LoRa-based IoT System for Particulate Matter (PM) Monitoring in San Jerónimo, Cusco, Peru

Huallpa Pillco W.; Auccapuri Quispetupa D. · Proceedings of the LACCEI international Multi-conference for Engineering, Education and Technology (2026) · DOI: 10.18687/laccei2026.1.1.1750

Resumen

The district of San Jerónimo in Cusco, Peru, faces a critical environmental problem due to emissions from artisanal brick kilns and the lack of continuous air quality monitoring. This work presents the design and validation of a low-cost IoT sensor network based on LoRa technology for monitoring PM2.5 and PM10 in areas affected by these activities. The architecture integrates solar-powered ESP32 sensor nodes with an industrial XDB1002-11 sensor (Modbus-RTU), a LoRa gateway, and a cloud platform on Google Cloud, using InfluxDB and Grafana for time-series storage and near real-time visualization. Field tests in a semi-urban environment confirmed stable links up to 2.39 km in the 915-928 MHz band and, after link-level optimizations, a global effective Packet Delivery Ratio of 92.3% and a real PDR of 84.6%. The photovoltaic subsystem provided 14-30 h of autonomy, while highlighting opportunities to improve energy management. Measurements revealed PM10 and PM2.5 peaks above 800 µg/m3 and 300 µg/m3 near the kilns, far exceeding WHO guidelines and evidencing their impact on surrounding urban areas. The results demonstrate the feasibility and potential of the proposed solution to support municipal air-quality management in rural and semi-urban settings.

Instituciones: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú