Platypuses are being pushed to the brink of extinction due to drought and other landscape changes associated with human activity, including urban development.
Platypuses are known to be present in the Plenty River in the City of Whittlesea although their range and numbers are shrinking.
The rise of The Internet of Things (IoT), the Maker Movement, Citizen Science and the emphasis given to Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) in schools opens up unique opportunities for students to use technology to help save these iconic animals.
Students attending the Mill Park Library Makers Club, with financial support from a Melbourne Water Living Rivers grant, have been working on deploying an array of solar powered water quality sensors to help monitor the Plenty River and to provide early indications of waterway quality problems.
The sensors measure temperature, conductivity and pH every hour and send data to a low cost Raspberry Pi web server using the 3G mobile telephone network.
The students presented their work at the Young ICT Explorers Challenge 2018 and finished second in Victoria in their age group.
What this project demonstrates is the potential leadership role that local institutions can play in engaging young people in environmental projects using technology. The technology used in this project is relatively low cost, easy to program and will better prepare young people for future jobs requiring technology related skills.
From this small demonstration project, the students intend to do more work to expand the coverage of sensors, measure other important water quality parameters and perhaps even monitor the presence of platypuses.