” said Chalabyan.

He also noted that the base stations of mobile operators are also suitable for the installation of the sensors. According to Chalabyan, one of the operators has promised to help the team in the near future.

“Of course, all 5000 sensors cannot be installed at once. We will first work on developing the prototypes of 10-20 sensors and once we have the final prototype, we might start a small batch production,” he said.

The team is presently in the stage of formation. The research team will be comprised of 10 people.



“The production staff might consist of 100 people during the time. It will create more jobs. We are also trying to understand what can be produced in Armenia and where. There are also mechanical issues – we are trying to understand where in Armenia we can order the details we need,” said Aleksey Chalabyan.

Unlike other countries, sensors in Armenia will involve the entire territory of the republic and will be cheaper.

The complete implementation of the program requires a funding of up to USD 70-80 thousand. After the first prototypes are ready, the team will start seeking core funding.

“We are planning to carry out the program outside of Armenia in the future with the goal to make it recognized as an Armenian solution to a global issue,” said Aleksey Chalabyan.

Artin Barseghyan, Arpine Grigoryan, Areg Gedeonyan, Mikayel Ghazaryan, Albert Poghosyan, Samvel Martirosyan, Sergey Navasardyan, Hovhannes Aghajanyan, Arshak Khachatryan and others are working on the project.

Narine Daneghyan