To make the activity tracker project viable for research it has to have some novel implementation and impact to the broader impact to the scientific community. I am proposing measuring using the device as wearable technology to measure ocean waves. This is a well explored area in terms of ocean buoys, but I believe that there is a gap for devices offering near shore measurements. These measurements would be useful for understanding near shore wave dynamics, which is important for coastal engineering, marine biology, and oceanography. Not I’m on the search for various literature and existing devices that we could be compared against. Part of the search is to also find how wave direction, amplitude, and period are all measured.

Measuring Waves

I found the company Datawell that specializes in wave measurement devices. They have a range of products, including the DWR4, which is a buoy designed for measuring wave height, period, and direction. The DWR4 uses a combination of accelerometers and gyroscopes to measure wave motion and can transmit data wirelessly. Datawell provides a datasheet that details how the measurements are taken and processed.

There is also a research project called smartfin, which appears to be an IoT sensor for measuring ocean temperature. The papers on the smartfin claim to measure swell, but I have yet to find anything in literature to support this. The fin contains a GPS module and motion measurements (assuming IMU). One emphasis of the project is the accuracy of the temperature sensor as high resolution is needed.

Background

Ultimately I would like to make a system that has real world applications. For this project it would be providing data to environmental and coastal engineers for future analysis. I don’t really know anything about coastal erosion modeling or what data is required so I’m going to have to consult experts (and ChatGPT…). This is an overview of valuable information:

Coastal erosion modeling typically requires the following data:

1. Topographic and Bathymetric Data

  • High-resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEM) of the shoreline and nearshore areas.
  • Bathymetric surveys for underwater terrain.

2. Wave and Tidal Data

  • Wave height, period, and direction (from buoys, radar, or models).
  • Tidal range and currents to capture water level variability.

3. Sediment Characteristics

  • Grain size distribution, composition, and cohesiveness.
  • Sediment transport rates (bedload and suspended load).

4. Shoreline Position History

  • Time-series data from aerial imagery, LIDAR, or satellite to track past erosion/accretion.

5. Wind and Storm Data

  • Wind speed and direction, especially for storm events.
  • Storm surge levels and frequency.

6. Human Activities and Structures

  • Locations and impacts of seawalls, groynes, jetties, and other interventions.
  • Land use and coastal development data.

7. Hydrodynamic and Meteorological Data

  • Sea-level rise trends, barometric pressure, and river discharge (if applicable).

These inputs are used in models like XBeach, SWAN, or Delft3D to simulate erosion processes and predict shoreline change.

Now I can reach out to people without looking like an idiot!

Extra

There’s some other interesting opportunities that I could explore with the device.

  • Building a DEM of the changing near short conditions
  • Finding precise ocean tides