Flood Alert - Government APIs & the Case for 'Hyper-Localisation' of Civic Data.

This Instructables explores what a 'physical app' looks like - in this example, we take metrology and geological data from government sources, and create real-time alerts to warn about flood risks. It's called a 'Flood Alert', and is a bit like a 'Smart Home' device as some have called it, as it displays what the risks are if weather is looking unfavourable, and how to prepare. The other reason for posting on instructables, is that it's also a good project to remix, and have already been used for an application on sensing air quality in Laboratory filter systems for soldering. So I'm both interested in how you might use it for its original purpose of raising flood awareness, but also what else you might do with various other sources of global data or APIs…

I've posted a lot of projects now on Instructables, because they are 'finished'. This is perhaps the first I've published that is more of a 'work-in-progress', as although the first part is useful to those interested in working with APIs and IoT devices, arguably the next part is really all about - you - the citizens being involved in the science of climate change and helping protect ourselves from forces of nature.  

To be clear, this IoT device - developed with Pete Milne and RS DesignSpark - to alert you to impending flood dangers, is neither a guarantee of being 'flood proofed', and nor will it hold back the tragic 'force majeure' events like those devastating floods seen in Pakistan, or Louisiana anytime soon. The beginnings are much more humble - to alert those who can put out some sand-bags, elevate personal possessions, and unblock drains and gullies - and to be more proactive in preparing for a heavy downpour.

Thames Water expert, David Harding describes the 'first 6mm of rain' as being 'critical' to deal with proactively. Most urban flooding is like a 'mini flash flood', where the difference between a few sandbags at your door, can prevent a few inches of water entering your home, when it dies down again in an hour, but reining carpets, electrics flooring, furniture and more. This is drastically different to being flooded by a river bursting its banks, or extreme 'acts of god', typhoons and hurricanes which are more complex and deviating.

So why bother if you can't stop the next disaster?

Who cares about a few inches of water?

These are fair questions, and I'm not trying to over-state the capability of this project. To be upfront, it takes data from the UK's Environmental Agency / Met Office - via an API (online data request) - and creates alerts in a more prominent place, for those users who are not particularly tech savvy, and on smartphones all the time (my parents being a non-exceptional example, and who are not alone according to Flood Forum, a UK charity that works with those affected or worried about flooding of their homes in the UK). I feel this is an exciting application of APIs which are doing more than just showing us the weather - the hope is that they can be 'built upon' to create more accurate local data, which is not only driven by 'river levels' (the current focus of the API), but to more keenly focus on local data, in urban areas, where issues like blocked drains and gullies, as well as over development are more relevant factors. We've dubbed this 'hyper-local' flood alerts, in that they are based on 'roughly local' data from trusted sources like the Government - but the local residents help 'dial-in' the last fine-tuning of the data, to street or home level.

Truthfully, this is not a 'done deal' and is still in development. I don't know what the 'next chapter' of this story will be. I've just started working at Royal College of Art as a Technologist in Residence, in the Ecological Citizens team. I've also been working with RS DesignSpark who funded this open-source design project and citizen science research - and we're excited by what this could be as a future signal to APIs and Machine Learning combined with IoT being used in more civic applications. I'm interested to see what people do next...hence posting here on Instructables, for ideas, critique and building upon the concept.

My hope is that through further collaborating on this 'hyper-local' objective, using 'machine learning' to refine data to be more accurate to the individual, perhaps this methodology might help people in places in more dire need, like the aforementioned Pakistan or Louisiana. The best analogy I can think of is how Google Maps uses a bunch of satellite data, and clever data sets - but it's the fact everyday people 'dial-in' the model by being 'hyper-local' - if you're slowing down because of a traffic jam, the folks behind you will be diverted to less congested roads. This is where 'big data' meets 'small data' if you like. Where the single datapoint can be powerful to many. I'm not Google, and we don't have that kinda budget, but this is a pilot - but it's also a provocation - to find out what this approach can do to 'hyper-localise' our lives in new ways.

I am actively seeking to connect with folks in other countries who want to modify and remix this open-source project to help their needs. Some people may indeed use it to create better flood alerts, but it's also exciting to wonder if it's applied to blizzards, winds, heatwaves, or any other force of nature we feel we'd want to not 'hold back', but perhaps be 'better prepared for', be it some precautionary sandbags or earlier evacuation to save lives, before it's too late to escape.

Not to dismiss the humanitarian emphasis, but I'm also open to the idea that perhaps 'I'm missing a trick' and the best machine learning data model I should be using, might already exist in sports, farming, or even gaming. But either way, my core interest is what does 'Big Data + Little Data' look like? What needs to be 'hyper-local'? How can we make global data APIs work for us at a community level?

Citizen Science feels idealistic when you look at it in theory. Perhaps because we don't have much agency over the data which massive companies (FAANG) possess - and yet the irony is - it's OUR DATA. So although I'm aware of the apparent naiveté of this project's ambitions - I think communities like DesignSpark, Instructables, HackaDay, et al - this is where the future actually starts planting seeds. Having worked at some big tech companies, these things are referred to as 'weak signals' - they are often wrong, misguided, idealistic, naïve - but they represent something insightful.

