2017-2018

Project Title: AUTOMATED FUEL STATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Students: Saito Daniel Ntim-Addo, Ofori-Okyere Daniel, Kotei Nathaniel Nikoi & Fokuoh Seth Twumasi
Supervisor: Dr. Wiafe Owusu-Banahene

Abstract:
A fuel station is an establishment that sells fuel and lubricants. In recent times, filling stations have added shops to their primary business. In Ghana, managing a fuel station is an arduous task since the measurement of the level of fuel in the tank, the detection of the presence of water and also the keeping of records of the sales made for the station are all done manually. Moreover, in the case where an individual owns multiple filling stations, it is very difficult for him to be involved in real time management of the stations since he will have to wait for reports from the managers of each station. The manual processes waste a lot of productive hours and also increases the incidence of theft since the sales books can be altered. In this research, we aim to automate the management of a fuel station by using an ultrasonic sensor to measure the level of fuel in the tank after every purchase, using metal probes with the help of an Arduino mega microcontroller to detect presence of water and using a SIM900 GSM/GPRS module to send the values obtained from the tank and dispensers to an online database to be assessed by a developed mobile and web application for the manager of a particular fuel station and also a general manager of multiple stations. Anytime water was poured into our developed tank, a LED light was lit and its intensity grew as more water was added to the fuel. In the event of changing the price per litre of a given fuel in the software, the changes were also manifested in our designed dispenser. Our system was able to accurately measure the level of fuel in the tank, detect the presence of water and also provided accurate record keeping of sales made at a given fuel station due to little or no interference of fuel attendants. Our system will improve the productivity of fuel stations since most of the manual processes have been automated which saves time and maximizes profit.

Keywords – Arduino mega controller, fuel station, management system, mobile application, mobile application, SIM900 GSM/GPRS module

Project Title: ENERGY METER DEVICE WITH MOBILE APPLICATION FOR MONITORING AND PAYMENT
Students: Arnan-Nkansah Daniella, Asianoa Manuella F., Frimpong Kwabena Addai & Tahiru Alhassan
Supervisor: Dr. Godfrey A. Mills

Abstract:
Electric distribution utilities have meters operating across the country in homes and industries. There was the problem of internal and external power theft where individuals tapped power from electric power distribution lines before or after connection to the meter. One remedial measure that electric distribution utilities have put in place to reduce energy theft is the adoption of prepaid meters. Prepaid meters are now installed on distribution poles outside the premises of the users. This means consumers would have to activate the meters any time energy credit is procured in the vending station of the utility. Besides, many of these meters do not allow users to probe the system to understand available credit and energy consumed to forestall premature disconnection. However, the consumer was limited to making purchases only from the vending station in his or her locality. This projects seeks to develop a consumer interface device with an energy meter supported by a mobile application to act as the intermediary between the consumer and the main meter. The interface device consists of a microcontroller and a GSM and HC-12 RF communication modules. The interface device would be fixed in the premises of the consumer to make information on the meter readily available to the consumer. We also proposed the development of three additional payment methods: voucher system, mobile credit and money systems to enable the consumer to recharge the electricity meter with credit from anywhere and at any time. A prototype was developed and tested and the results showed that, a user could have access to information being displayed on the energy meter via the interface device as the two communicated successfully by Radio Frequency (RF). The information was also made available to the consumer on the mobile application upon request. Also, the mobile application could load credit onto the energy meter using a voucher, mobile money and available airtime. The vending system via a web application also successfully sent credit to the energy meter after a successful purchase. It was concluded that the introduction of the interface device with the mobile application and the alternative forms of payment brought about convenience in energy meter monitoring and payment without time and location constraints. This work would help ease the pressure on the vending stations as more payment options are introduced. Also, consumers have the ability to load credit onto their meters during adverse conditions such as heavy rainfalls or midnight when vending stations would be unavailable.

