EcoCommons wins 2023 Society of Colleges and Universities Planning (SCUP) "Jury's Choice" - Honor - For Excellence in Landscape Architecture in General Design.   

 

What is the EcoCommons?

The overarching EcoCommons Project envisions 80 acres of green space across campus that follow what were the original naturally occurring stream paths of this region before being urbanized. These green spaces are being designed and engineered as part of the 2004 landscape master plan to reduce storm water runoff by 50%.  

Why was this portion of the EcoCommons created?

The area of the EcoCommons located at the corner of Ferst Drive and Hemphill Avenue is eight acres of green space that aims to mimic a traditional piedmont woodland. This section of the EcoCommons consists of three living landscape areas to meet the goals of LearnEngage and Reflect. Georgia Tech is practicing thoughtful stewardship of the land by joining it with smart infrastructure. Sensors embedded throughout the EcoCommons support ecological education and research. The EcoCommons demonstrates Georgia Tech’s commitment to fostering sustainability initiatives into the 21st century. 

President Cabrera is a big fan of the EcoCommons.
Join him on a virtual tour.

 

Information pertaining to the "Learn" aspect of the EcoCommons landscape.

Drawn-map-ecocommons-sensors

ABOUT THE DATA

What information/data are we tracking with sensors?

The sensors installed throughout the EcoCommons area will measure Air Temperature and Humidity; Soil Moister; Water Depth and Pressure; Wind Speed & Direction; Gust Speed and Barometric Pressure; Rain amounts; Leaf Wetness; and Outdoor CO2

Who can access the data?

Members of the GT campus community who have a GTID can access the data interface after completing two-factor authentication.

How were the data metrics selected?

A project planning committee invited over 25 individuals from Georgia Institute of Technology’s research and academic communities to participate in a Stakeholders Focus Group. Through online surveys, personal interviews and discussions, the committee selected the top results that were feasible within the scope of the project.

TECHNOLOGY: SENSORS & STORAGE

Where is the data stored?

For the first year of operation, the data will be stored on a server managed by the Georgia Tech Research Network Operations Center (GT-RNOC).

What is LoRaWAN?

LoRaWAN is an acronym for Long Range Wide Area Network protocols. This is a non-cellular open source protocol. LoRa is the physical layer for a method of transmitting wireless radio signals that uses a chirp spread spectrum to send data and enables long-range communication links. LPWAN (Low-Power, Wide Area Network) defines the communication protocol and system architecture for the network which is designed for sensors and applications that need to send small amounts of data over long distances a few times per hour. It is a popular protocol for the Internet of Things network.  

lORAwAN aRCHITECTURE oVERVIEW dIAGRAM