Development of Cost-efficient Wireless Network for Solar UV Irradiation Monitoring in Bulgaria

Human over-exposure to solar UV radiation has been identified as a serious health problem which needs intensive screening and monitoring. The goal of this study is to present recent success in solar UV irradiation monitoring in Bulgaria in the frame of INTERGA_UV project (No. KΠ 06/24H - 2018 of National Research Fund of Bulgaria). The research efforts has been focused on development of an independent on-ground UV sensors network, which uses MQTT sensor protocol, local databases and remote access to monitoring center. The developed UV monitoring system is intended to withstand severe climatic conditions at a reasonable price of equipment and components. It differs from conventional scientific instruments with an open architecture and smooth upgradability due to implementation of modern digital sensors, Arduino-based controllers and Wi-Fi communication modules. The software bridging modules are based on open-source Python applications, open-source InfluxDB database and Grafana visualization tool. (paper)