It's what Kevin Kelly described in his book "The Inevitable" - that you can't predict the 'iPhone, but you can say for certain that we will be more 'connected' as the years go by. Similarly, in Steven Johnson's "Wonderland", he compellingly shows how many social movements started out as 'niche' curiosities and experiments, and that it's often not Industry that drives innovation, but that our desires drive more than we think, taking some surprising examples of the Textile Industry as an irrefutable example of this. The immortal James Lovelock, in his final book Novacene: The Coming of Hyperintellegence also makes compelling argument how our future is now intertwined with technology, to such an extent that our co-existing between nature and technology is a fusion of the mind, body and soul.

This modest Flood Alert project is not as breath-taking as the Sci-Fi visions of Scavengers Reign, the concepts of Moebius, or the dystopia of The Matrix, but I personally feel APIs are 'small step for humankind' in that they truly encourage a symbiosis of global knowledge, which can serve the individual, and that the individual can help the many, wherever they live - and that the overarching goal must increasingly be one that acknowledges our need to be in greater harmony with the planet and each other. Flood Alert is a baby-step to be sure, but I believe what it represents is 'inevitable' in the interconnectedness of our lives and global conciseness.

So please explore, remix and play with the Flood Alert.

As Chris Dixon wonderfully signed-off in his terrific book Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet

- "These are the Good-Old Days". 

The build is comprised of various basic electronics parts, with the Arduino at the core (~£25), and the e-Ink screen being the only 'exotic' part (~£21). By design, we tried to keep the costs/complexity as low as possible, and although many of the items here I already had (resistors, header pins, LEDs), one would expect the build to be in effect between £50-£55 each if made in a batch.

The WiFi and SIM setup (2 years) being around ~£70 (which is a bargain if doing this sort of Citizen Science research). If you're doing this as a 1-off, I would strongly recommend finding a local hackspace who will likely have many of these 'basic' components, and/or may be willing to buy some bulk and 'split down' to singles.

Similarly with 3D Printing - I've used my Ender3 for 4 years no with no issues, but if not an engineer or very technically inclined with mechanical things, perhaps again get a 3d print bureau to print for you, and it'll likely be ~£20-30.

Lastly, if you make the PCB yourself, it's time-consuming, but as I've show, not impossible with basic protoboard. However, feel free to use the Gerber Files and send off your a hand PCB, which again, per unit may be around £2 each.

Bill Of Materials (Please note, some of the links are associate / affiliate links):

Case:

3D Printing: PLA (ERYONE) : https://amzn.to/3TP5orm

M2 Machine Screws (Slimline) : https://amzn.to/3zwDWIj

M2 Brass Threaded Inserts : https://amzn.to/47MnQa5

Electronics:

Arduino 33 Nano IoT / ABX00032: https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/arduino/1927589 ~£24

E-Ink Display Module - 2.9" (296x128) / SKU: WAV-12956: https://thepihut.com/products/eink-display-module-spi-2-9-296x128 ~£21

Buzzer: https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/piezo-buzzers/5117620 or Bulk: https://amzn.to/3XQYx1S

Red LED: https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/leds/2285988?searchId=daed70b6-476d-4897-9d90-31488f6e725c&gb=s

Yellow LED: https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/leds/2286010?searchId=7cd5fded-848f-41cf-95e6-4501b0006c23&gb=s

Green LED: https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/leds/2286004?searchId=d8f22f7a-156f-4f70-9385-262d745d833a&gb=s

RGB LED: https://amzn.to/3XGywSY

Header (Female) Strips: https://amzn.to/4gOZeSc

Resistors (Bumper Pack) : https://amzn.to/4dsZZNY

Button 5.9mm : https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/tactile-switches/4791435?searchId=db71bff9-aff1-4366-ac23-9a1578ae90b4&gb=s

Button 90degree 3.85mm : https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/tactile-switches/7581994?searchId=ab8b5a30-39bc-4db1-ad8e-05a13c69c2fb&gb=s

Button 90degree 8.25mm : https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/tactile-switches/7581991?searchId=09fdf2c0-977c-43cf-bebc-649679393e1e&gb=s

BC547BTA NPN Transistor : https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/bipolar-transistors/6711113?searchId=c0bb7ab0-8470-489e-acb9-83efeb0679ae&gb=s

Power Supply Unit / USB Micro: https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/raspberry-pi-power-supplies/1770222 (or similar).

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Optional JST Clips (for Serial RX/TX Port) : https://amzn.to/3ZOc1y6

Optional Protoboard : https://amzn.to/3zOZ10s

WiFi & SIM Setup:

TP-Link WiFi SIM: https://amzn.to/43Sgajn

24month 24 Gb SIM Cards: https://amzn.to/46aMrEr

Genuinely these are a bargain, for what issues they solve with doing Citizen Science research and data privacy, etc. at ~£70 to make those issue 'go away' is such a no-brainer in hindsight. They are even less, since I started this project.

Decals (Text on 3D Prints):

Print at Home (Inkjet) Decals : https://amzn.to/4dwNRv4

Clear Spray Paint : https://amzn.to/3XKEoL3

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General Tools:

These are pretty generic, but I'd say the Ender3 is a great 'my first 3D printer'. I use a blowtorch for setting the brass inserts in, but you can use a soldering iron for the same result. Heat and push. I have a hand-drill, which is more handy thank I'd have ever expected. You'd want a set of metric (ideally) drill bits or nearest imperial sizes - basically those which are close to the holes for the threaded inserts, e.g. 3mm hole. Other tools like scalpel / knife, needle files, and such are handy, but this is a relatively low complexity build.

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Disclaimer:

Please forgive the legal notice, but it needs to be said for myself, and RS/DesignSpark also, the Flood Alert project is something you build, use and interpret entirely at your own risk. It is not a 'Flood Prevention' device. It has been designed in good faith to help educate the general public about flood alerts from government sources and to explore how local data can be combined with national data to be more specific. However, this is a experimental hypothesis, and the project is a pilot. Consequently, neither party can be held responsible for any losses or damages caused by reading or misreading the data from this device. Please do not use this if you are not comfortable with these terms of use.

This Instructable has 4 sections. (Not including the preachy and pretentious bit above).

If you're just needing to dive into the build, feel free to scroll down, to "Build Guide".

However, much of why I write these Instructables is to share the backstory, and indeed, in this case 'tee-up' what might be some interesting remixes and collaborations even, from this great community (and do share elsewhere please!). A great example would be RadioGlobe, and I hope Flood Alert might be explored similarly for new possibilities. Thanks in advance for comments, questions, and builds upon this...

Many thanks to David Harding for his excellent interview on the PBS Documentary. This clip just happened to show the borough (Waltham Forest) where I live, and although I've been lucky not to have been affected directly by flooding, I've had friends and family who are not so lucky. Indeed, the co-developer of this project, Pete Milne previously lived in a property which had flooding problems - so we both felt this was a pertinent issue, and had potential to be applicable to other areas with more complex and/or serious forces of nature, but that better urban planning and awareness of the interaction between the two could be worthwhile to explore.

David makes a compelling case, not just for climate change being a factor, but actually that the issue is 'closer to home' - in that our over-development in urban areas is perhaps much more to blame for urban flooding through surface water. This sounds bad news, but in fact is good news, as unlike a hurricane, we have more agency and control over our municipal design and upgrading of drains, etc. 

I grew up in Cumbria, and although I've since moved to London, I've been saddened to see some pretty devastating floods, which are as varied as they are numerous. Some floods in places like Appleby, are by a river, and suffered because of the river bursting its banks. Flood defences have been installed since, but as demonstrated with Carlisle, a city not far away, this gets more complex as the mix of river (fluvial) and surface water (pluvial) - the latter being not drained because of the concrete and tarmac, making a problematic mix, meaning their flood defences were overwhelmed only 10 years after they were built in 2005.

This is not to glibly imply that a Flood Alert would have 'saved the day', as with hurricanes and storms, some downpours are of biblical proportions. However, as with so much in life, there are 'shades of grey' - and there are of course those who could hold back a 'flash flood' with sandbags, which will subside in an hour or two, and avoid having 6 inches of water in the house, which infuriatingly could perhaps have been prevented from rendering it uninhabitable. 

Some examples of Flooding, as posted on Twitter. These are nearly always not the direct result of a river bursting its banks, as can be seen from any maps showing terrain and elevation. It's complex to be sure, but as per David Harding's comments, our dense population is clearly a factor that correlates all too clearly. So councils and authorities have to address these issues in a joint way, which presently it's hard to say it seems that way, and is more 'pass-the-buck' as both independent instructions struggle with budget cuts and resource shortages.

This is not a tirade on any one organisation, but more a plea that there needs to be a cohesive strategy, as even from my own experience (in more detail on DS Website), it is at least tricky and at worse intolerable for most residents I've spoke to to resolve the matter efficiently and expediently - if at all. I follow an email group to a local council and the problems and requests for help, for some have dragged on for over 2 years now. 

Images above are of flooding in Pakistan* and New Orleans**, which had death-tolls in their thousands. These are of course hard to 'prevent' because of their sheer scale. In contrast, floods in my home town of Carlisle, Cumbria*** were far less severe, but perhaps illustrate that some preventative measure could be made, although even this is extremely hard as the sheer volume and pressure of water engulfs even large parts of a small city centre, which had 'flood defences' installed.