Project Title: HOME AUTOMATION AND DOMESTIC FIRE SAFETY SYSTEM
Students: Ayinde Majeed Tayo, Clinton Bernard, Clottey Richard Nunoo & Dogbey Daniel
Supervisor: Dr. Percy Okae

Abstract:
With the current advancement of automation systems and open source frameworks, the control of devices and appliances has made life very easy and comfortable. Automatic systems have made most processes more accurate and feasible which makes them preferable to manual systems. Automation systems have been widely used in the past in large commercial office complexes and custom-built homes. Such systems were automatic lighting, heating and cooling systems and monitoring systems for automatic doors and windows. An emerging concept in automation is the internet of things(IoT) whereby almost any device that can be switched on and off is connected over the internet to a server for remote controlling. The idea of a system of interconnected devices has a lot of perks such as the ease of transferring usage data and data analytics as well as doing away with human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. This system is a control system for the switching on and off of home appliances using SMS (Short Message Service) via a GSM module connected to the microcontroller using a custom built android application. The system will also display the power consumed by the connected devices.   
Security is a very delicate issue in the lives of individuals. Every individual wants to feel safe in his/her environment at every time because security ensures the continuity of life. Traditional security methods include a bodyguard, a guard dog, iron bars on doors and windows and etc. These traditional systems have short comings mainly because of the involvement of human interaction in their operation and monitoring aspects. This systems security aspect deals with the detection of a break-in into the home and also the detection of a fire outbreak. Upon the detection of any of these insecurities, an alert would be sent to the home owner as well as the appropriate emergency and security service to respond to the alert. This project also aims to aid in the location of the home in question by displaying a traced route from the emergency services to the location of the break-in or fire.

Project Title: WATER LEVEL DETECTION AND BILLING SYSTEM
Students: Avornyo Walter Junior, Tougan Messe Herman & Dankyi Anno Kwaku
Supervisor: Dr. Robert A. Sowah

Abstract:
Water is a primary need of human beings and as such most people store water in tanks to have constant supply. Unfortunately, shortage of water is mostly unexpected since there is no system to monitor the level of water in the tank. Mismanagement of water in addition to errors encountered in the generation of bills from analog water meters results in high water bills being generated at the end of every month. Many researchers have worked on this problem by developing smart water meters for use in developed countries.
This project presents the design, development and deployment of a water level detection and  billing system by incorporating both hardware and software sub-systems which were integrated together.  The system comprises of three (3) sub-systems namely: (1) Water level detection using ultrasonic sensor, (2) Water billing system using Arduino flow sensor, (3) Info-Delivery System which comprises of the android and web application.
The Water level detection sub-system uses an ultrasonic sensor to accurately detect the level of water in tanks and sends the water level readings to the android and web application (Info-delivery System) for remote access by the consumer
The Water billing detection sub-system uses a flow sensor to monitor the water usage for houses or domestic purpose. The billing of water usage will be done automatically by an Arduino development board and sent to the android and web application(Info- delivery system) for remote access by the consumer.
The Info-Delivery sub-system displays the water level and water bill from both the water Level detection and billing sub-systems.
The proposed system has been was successfully evaluated. The experimental results indicate that the accuracy of the proposed system is equivalent to that of commercially available water level detection sub-system and water billing sub-systems.

Project Title: DEVELOPMENT OF A POWER MEASURING AND MONITORING DEVICE WITH MOBILE INTERFACE (SINGLE PHASE APPLICATION)
Students: Mary Ofosua Asiamah, Mark Asare, Mark Konde & Kenneth Sedem Ohene
Supervisor: Dr. Godfrey A. Mills

Abstract:
Power quality has become an emerging issue in recent times due to its impact on devices. Modern electronic devices are quite sensitive to power variations and therefore any slight variations in power leads to the destruction of the systems. With the increased reduction in the quality of power, it is important for electric utilities, regulators and consumers to know the quality of power supplied to consumers.

This project seeks to develop a power quality monitoring device for the low voltage system to monitor and measure the voltage and frequency magnitudes, power and the total harmonic distortion when connected to a power source, logging over-voltage, under-voltage, sag, swell, interruptions, low and high frequency with the corresponding harmonics information onto a local server. The system consists of sensors for measuring voltage, current and frequency values and harmonic samples. An Arduino Mega microcontroller for processing sensor outputs and a raspberry pi server for storing events for user’s access. An android application interface is implemented to provide users with remote access to device via wireless networks. A prototype was developed and tested for functionality and results show that the system is working as expected. A query with the android application within the same network and from a different network retrieved accurate data from the local server and successfully displayed graphs and tables.

The proposed system will be of considerable benefit to the electricity distribution utility by providing information on the quality of power supplied to consumers and will also help in the planning process. For the consumers, it will help them in regulating the use of their devices and properly make their case with empirical data in case of damages.

Project Title: CARDIAC ARREST DETECTOR WITH REMOTE PATIENT MONITORING
Students: Adams Samuella, Asomani–Adem Ama Opokua, Klufio Enoch & Asiedu Opare Kwame
Supervisor: Dr. Percy Okae

Abstract:
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is one of continuing challenges to the modern clinician. The statistics from the National Cardiothoracic Centre indicates that 60% of deaths amongst adults in the country results from heart related disease and stroke in the year 2015 [1]. Most of these deaths could have been prevented, if the victims received immediate medical attention. The aim of this research is to develop a system that will monitor patients at risk of experiencing SCD and alert necessary emergency contacts should a person experience any such life-threatening event. The system consists of a wearable device that records patient pulse and blood oxygenation and transmits this information in real time to a mobile application for the patient, as well as a server to transmit patient data to and from mobile applications for a doctor or medical professional as well as paramedics. The approach to SCD detection is to monitor the pulse and oxygenation levels of the band user using a pulse sensor and oximeter respectively, and raise an alarm when these measurements go above or below a threshold specified by a doctor or medical professional. The mobile monitoring application as well as the web server system makes it possible to keep track of patients in real time, as well as notify emergency contacts whenever the need arises. This project is very important as its implementation into the medical system will reduce pressure on hospital resources as patients can be monitored from home. In addition, the addition of a map to the system makes it possible for a victim to be located quickly and given much needed urgent medical attention. The device is also useful for detecting other heart anomalies such as heart attacks and arrhythmias. It is also applicable in the early detection of certain respiratory diseases due to measurement of blood oxygen saturation. Extension of prediction algorithms to include artificial intelligence classifiers such as artificial neural networks will increase the accuracy of SCD prediction.
Keywords - Sudden cardiac death (SCD), pulse oximeter, real time transmission, heart anomalies, arrhythmias, light emitting diode (LED), Oxygen Saturation (SpO2), Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), Light Emitting Diode (LED), Oxyhaemoglobin (HbO2), Haemoglobin (Hb).

Project Title: DEAFBLIND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
Students: Joel Deladem Klo, Nii Adjei Osae, Nathany Natornam Attipoe & Maame Yaa Addae – Mensah
Supervisor: Dr. Percy Okae

Abstract:
The world is moving at a fast pace on the ever-evolving engine of communication and information transfer. Many people are enjoying the benefits of this speed but there are also those who are left behind. A majority group of those left behind are those who do not possess some primary senses or organs of information reception and transmission like sight, speech or hearing. The deafblind, who are individuals with both hearing and sight impairments are the most affected in this group. Many efforts have been made over time to aid in the communication of such impaired individuals. Notable among such efforts are Braille and Tactile Signing. These inventions however have some setbacks which if solved will greatly boost the communication of the deafblind enabling them to catch up with the rest of the world.
Our project capitalizes on the Braille System and sense of touch of the deafblind. In doing so we develop a wearable hand glove device with vibration sensors situated at the tips of the fingers and in the middle of the palm creating a representation of a single Braille cell. This device will be worn by the deafblind. We also develop mobile applications which utilize a digitization of the Braille system to translate text to braille and send this output to our wearable hand glove device over Bluetooth. These mobile applications which will be used by visually or hearing unimpaired individuals to communicate with the deafblind make the system complete. An additional feature included provides the deafblind the ability to also send messages to the sighted or hearing via a portable Bluetooth keypad.
With this project, we improve the lives of the deafblind and bring to manifestation their untapped potentials to this fast-moving world.

Project Title: INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION WITH Load Recognition and Electrical Fault Detection USING MATLAB AND SIMULINK
Students: Appiah Kenneth, Narh Daniel, Nana Owusu- Oduro & Amoah Emmanuel
Supervisor: Dr. Robert A. Sowah

Abstract:
Industries consumes large amount of electricity in all countries. Meters provided for industrial power monitoring provides aggregate power consumption information to the users. An appliance level information about electricity consumption provides experts knowledge about each appliance’s state or behavior which can be useful to identify faulty appliances. In this paper, we present a system for appliance recognition and electrical fault detection based on NILM approach using a knapsack solver and electrical faults simulated in MATLAB.

Project Title: AN AUTOMATED MULTIMEDIA FILTERING SYSTEM AND MOBILE SOFTWARE FOR REMOTE CONTROL
Students: Akweongo Brenda, Boye Stephany Naa Atswei, Yeboah Steve Allen & Sebe Abena Serwaa
Supervisor: Dr. Wiafe Owusu-Banahene

Abstract:
The age of the 21st century comes with challenges such as the exposure of inappropriate multimedia content to younger audiences. In this work, an automated system is developed to achieve multimedia filtering by blocking nude images and muting vulgar words that may be present in a video. Using frame capturing for breaking down a video to frames, each frame is processed to check the percentage of skin pixels present and if it is above 30%, it is blacked out with a copy of the unprocessed image sent to the owner’s WhatsApp account. Audio processing involved transcribing an audio file at 16 kHz sampling rate to text with each word’s timestamp found. Upon locating a vulgar word in the transcript, its timestamp was used for muting the presence of the word in the video. A mobile application was developed to serve as a remote for the system to turn device on and off and also grant access to the location of the device which is provided by the Global System for Mobile Communication/General Packet Radio Service (GSM/GPRS) module. The Global System for Mobile Communication/General Packet Radio Service (GSM/GPRS) module also sent an alert Short Message Services (SMS) to the owner upon turning the device on indicating the state of the device. The system successfully synced both image and audio together after processing without any delay and managed to block all nude scenes from videos with higher resolutions and mute most vulgar words giving an accuracy between 85% and 90% on the whole.

Keywords- multimedia filtering, skin detection, frame capture, transcription

Project Title: AN AUTOMATED MONITORING SYSTEM FOR AIR QUALITY, TRAFFIC AND VIOLENT SCENE FOR SMART CITY

Students: Brew Michael, Boa-Amponsem Kenneth, Danso-Manu Kwaku Osei & Ziwu Manuel Worlali
Supervisor: Dr. Wiafe Owusu-Banahene

Abstract:
Cities worldwide are steadily growing and with this growth comes a need to intelligently gather data to manage its operations. Specialists have, therefore, touted the idea of a “smart city” as very necessary for helping city authorities and planners understand everyday task and make long term strategies. The grand significance of this project will be the usefulness of the data gathered by all these systems in developing plans for the long term, machine learning to predict future patterns, and holistically improving the standard and quality of life and keeping citizens safe. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a newly emerged communication benchmark which is based on the idea that in the near future, majority of the objects in everyday life will be equipped with microcontrollers, transceivers for digital communication, and suitable protocol stacks which will facilitate transparent and seamless communication between one another and with users, all the while becoming an integral part of the Internet. The idea of a smart city, as well as this project, is loosely based on this concept. This project was undertaken to support the smart city vision, employing advanced communication technologies to optimize specifically the traffic system, air quality monitoring and security systems existing in cities. Not only are these systems improved upon, but results and findings based on gathered data from all systems are processed in a central data hub to eventually churn out accurate predictions of future patterns, pertaining to systems and the environment in which they operate. The project offers predictions that are very useful and serve as ample groundwork for future studies in the area of smart cities and system optimization.

Project Title: SMART WALKING AID FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED: A CASE STUDY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA
Students: Abdul Aziz A. Tetteh, Dwamena Sedinam Barbara, Christopher Klenam Fiah & Martin Deborah Antoinette
Supervisor: Dr. Percy Okae

Abstract:
Mobility is one of the biggest challenge of the visually impaired and recent studies focusing on how technology can be used to mitigate the effects of this challenge have resulted in the development of smart canes. Current innovations of smart canes include sensors that detects obstacles as well as voice controlled navigational capabilities. These innovations do not necessarily inform the user of what the potential obstacle is and also requires internet connection for the navigation.  This project is to design an offline smart cane, called WalkMaTE, with obstacle detection and classification as well as voice controlled navigational capabilities. The system is equipped with a pair of ultrasonic sensors placed strategically to detect branches above and obstacles below. In addition, an infrared sensor is connected to a vibrating motor which detects a nearby gutter and alerts the user on encounter with a gutter. Our system takes images of the user’s surrounding using a raspberry pi camera and determines if there are any potential obstacles in the captured image using TensorFlow (an open source library). In order to have a sense of where the user is at any point in time, we use a Global Positioning System receiver module to get the coordinates which are then inputted into the navigational system. The destination of the user is provided using speech through a Bluetooth headset with the help of CMUSphinx speech library. The routing is done with the aid of an open source navigational system called NAVIT. The uniqueness of WalkMaTE is that it works without the use of internet which is helpful to the visually impaired living in developing countries where internet is not readily available. The prototype of the smart cane helps the user to get to unknown places on the University of Ghana campus and aids with the identification of obstacles in the path of the visually impaired.

Project Title: DEVELOPMENT OF A SOLAR-TO-GRID INTERCHANGE SWITCHING SYSTEM WITH MOBILE APPLICATION
Students: Sasu-Yiadom Tutu Samuel, Mensah Emmanuel Alex & Peprah Tweneboah Gideon
Supervisor: Dr. Godfrey A. Mills

Abstract:
In an attempt to provide reliable and dedicated power supply to equipment or electrical gadgets, most consumers have installed alternative power supply to their premises. Solar energy has become one of the emerging power source, due to the availability of the resource.
Integrating the solar to grid to achieve optimal operation is one area that require considerable attention, since with a switching system installed and changeover is not done at appropriate time it will lead to the destruction of lives, properties and a decrease in the productivity amongst businesses. Current change-over systems are manually operated which possess challenges in the event of outages from the grid or vice versa. This project seeks to provide an automated solution through the design and development of a solar-to-grid interchange device which is supported by a mobile application. The system is made up of sensors for monitoring the voltage levels and current levels of both the grid and the solar, a microcontroller for controlling the system, switches for transferring the load from the grid to the solar and vice versa based on threshold voltage set and a mobile application that allows the user to remotely control the system.
A prototype was developed and tested with the two power supply sources and the results shows that users can depend on an automated switching system for solar and grid, to transfer their load from solar to grid and vice versa when the power outage on one source and also remotely control the system with a mobile application to select which power source they prefer to use. The system has a number of potential benefits to users. The users get continues power supply; home and businesses are protected from the effects of power outages, and sensitive loads are supplied with constant power.

Project Title: A SELF-SERVICE FUEL DISPENSING SYSTEM WITH MOBILE MONEY PAYMENT

Students: Adogla-Bessa Tsatsu Junior, Arthur George, Segbedzi Edem Kordzo Lumor & Addai-Yeboah Nana Gyamfi
Supervisor: Mr. Appah Bremang

Abstract:
Filling stations are an integral part of urban life in Ghana, receiving many customers as well as facilitating thousands of cash transactions daily. These fuel stations make use of fuel dispensers as well as pump attendants to provide users with an avenue to top up on fuel at various vantage points in the country. Pump attendants are responsible for accepting payment for fuel in the form of cash or via electronic cards. However most filling stations have closing times after which pump are no longer available, hence drivers seeking to buy fuel after closing hours are unable to do so. Efforts have been made to automate the fuel dispensing process which would enable drivers to purchase fuel at any time without the help of a pump attendant. These include the use of RFID chips on cars which are linked to a corresponding customer account as well as electronic cards. Thus, being motivated to provide a relatively reliable and efficient method of dispensing fuel that can be accessed at all hours of the day, this project was embarked upon to develop a self-servicing fuel dispenser with mobile money enabled payment, which can be used at filling stations without the help of an attendant. This project seeks to provide a real-time payment and dispensing system for filling station customers that runs 24/7. Thus, the main objectives of this project are to facilitate payment for fuel at a dispenser by creating a barcode containing relevant dispenser information and fuel station account information on it, build a mobile application which communicates with an API and enables users to pay for fuel via mobile money, communicate with the dispenser via a GSM module, control the start and stop of a pump via a relay to dispense fuel. Further works on this project will be to implement token generation for the system, so users can pay for fuel at any location and enter a generated token into the dispenser via a keypad to dispense fuel. In addition, the integration of other payment platforms such as VISA and Slydepay.

