Amar Adane, Ania Ali Yahia, Essaid Mameri, Abd-El-Hamid Adane

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Laboratory of Image Processing and Radiation, U.S.T.H.B., Algiers, Algeria.
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Abstract: A meteorological data acquisition system is built using a PIC16F877A microcontroller and electric output-based sensors. This system is programmed in C language using the PCWH compiler. It is smart, accurate, cheap, small, light and easily movable. It is designed to automatically get instantaneous measurements of air temperature, atmospheric pressure, and relative humidity. Depending on their utilisation, these measurements are collected with repetition rate tuneable from one minute to one hour. They are displayed on LCD screen and transferred to a personal computer where they are stored and processed. As an application, such data are recorded in situ and used to estimate the radio refractivity of air near the ground in real time. This parameter is necessary to account for the propagation of radiofrequency waves through the lower atmosphere, during wireless transmissions.

Keywords: Microcontroller, Sensors, C Programming, Meteorology, Radio Refractivity

Cite this paper: Adane, A. , Yahia, A. , Mameri, E. and Adane, A. (2014) Design of a Microcontroller-Based Data Acquisition System for Ground Weather Observations: Evaluation of Radio Refractivity of Air. International Journal of Communications, Network and System Sciences, 7, 355-364. doi: 10.4236/ijcns.2014.79037.

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