Rock masses crack monitoring using a LoRa-based Wireless Sensor Network

Several technologies are recently evolving and allowing new possible structures and implementations for rockfall monitoring sensor networks. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are a particularly well-suited solution for geologic monitoring thanks to the flexibility that these structures offer. In this paper, an urban monitoring system for rockfall, based on crack metering, is presented. The WSN is based on Long Range (LoRa) physical layer and LoRaWAN Media Access Layer (MAC) layer. The aim is to monitor the structural health of a rock formation located in the city of Civitella del Tronto, Italy, where rock cracking is in progress. The cracks in act must be monitored for safety purposes in order to enable preventive maintenance and to ensure the management of viability. The physical part of the network is composed of sensor nodes, a central solar powered, and a gateway. The system is based on an Internet Of Things (IoT) scheme, where the data and reports are sent to an online platform. The paper reports a complete system description featuring the hardware and functionality insight of all the elements, a power analysis, details of the remote monitoring web section, and data obtained from the real scenario.