Keywords: GSM module, Ultrasonic Sensor, Relay, API, Dispenser, QR code, USSD, Web Application.

Project Title: A MOBILE BASED SECURITY SYSTEM WITH ROUTING AND FIRE HYDRANT DETECTION
Students: Achamfuor Kwabena Konadu, Asiedu Kwabena Asante, Otoo Kwesi Nathaniel & Owusu Gyebi Alfred
Supervisor: Mr. Appah Bremang

Abstract:
This project deals with the design and the implementation of a mobile based security system with routing and fire hydrant detection. It increases the usage of mobile technology and Internet of Things to provide essential security to our homes and workplaces and real time surveillance. This project presents the idea of gas detection using gas sensor, intruder detection using PIR sensor for motion detection, Pi camera for image capturing with the help of the cascade file of Haar-like feature from OpenCV library for facial and body detection and image processing, GPS for optimal routing and fire hydrant detection. This project also consists of a cross platform mobile application created using Ionic Framework. It has a map that demonstrates the location to the incident place and detection of fire hydrants. The map also shows security agencies the optimal route to the place of incidence using the haversine formula. The existing security systems in place lacks GPS system for routing when there is an occurrence of an incident. The proposed system is of interest because it provides a complete security system for home users, police service and the fire service. The Raspberry Pi operates and controls detectors and pi camera for sensing and remote surveillance respectively. The cross platform application allows users to view images in real-time and saves it on a database for future review. The cross platform application also allows user to alert police and fire officers. This project is focused on developing a surveillance system that detects strangers and to response speedily by capturing and relaying images to the owner on a wireless network or a 3G dongle. The system helps users monitor their homes and offices when away. It enables feasible access to fire hydrants in all the locations. The system also enables fire fighters to locate closest fire hydrant around place of incident and decreases the average response time to the place when there is an emergency.

Keywords: Image Processing, Pir Sensor, Gas Sensor, Python, OpenCV, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, Internet of Things, Cascade file of Haar, Pi Camera, Haversine formula, Ionic Framework.

Project Title: AUTOMATED WATER REGULATOR FOR IRRIGATION CONTROL AND MONITORING SYSTEM
Students: Sekyere David, Quainoo Kobina & Sunkwa-Arthur Eugene
Supervisor: Mr. Appah Bremang

Abstract:
An era of automation has ushered in opportunities to mechanize processes that humans are notoriously in- efficient in. Water resource management, which involves planning, developing, distributing and managing the optimum use of water resources with the aim of allocating water on an equitable basis to satisfy all users and demands, is one area that benefits from automation. A number of existing products allow consumers to schedule irrigation processes based on predetermined schedules, soil moisture content, weather forecasts, and a number of other criteria. Some products even grant users remote control of their irrigation systems. The vast majority of these designs, in their varying complexities, are targeted at small home gardens and are either difficult or expensive to scale up.
In order to cover larger areas more consistent with farm lands (<1 hectare) an automated irrigation sys- tem requires scalability, and cost control. Larger coverage areas can be achieved by using multiple sensors. The cost of augmenting an existing system with multiple additional sensors can be reduced by limiting the cost of installation. By enabling the sensors to communicate wirelessly they can cover a larger area without the cost incurred using wired sensors.
The Ghanaian farmer typically depends on either rain-fed agricultural techniques or wasteful surface irrigation techniques, while more conservationist irrigation techniques have been proven to provide greater water efficiency and greater crop yield. In our design solution we focus on wirelessly collating soil moisture conditions for remote monitoring and control of irrigation processes. A microcontroller collects data from each wireless sensor, parsing the information to an algorithm that automates the irrigation process. Farmers can remotely monitor soil sensor values and even provide commands to override the automated process.