The 'use case' for a Flood Alert at the level of this project is of course very modest, and not 'Force Majeure-grade', but it poses the question of if better 'hyper-local' models are accurate enough, would this help save lives elsewhere. One of the problems people face with alerts is that there is a 'human factor' in whether people act accordingly. One should of course not 'victim blame', but I'm keen to say a 'Flood Alert' is not enough as one report summarises just a few issues that made residents of New Orleans hesitate, some with fatal consequences (link):

The major themes identified related to participants’ decision to not evacuate were as follows: (1) perceived susceptibility, including optimism about the outcome because of riding out past hurricanes at home and religious faith; (2) perceived severity of the hurricane because of inconsistent evacuation orders; (3) barriers because of financial constraints and neighbourhood crime; and (4) perceived racism and inequities.

The more accurate weather models get, the better, but perhaps a degree of resident participation is also needed to encourage participation in flood prevention and/or preparedness schemes, such that when evacuation warnings are issued, there is greater emotional buy-in already within communities.

I'd be interested in speaking to anyone who works in such humanitarian effects before, during or in the aftermath of such floods in different countries. Please get in touch. (link or link).

*(Image Credit: Abdul Majeed/AFP via Getty Images.)

**(Image Credits: CNN. Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News/AP)

*** (Image Credits: Gov.uk - link)

As mentioned, the crux of this project revolves around how most of the API data is driven by River based data from the Environmental Agency, this is called 'Fluvial', meaning river water. The issue is this is pretty relevant if you live in the country near rivers, etc. However, in urban areas, chances are you are not near a river, so the relevancy is less clear - and surface water, known as 'Pluvial' is more relevant, but this is less available [at the time of writing] - and hence why the emphasis on this 'local' data being needed, and if not provided by the Env Agency in future, then can Citizen Science efforts contribute an interim solution, or indeed, is the end-goal to have a combination - yielding this 'hyper-local' concept of Citizen and Governmental data sets being combined to good effect?

Either way, I found these terms warranted a sketch to illustrate the point - so here you go!

If you are pretty tech savvy, and live in the UK, and are concerned/affected by surges of water - do sign up for the Flood Alerts here. (link). Above shows a few screenshots of what to expect.

As illustrated with the data in my local area, which includes a area known as 'Wood Street' which was badly flooded, as illustrated by the Gov.uk map - it does not have many river reads, and at the time of writing, no 'groundwater' levels, or any 'surface water' data or alerts - and yet people were flooded. So this is where the Citizen Science aspect may play a potential role in future, that even if hard to 'prevent', can one 'prepare' better, with more notice?

Previously, I spent 2 weeks interviewing many staff and financial folks associated with CMS Markets, a day trade company - in preparation for a talk I gave to the London office. It was a fascinating experience, even though very different to my usual work, but what stuck with me, was the data modelling of the financial world...and how it's arguably not dissimilar to the meteorological world.

My point being, I suspect both are expert at modelling the 'day-to-day', but both also struggle with the 'financial crashes' and 'El Niño' complexities of global events too complex for even the best computer and human teams to predict. And yet this is where I think tech future will converge as we see greater access to data of increasing detail, and the ability for us to process larger sets in ways which are as radical a jump at going from Newtonian to Quantum physics.

And so - if you do work in FinTech and/or Meteorology, please do get in touch!

I was extremely appreciative of the local residents for their time, candour and feedback on this project. There is too much to include here, but if interested in the 'back story', do check out RS DesignSpark for the longer read!

The interviews and insights of above, led to the following 'personas' as we call them in design/marketing. Although one should take with a 'pinch of salt', as they 'one side - does NOT - fit all', they nonetheless are useful for shaping a narrative around what the project's goals might be.

As it happens, I still believe this is a laudable goal of helping those who are less tech savvy, and more vulnerable, but I found that we may need to develop the project's Machine Learning aspects with those who are more familiar with the deep tech, to then later refine the model and 'come full circle' to help folks as illustrated.

With that said, as with all design work, assumptions change, and I fully expect this may go through a few more iterations and changes as we learn more... so it's a start, to frame the initial offering, and then iterate as we go.

It proved tricky to recruit some of the residents who were a little unsure of the Flood Alert's technical and legal intricacies, but it's perhaps telling that the first recruit was a data scientist who worked for the NHS.

Alex completely understood the project, and had it up and running before I'd even walked home!

As this is a beta, and still running on the API from the Env Agency, his feedback has been a good 'baseline' to the fact it is indeed inaccurate (ie not 'hyper-local'), and is not really accounting for the surface water aspect of flood alerting in his area.

Fortunately Alex is well prepared, and has a basement, which 'takes the hit' of any flooding, and he had a 'sump pump' which deals with most of the water. It's perhaps telling that Alex is technical, proactive and evidently quite ingenious in figuring thsi all out, despite having to deal with the inconvenience of modest flooding. However, I need folks like Alex to help establish this baseline of 'what's not working', and then to advance to the proposed improvement.

So if you are an 'Alex' type of person, living in the UK, it'd be great to hear from you!

