What is Dropslink?
Dropslink is a project created by Samendra Prasad, and funded by the Center for Global Health at the University of Virginia. The end goal was to design a portable water quality monitor which utilizes the SMS network in rural areas to communicate with a central server. With mentorship from Professor James Groves in Virginia and Professor John Odiyo in Venda, a 3-week field test was completed in May of 2017.
Click here to see the current map of all data points collected
Click here to view the data in its raw form
In
Deployment
Core Project Components
Arduino
Programming
A variation of C was used to program the Arduino microprocessor to utilize an Adafruit FONA board for SMS communication
Collaboration
With
Univen Faculty
Professor John Odiyo, and Ph.D. Candidate Mr. Nkuna with the Department of Environmental Engineering at Univen worked closely to bring this project to fruition
Double-Checking
Our Data
All data was triple-checked against local sensors used by Univen faculty and graduate students
Repository
Backend
Design
Using a combination of PHP and HTML webhooks, data was collected in MySQL tables and served onto Google Maps
Data
Collection
Locations
Sites were selected and reached with the help of Univen Faculty and local students as guides
Physical
Design
With a combination of ad-hoc fixes and premeditated 3d-printed deisgn, the project was made to be easily assemblable in the field
Academic Recommendations
I have come to appreciate Sam’s self-motivation, leadership, and creativity while also learning about his DROPSlink concept.
As a Jefferson Scholar Mr. Prasad is living up to his commitment of being a Global Citizen and it will be my privilege to support him.
UVA Center for Global Health
University of Venda, Thohoyandou, RSA