Project Title: SMART IRRIGATION SYSTEM
Students: Asare Bright, Asare Edward O. Kelvin, Acheampong Nana Yaw & Kyei Gabriel
Supervisor: Dr. Wiafe Owusu-Banahene
Co-Supervisor: Dr. E. Y. Kra

Abstract:
From the conventional use of watering cans, to the scale up of using water hose and now sprinklers, irrigation has been an integral part for productive agriculture. Some of these methods of irrigating crops, tend to be quite laborious to implement over large acres of land, which can lead to the inefficient use of water. This work presents a smart irrigation system which employs a wireless capacitive moisture sensor to determine the moisture content of the soil. The objective of the work is to provide an approach that automates the irrigation process and help farmers to easily access and manage their irrigation systems. A prototype irrigation controller system was
designed and implemented to wirelessly monitor the soil parameters and control the switching of a pumping system based on moisture content and evapo-transpiration parameters. Soil parameters from the sensors are visualized on an Android and Web applications which also gives the farmer the ability to override irrigation schedules with a click of a button. The irrigation controller system is made up of a regulated power supply, a processor module, wireless soil sensing module, pump switching module, an intrusion detection module to ensure security of the system and a Global System for Mobile communication/General Packet Radio Service (GSM/GPRS) module to enable connection between the microcontroller and a remote server. The moisture readings is transmitted, by a wireless soil moisture sensor which was designed, developed and calibrated, to a microcontroller which does the actual irrigation control. Field experiments were carried out to validate the performance and functionality of the wireless moisture sensor and the irrigation system as a whole. This smart irrigation system, thus provides the farmer with convenience by easing the stressful irrigation process and providing effective water management for improvement in crop yield with little or no intervention from the farmer.

Keywords: Android application, automated irrigation system, GSM/GPRS, microcontroller, wireless soil moisture sensor, Web application.

Project Title: DEVELOPMENT OF HARDWARE INTERFACE WITH MOBILE APPLICATION FOR POWER SUBSTATION MONITORING AND MAINTENANCE OPERATION

Students: Henrietta Emefa Asamoah, Adjie Derrick Nii Adjie, Arthur Ezekiel Ferguson & Gilbert Blankson Afful
Supervisor: Dr. Godfrey A. Mills

Abstract:
Electrical distribution systems consist of power substations, which step down voltages to levels required for distribution. The substations have transformers and DC systems, which need constant monitoring and maintenance to prevent catastrophic failures. Key parameters that are monitored from the substations are the temperature on the transformer windings, transformer oil temperature and buchholz relay status. In most situations, these parameters are manually recorded on site by attendants at the stations. In situations where SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) is used, the parameters are monitored in a control room. This project work seeks to automate the process and allow off-site transformer fault status and load monitoring using a mobile application. The system consists of a microcontroller interfaced with an on-site transformer control panel. It communicates and sends data to a mobile application through a GSM/GPRS connection via a GSM shield. All recorded data can be viewed through a web application. Multiple tests were carried out on an on-site test transformer and on a simulated control panel board. The results from the test revealed that the system performed as specified in the design. This project clearly shows that power substation transformers can be monitored remotely and efficiently from a mobile application. This translates into the timely response of substation personnel to problems that may occur leading to transformer breakdown or the loss of power to consumers.

Project Title: PREDICTIVE DIAGNOSTIC TOOL FOR ELECTRICAL HEALTH RECORDS (EHR)
Students: Ashie Emmanuel, Alhassan Faisal, Addo Chrispine Sonkyebe & Ocrah Joshua
Supervisor: Mr. Appah Bremang

Abstract:
Health care management cannot be undertaken effificiently unless the basic required data is available. It is essential to ensure that, the most appropriate and accurate information for management of patient health is continuously collected, processed and provided in a required format and timely. Many avoidable shortcomings in the health sector that result in poor quality are due to inaccessible data or information and necessary knowledge. The development and establishment of a robust health information system are essential for sustainable management of the patient health care records. This project was carried out to develop a centralized database for the management of patient health records. This project seeks to eliminate the traditional paper-based approach of keeping records in various hospitals of the health sector and also to create a central platform where patient health records can be access across various hospitals that run this system.
The web application developed allows for the registration of patients, vital signs entry, doctor diagnoses, laboratory results upload, drug administration as well as service payment. The incorporation of machine learning in the web application assists the doctor in analyzing historical data on patients as well as their laboratory test results . The mobile application also operates like the web application with an additional chat functionality that makes it possible for the patient to initiate a chat session with a doctor without being present at the hospital.