Or if not in the UK, and capable of tweaking the API code for your own country's data on flood alerts - also please get in touch!

www.judepullen.com --> Contact/Email me.

This is in one of my friend's homes, who's garden and office had some flooding issues, so the Flood Alert has been handy to ensure a few precautionary sandbags are in place, and no valuables on the flood of the office, etc.

I was sent this photo after I asked 'where'd you put it?', and I really loved how with no prompting, this felt 'at home' in a way that was useful (as a book end - haha!) but in a smart place, which was not intrusive, or to be anxious-making, but also not so hidden away as to be ignored!

I've gone into much more detail of the epic back-and-forth it took to get my Drains and Gullies seen on my street. Long story short, I was not flooding, but would prefer to avoid preventable flash floods due to blocked drains!

When speaking to call centres of the relevant authorities, at least in the UK, you need to avoid saying the colloquial (and likely inaccurate) phrase 'my drains are blocked' when what is likely is your 'gully is blocked'. (See diagram above).

The Council manages 'Gullies' (the bit you can see).

The Water Authority manages 'Drains' (the bit you cannot see under the road).

Once you have your Gully 'signed off', you can then - and only then - get the Drains cleared, if still experiencing issues, as I was. This is attributed to the privatisation the Water Services by Margret Thatcher in the 1980s, and so this is why there is double accounting for something that in hindsight should have singular management. If you think I'm ranting, just ask anyone who's living with this - and unlike me - actually being flooded as a consequence of infuriating 'line drawing' between one party's duty and another's - when evidently, the things are quite literally connected. Why this has not been resolved after 4 decades is beyond me!

I'm not going to lie, at this point, as I was being paid by RS DesignSpark, and getting my drains and gullies cleaned was now a matter of principle. So, I was frankly gleefully documenting being fobbed-off and given the run-around by both Council and Water Authority alike - as this was adding to my case study for this blog series.

To reiterate - this was not about being pedantic and wasting their time - as because I was part of an email group, I was aware that my situation was a proxy for what other residents were going through.

What one needs to consider is that I'm a chartered engineer, and am being paid to research this, and furthermore - I'm not stressed-out about being flooded - so if this was trying my patience, imagine the poor people who are trying to do this single handedly, with less technical expertise, and it not being their 'day job' to tackle this, and dealing with sandbags and more besides!

As for my drains, the Council and Water Authority, they did resolve this eventually. So my case is closed. However, what I will happily continue to argue, on behalf of those residents who are not at liberty to blog about this, is that the bureaucracy between the two organisations needs total overhaul. I am not 'picking a fight' with either company, but rather the UK government for allowing the privatisation to render the situation for many residents to be a farce: If water is pooling in the streets, and risking flooding your home, as a taxpayer, and payer of water rates, you should not have to spend hours being ping-ponged between two massive bureaucratic organisations to get some service-people to just sort the problem out. The public frankly do not care whose jurisdiction, purview, responsibility or budget it is - they just want it sorted. They should not have to become 'expert', as I have had to, in order to navigate the maze of terms and procedures to be taken seriously.

David Harding's Interview is unflinching and I'm grateful for him being willing to also advocate for change. I sincerely hope that in future both organisations can consolidate their efforts, rather than giving people the run-around for what is a simple enough request that should not take this much effort to resolve.

#RantOver as they say. Or for now at least.

Getting on with the task of making, what one resident, and Heather from Flood Forum dubbed 'Flood Alexa' - I worked on the process of taking my cardboard 'demo' model, with scrolling 'screens' into a working thing.

In the early days, I was thinking about how to put the 'Flood Alexa' concept, (and yes, more about the physicality of IoT devices, rather than the voice control per se), and I thought the kitchen might be a good place to have something like this - where one is passing regularly. I felt the bedroom was perhaps too jarring, especially as alerts from the Env Agency can come at any time of the day, or night. So I wanted the device to be 'front of view', but not intrusive.

I could probably go on about the philosophy of where IoT devices should exist in our lives at greater length, but I also want to save you the time, and just say, because of all this musing, that saying of "I don't know what I'm looking for - but I'll know it when I see it", pays off, and I found CRYPTOiNK Project, by John Loeffler, on HackaDay.

This has an interesting parallel and difference: One one hand it was great that it was prominent, and not just on one's phone, and was a 'dedicated device'. I like all of this. However, my target user was not perhaps a 'twitchy' crypto-investor wanting to check on things with the fervour of a day trader!

I did actually consider, and left space for a battery, but long story short, the needs of it being mobile were less than the risks of LiPo batteries being a bit risky of fire (insurance, etc.). So left it out for now.

I've written a fair a bit about the importance of low-fi prototyping, and this was no exception: At this point in the design process, I already had been working with Pete Milne and could have possibly made a working demo of this, but firstly time was tight, and secondly, I know from experience that if you show up to discuss an idea - and want candid feedback - that presenting a really great prototype means people feel awkward to critique it too harshly.

Perhaps this is what's called 'ugly baby' syndrome, but you know that feeling of not wanting to hurt someone's feelings, so you hold back...

