Dryp: A remote garden manager

by: Ricardo Eric Gálvez

This project is to fulfill a couple ends. The first is purely for professional development and add new and relevant work to my portfolio. The idea is to create a “mock” product and run it through from basic concept to a finished product complete w/ screen designs, work flows, functional and technical specs. While it may never see the light of day in terms of a real, functional product, I think that, as a project demonstrating the breadth of my abilities it will be apparent.

A Project outline

Story Frames

  • the Dryp app tells you the story about your garden from day to day
  • the Dryp is a configurable garden control system that lets you monitor, control and memorialize your garden using open source software and hardware.
  • Users will access their “plot” via the Dryp interface and be able to see air and soil temps, soil pH, irrigation and ventilation settings.
  • Dryp will visualize the status of various aspects of the garden.
  • Dryp will allow user’s to schedule
  • Dryp will record and monitor Air and soil temp and save it to a database
  • The Dryp application can help you control ventilation and lighting if connected
  • micro-geography of plants can be mapped

Functional specs / Software ~ Hardware interface

  • Overall the project would be expressed as a web app

  • requires a local weather stataion (arduino / raspberry pi)

  • raspberryPi

    • hosts node app
    • hosts DB
    • tcp/ip communication

  • remote, web based application to control various functions of an automated garden

    • node.js / golang / python / electron?
      • core application / controller: node / go / python
      • hardware control: processing / wiring

  • collect data about garden status and store it

  • requires access to local weather data

  • Irrigation can be scheduled / programmed

  • Soil pH can be monitored

Users

  • me, but could be useful for DIYer who possesses a fair amout of technical ability

Wireframes

Implementation

  • Hardware
    • Arudino
    • raspberryPi
  • Software
    • wiring / processing Arduino I/O
    • node
    • html / js front end UI
  • Data
    • from weather station
    • data from garden sensors
    • soil temp
    • air temp
    • moisture levels
    • UV levels
  • UI
    • main page / system status dashboard
      • see Data section above
    • irrigation control
    • greenhouse control
      • ventilation
    • Optional: garden cameras
      • IR raspberryPi (NoIR?) cameras
  • Database

Screen Design

  • primarily a small screen app,
    • tablet and desktop versions would be cool