IoT-Based Smart Power Outage Communication System

Abimbola Rhoda Iyanda; Deborah Olufemi Ninan; Olusegun Sunday Odudimu

Abimbola Rhoda Iyanda Computer Science and Engineering Department, Faculty of Technology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3470-0115
Deborah Olufemi Ninan Department of Computer Science and Engineering Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Olusegun Sunday Odudimu Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3692-2464

Keywords: Power Outages and Restoration, GSM, Real-Time Notifications, Firebase Cloud Messaging, Android Application Software, Power Status Communication

Abstract

This paper reports the development of a smart power outage communication system for use in an environment characterized by uncertainty with a view to produce a robust and an accurate performance with the least computational and data resources. Nigerian energy supply issues, which have brought about inadequate electricity supply to domestic households and industrial producers notwithstanding a speedily growing economy, have converted the average energy consumer to a power sensing and reporting tool, since our daily activities and decision-making are dependent on the availability of electricity. Often the traditional human to human communication is the way to communicate power statuses and is prone to error; however, a machine-to-human communication process is non-trivial. The system reported in this work was designed using a visual modeling tool and implemented in Python 3.6 using the Python Django framework mongoDB as Back End and hosted on the Heroku cloud platform. The results show that as power events (outages and restorations) occur, the power sensor sends a notification instantly to the android devices of all subscribed users. The notifications are received a few seconds after the event occurs. The users can also query all historical power outages and restorations using the android application, as well as unsubscribe from the power monitoring device.

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