With a chunk of cardboard, however, it's at once impressive in that it's more than what most people can do with card, but simultaneously, it's not intimidating, and people don't feel it's precious' or can't be changed. I often put a 'sacrificial' part on it, which I purposefully *rip* off, and perhaps remove or reposition mid discussion, almost as a theatrically 'fearless' gesture to show I'm not afraid to adapt the design to what they suggest. This induces a small gasp, then a smile, then more feedback.

I'm not a magician, but know a few folks in the design industry who are, and this 'theatre' is something they certainly know, and use to 'draw someone closer' into being more engaged with the work - be it 'trick' or 'critique'.

If I've learned anything from Pete Milne over the years we've worked together, it is that even the pros still prototype on an electronic breadboard. Pete and I have diagnosed many problems through this method. I've had a few things fail only because I had a Transistor from Amazon, to my shame, rather than from RS Components!

Having previously had a Linear Regulator nix a project and have me guessing for about half a day to find the problem, I've since realised that buying 'legit' components is worth the money for the time you don't waste, or indeed, risk testing the patience of your co-workers. With the exception of 'self-evident' components like Resistors (you can verify with a multimeter), and LEDs which work or don't, I've come to realise any 'switching' components like MOSFETs or Transistors, one should really buy from a proper supplier, and not a generic non-brand company.

If you're interested in the whole process, click over to RS DesignSpark on this, but I learnt a lot from Pete Milne about how to develop one section of a circuit at a time, and verify the whole regularly. The end result may seem 'simple', but I'm impressed that it's also very robust, and really is efficient in its design. As I'm not trained as an EE, I often take for granted just how smooth the journey is working with a pro like Pete, and it's ironically a 'teaching moment' when I mess up, and realise the layers of wisdom in a simple decision. So if you're lucky enough to shadow a seasoned pro, I highly recommend it - just be ready to 'fess up' to your own inexperience, and be ok to re-do without protest!

However, I don't also want to paint Pete Milne as some sort of mystic 'Shufu' character, like something out of the Matrix or Kung Fu tropes, where the 'newbie' is left guessing all the time at cryptic maxims and tangential fables. Pete is also incredibly willing to explore some pretty wild suggestions and questions from me, and for sure - most of the time my ideas are flawed - but every so often we did hit on something which is rather exciting. So without overstating my role, it's more a credit to Pete that he can sense when a crazy idea might be the start of something not that crazy.

I feel we have unfinished business with the 'Mickey Finn' idea we started to chip away at - trying to work out how to get the Arduino to transmit and receive data, by alternating WiFI and BLE signals (not easy)...if curious, click to RS DesignSpark.

After all the work, here it is!

As mentioned in the longer story of the project on DesignSpark, the project actually started off at The Good Air Canary, which sparked an interest in 'alerts'. This progressed to moving from sensor data to API data - in the form of the UV Budgie, which reacted to Sunshine (UltraViolet) radiation, from the Met Office API, and this in turn progressed to the Flood Falcon...because I love a trinity, but of course we realised this is not the right form factor, never mind how expensive it'd be to produce. So the Flood Alert was a more sober piece of tech, with less whimsy and less complexity and less cost - given we wanted to make a fair few of them for a pilot!

This took the cost from about 30 parts to 3. And probably about £200 to £55 (not that cheap, as we're still buying things at a small scale). And certainly it takes about 10 mins to assemble a Flood Alert, as opposed to 2-3 hours!

With all this said, I still appreciate the incremental 'evolution' of this project, and feel many things often come out of a 'zeitgeist'. As with the Good Air Canary I made, which launched in Dec 2021, it was followed by the wonderful Kickstarter of Canairi (now Birdie). People have asked if I felt 'disappointed' [because of the bird reference], but of course, even my project is not 'fully original' as Dyson had done a project like this 2020 with school kid's backpacks. And yet, I'd been working on the idea of Air Quality research for about 5 years before this, and I frankly expect Dyson even longer. I was making 'strategic prototypes', Dyson was likely doing the same, and testing public readiness, and Canairi was doing what great KS campaigns do - which is define a great user experience, and make it happen! I genuinely never set out to create a start-up, I'm more interested in the intersection of this and many other tech projects with a human insight within them. So genuinely, I'm in touch with them, and continue to wish them every success - these are all great projects championing a better use of tech in our lives.

The issue was not so much 'the idea', or 'being first', (though this does matter in some instances), but what interests me more is the readiness of the technology: Behind all these innovations is the company Sensirion that really got things started with making various sensors really small, and affordable. But even Sensirion didn't anticipate COVID-19, and that CO2 would be a good proxy for 'fresh air', and how this exploded the awareness around Environmental Sensing, perhaps more than my time working at Dyson between 2009-2013 where these sensors where in their infancy.

