Design and Implementation of Modular IoT Solutions for Environmental Monitoring and Smart Automation: Three Case Studies in the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Italy
Alessio Baratta, Alessandro Chiurco, Antonio Cimino, Virginia D’Augusta, David Feliz Torres, Caterina Fusto, Giovanni Mirabelli, Alfredo Sguglio · Procedia Computer Science · 2025
This paper presents the development of modular Internet of Thinfs (IoT) systems for environmental monitoring and automation using ESP32 microcontrollers and open-source platforms. Conducted during an internship at Smart City Instruments in collaboration with Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE), Universidad tecnológica de Panamá (UTP), and Università della Calabria (UNICAL), the research covers three case studies: (1) rural air quality monitoring with GSM communication using ESP32, (2) indoor/outdoor automation with Wi-Fi using ESP32, and (3) urban sensing using industrial-grade National Instruments (NI) modules and LabVIEW. The methodology involved electronic design, firmware development, enclosure fabrication, and cloud integration using Node-RED and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Results demonstrate robust, scalable, and low-cost solutions suitable for diverse operational contexts. Conclusions emphasize the role of ESP32-based architectures in developing efficient, replicable IoT deployments, as well as the complementary benefits of NI-based systems. Future directions include Edge Artificial Intelligence (AI), Over-The-Air (OTA) updates, energy optimization, and Digital Twin integration.