Design for an IoT weather system
Create an IoT weather station for enterprise clients to build hyper-local weather networks
Problem
For weather-sensitive industries, a small change in weather conditions may lead to incredible financial loss. How can we help enterprise users make proactive decisions by monitoring weather conditions and upcoming weather changes?
Solution
The SPOT weather station was created to monitor hyper-local weather conditions through onboard sensors and an HD camera. As an IoT weather station, the SPOT system can generate weather nowcast (short-term forecast) by processing weather data through our exclusive algorithm.
My role
Conduct design research
Define features with the marketing and engineer teams
Ideate the product with sketches
Build 3d models with SolidWorks
Assist with hardware and firmware development
Conduct feasibility and usability tests
Collaborate with
Hardware engineers
Firmware engineers
Data analysts
Meteorologists
Duration
February, 2017 - January, 2018
The Process
1.
Concept ideation
2.
Design development
3.
Feasibility test
4.
Field test
Since we’d like SPOT device to be used in various environments, we need to ensure that the device can withstand some extreme weather conditions. Meanwhile, the structure of the device should meet specific requirements for all onboard sensors to be able to work properly. With these preliminary considerations in mind, we started our concept ideation.
Concept ideation
Design development
As an IoT weather station, a SPOT device should be able to collect and transmit weather data to the cloud, which means more electronic components need to onboard. At the same time, we need to keep the device as compact as possible to maximize its stability. This posed a big challenge for us to balance between the functionality and the size of the device. I worked closely with the hardware engineers for months to figure out the best solution.
I worked closely with the hardware engineers for months to figure out the best solution.
Feasibility test
For the second half of design development, we conducted rounds of feasibility tests to make sure the device can work properly in different weather conditions. We also did a usability test on the interaction among products. Findings from these tests served as crucial guidance for us through design improvement.
Field Test
At the end of the development, I assisted the data analysts and meteorologists in the field test to make final adjustments before mass production.
Impact
Within two years of product launch, three industry leaders from precision agriculture, the solar industry, and smart city are using weather services of SPOT. Meanwhile, several provincial-level meteorological departments in China are integrating SPOT to their systems to improve weather forecasting accuracy.
From designing the SPOT weather station, I have gained a deeper understanding of IoT products: how data is collected and transmitted, then delivered to users through different terminals. This experience has taught me the importance of considering feasibility in design process and sparked my interest in cutting edge technologies such as computer visioning, machine learning, and more.
Reflection
Other work