To be clear, I'm really pleased my work sits alongside that of Dyson, Canari, and a whole load more - as with the Air Quality Activist Engineer work at DesignSpark, with 12 designers from around the world taking part. For me this is the exciting moment when a technology become 'ripe' to innovate with.

Similarly, I'd wager my and Pete's efforts with APIs of this nature on its own will only be one of many projects to come in the next decade. These are exciting times to play, and explore - both the tech and the meaning of the tech in our lives.

If I learned anything form BBC Big Life Fix - it's that you need to a good Travel Care when working with Tech!

Joking aside, I was ready with my foam-lined case of tech, to ship out to folks who wanted to take part...

Many thanks again to Pete Milne for all the work, in co-developing the concept, and driving much of the electronics and the code of course. Check out the GitHub Repo for the latest updates from him.

Above is the circuit diagram for the Flood Alert circuitry. More info is on GitHub, and a PDF image of the PCB itself. As mentioned, you can either hand-solder the wiring and the components on protoboard, as it was originally prototypes on a standardised size (50x62mm), or you can upload the Gerber files (below), and get it made professionally.

Following the Diagram above, or on GitHub, solder as shown.

This step rather assumes familiarity with soldering, but some tips if new to this...

1. Solder using Blue-Tack to help you keep things in place.
2. Solder all Components first. Then 'wire up'.
3. Generally doing the small wires / shortest wires first will help.
4. Don't be afraid to solder 'tracks' for small distances. Drag the solder as you go.
5. It's fine to 'jump' from one side to another, for example if one sight is congested.

This PCB was designed by Kevin Hobbs, following the electrical advice of Pete Milne, and the trial-and-error UI/UX design from myself.

It worked 'first time'! But this is certainly thanks to the skill of Pete and Kevin, but also that I had prototypes early versions of this, which dramatically reduce the risk of unforeseen issues, as it 'works' at least in 'rough', and so in theory should be much better when done properly.

The Arduino could of course be hard-soldered to the PCB, removing space by negating the need to have header pins, etc. However, as space in not a major issue for this project, it didn't make sense to lose the functionality of having it possible to switch out an Arduino with ease, for whatever reason. If you wishes to redesign and reduce thickness of the enclosure, this would be a good place to start.

~

A note on Compliance: This device is not CE rated. You'd need to do that yourself if needed. However, the chances are Kevin, being an industry professional, will have likely designed this to a higher standard than I'd asked for, and although we didn't put it through EMC or EMF testing to be CE compliant, as it's not a commercial product, but it'd likely pass anecdotally speaking, because of it's simplicity, and it's not exhibited any interference near other devices. That said, if you did want to 'go pro' with this, do let us know if you get it through compliance!

There are SLT files for simple printing 'as is' of the design's 3 parts: Front, Back and Button.

The Button is arguably not necessary, but I was keen to add this small detail partly for aesthetics/design challenge (as it's nice not to have a black dot if not needed), but it was also as we were not sure if we'd code in the 'AP Mode' (like a WPS mode on your router to 'search' for devices), so having it 3D printed, means we can 'blank it off' or 'keep it in'.

In the end, we just commented the code out, so it's 'dormant'. However, it does have a nice function of silencing the buzzer, like an Alarm Clock, which is nice.

Anyway these were printed on an Ender3, using a 0.6mm Nozzle, at 'standard' 0.2mm layer height (though 0.32mm would be fine), using Eryone PLA. All prints are 'flat' as imported. Build support can be added, but is not essential (by design). Pleasingly you can print 4 at a time, if like me you're making a batch run!

Below are also the SolidWorks Parts. Sorry if you use Autodesk (they are welcome to sponsor me - haha!). I'm sponsored by SolidWorks, so files are 'legit' / 'safe' and not a ripped copy. If you need to tweak the files, you may want to try Meshmixer, which is excellent.

This was something I learned at Dyson, from a very experienced engineer. Although less applicable with FDM prints, with SLS this is highly recommended... When printing, the edges of holes are usually 'ribbed' as the layers stack up. If they printed to exact size, they would likely wear out, so most 3D printing software usually makes holes slightly smaller, or slightly bigger, to ensure a tight fit. Indeed, engineers even often add say 5-10% extra 'tightness' on a prototype, knowing it will be drilled-out, by them or their understudy, as I was with the Dyson engineer!

It's a slightly tedious job, but makes for a great finish on your work, as edges near lights are 'sharp' and crisp, and moving parts like buttons are not 'sticky', as well as any sliding parts running smoothly. Do consult the PDF of the work, or measure your LEDs, and say they are 5mm (as mine are), drill a 5.5mm hole. (7/32 in). (Conversion Table).

Use files to remove any coarse over-printing or unevenness.

Use scalpel to cut away and swarf or mis-printing.

Finally, and only if confident, use a blowtorch to remove any 'cobwebs' or 'stringing' of printer filament.

I feel I should be on commission really, (I'm not). These have been a main-stay of my work with 3D printing, since my days at Dyson, as they allow for some great build quality, but also make parts last longer, if you think you're going to disassemble and change them often.

