Development of an IoT-based network for urban environmental monitoring in a vulnerable area of Los Ríos, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Authors

  • Jesús D´Alessandro Instituto de Diseño para los Trópicos and Escuela de Arquitectura de UNIBE, Universidad Iberoamericana (Unibe), Av. Francia 129, 10201 Gazcue - Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
  • Melisa Vargas Instituto de Diseño para los Trópicos and Escuela de Arquitectura de UNIBE, Universidad Iberoamericana (Unibe), Av. Francia 129, 10201 Gazcue - Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
  • Alfredo Sguglio Mechanical Energetic and Management Engineering Department, University of Calabria - UNICAL, P. Bucci 46/c, 87036 Calabria, Italy
  • Pierpaolo Filippelli Mechanical Energetic and Management Engineering Department, University of Calabria - UNICAL, P. Bucci 46/c, 87036 Calabria, Italy
  • Angelo Maciletti Smart City Instruments Spin Off Universita della Calabria, Mechanical Energetic and Management Engineering Department, University of Calabria - UNICAL, P. Bucci 46/c, 87036 Calabria, Italy
  • David Feliz Smart City Instruments Spin Off Universita della Calabria, Mechanical Energetic and Management Engineering Department, University of Calabria - UNICAL, P. Bucci 46/c, 87036 Calabria, Italy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21014/actaimeko.v15i3.2058

Keywords:

urban sensors, smart cities, sustainable development, information technologies, measurement, environmental research, air pollution, IoT

Abstract

The aim of this research phase was to develop an environmental data collection tool specific for the context of Los Ríos–Santo Domingo, where vulnerable settlements coexist with other clusters of higher socioeconomic status. The design of such tool needed to address the social, legal, and climatic frameworks of its context, while also aiming at a reliable, energy efficient, and replicable architecture. The project hopes to encourage future information-based participatory planning aimed at improving safety and elevating the quality of life in the area. The workflow carried out during this phase included: area visits, document consultation, work on an urban footprint map, review of comparable projects, device development, and the strategic selection of the installation site. The project achieved the design and production of ten compact devices that contain seven sensors each, to register concentrations of important air contaminants, vibration, sound intensity, and specific atmospheric conditions. Devices were installed within the inner perimeter of a property in the proximity of vulnerable and non-vulnerable polygons to enable the observation of potential reading differences. Preliminary total averages obtained from a sample showed high concentrations of CO, NO₂ (according to guidelines from WHO), and PM₁ (following the 2024 paper “On the safe levels of micro-sized particles PM1.0 in ambient air” by Zaitseva, Kleyn, Chetverkina, Andrishunas, and Tsinker), alongside noise levels between 6.9 and 74.09 dB in most units and RH values below 40 %.

.

Downloads

Published

2026-08-28

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 3 (2026)

Section

Research Papers

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Jesús D´Alessandro, Melisa Vargas, Alfredo Sguglio, Pierpaolo Filippelli, Angelo Maciletti, David Feliz

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under the CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Users are free to

  • share, i.e. copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially;
  • adapt, i.e. remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.

At the same time, the user must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.
Additional information about the license can be found at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Authors are

  • able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  • permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).