The technique is to take your M2 Insert, place it on a M2 bolt (ideally long as possible), and even better if mounted in a non-conductive thing like a wooden dowel, as shown here, and then heat it with a blow torch for 5-10 seconds (or until it slightly changes colour).

Then you plunge this into the 3D printed plastic, ensuring it's in a well ventilated area. Press down until flush. If needed, use a smooth flat piece of metal (pencil end here) to flatten any plastic which squirts out unevenly.

I created some 3D Printing Tips which had videos on this in more detail if curious:

https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/3d-printing-tips-with-jude-pullen-part-1-essential-tips

https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/3d-printing-tips-with-jude-pullen-part-2-engineering-and-design-tips

https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/3d-printing-tips-with-jude-pullen-part-3-little-know-quirky-tips

Tidy up any rough edges, and ensure print is clean, for the next part - Decals!

If you make a lot of prototypes for R&D or personal projects, you often find yourself needing to label-up a console or suchlike with text labels. I've used Dymo sticker printer, but this failed and fell off - the surface perhaps being too rough at a microscopic level (?). So I found these wonderful 'water-slide' decals. (link above).

Print them on A4 / Letter as you wish, ensuring maximum coverage / minimal waste.

To water-proof the printer ink, and bind it permanently, the decal manufacturer suggests using a clear acrylic spray gloss. I used this one. (link above). Spray a couple thin coats, and leave to dry thoroughly.

As you will have seen on my page layout - I added 'tick marks' to help with cutting out. Not critical but helps.

As I was doing a batch of 12 units, I had quite a lot to keep track of and it makes sense to do 'extras' in case you mess one up.

I created two videos showing this process in real time, as there is a 'knack' to it. (below).

The general idea is to leave in for about 1 minute, when you go to pick it up out of the water, it should feel like the backing paper and top delay want to separate with a little 'rub' of your fingers in opposite directions. This is the perfect point to transfer and slide them onto the 3D Printed Part.

Videos in real time.

You can place with fingers or tweezers and it actually helps to have a little excess water to allow final 'floating' positioning. Soak up the excess water once in position with some good tissue. Careful not to pull back off.

I suggest overnight in a warm place to fully 'cure'. It need not be too hot, as you want the glue to really bind to the plastic.

The case is now ready for the code to be 'flashed' onto the Arduino. Full details of this on GitHub.

In the spirit of Open Source, here on Instructables, I have been exploring other sensors we might add to this, or even other boards. So there is a Aux (TX/RX/GND) Serial Output in case needed. Leave blank if not needed.

Following the guide on GitHub, it will guide you through how to find your local area, using the Gov.uk website, and then to find Latitude and Longitude coordinates, which then can be inputted to find your nearest and most relevant dataset.

Safe to say, this project is in 'phase 1' and the plan is to develop the model further, so this is the first stage, and please do offer any suggestions on GitHub to improve this, or indeed, as this is UK based, anyone who finds a nice variation in their home country and modifies the code accordingly, please do share!

Indeed, not to seem lazy, but this is where being 'local' to a given country is the best way to test what APIs work best, so if you are not in the UK - I'm very interested to see if this 'ports' and 'plays well' with your local data and APIs - and how it performs in adverse weather warnings. Get in touch!

I had been exploring Climate Central's web app - to predict areas in risk of flooding both now and in future.

These images of India and Pakistan and also Southern States of USA are by no means exhaustive, but give an indication of areas of interest. Indeed, over the sea from the UK, the Netherlands seems particularly concerning, so I'm really open to any offers to trial / expand this project beyond the UK.

This device can offer no guarantees, but it's interesting to see what it can do to help raise awareness, and perhaps improve preparedness of local communities at risk of minor flooding - to barricade, or if at risk of more serious flooding - to evacuate sooner.

Thanks for sharing any advice and recommendations in comments or via DM.

A great interview with David about the issues facing residents and how to understand the situation at a local council / water authority level.

Flood Forum is a UK charity helping people manage their situation after a flood has hit, and/or to prepare for impending risks in future. Heather offered some great insights into the emotional toll of the problem, as well as practical solutions which may help. Do also check out https://nationalfloodforum.org.uk/

Also from Flood Forum, Edward and I discussed some of the user experience design issues. Many thanks for his and Heather's great insights which helped shape the Flood Alert design. More at: https://nationalfloodforum.org.uk/

As mentioned I'm very interest in hearing how this project gets deployed and remixed in other countries. APIs are surely a growing technology which put unprecedented data at our fingertips - but it still requires us to build things which make that interaction accessible. This is the essence of the project, and I hope Flood Alerts are 'localised' in different countries.

It may even be that many of my UK-centric assumptions are 'translated' differently. I've assumed single users, but perhaps in some places, these are best deployed in Cafes, Schools, Cornershops, or Police Stations...

Thanks for your engagement, and any constructive feedback to help improve this.

As much as I'm primarily interested in people using the Flood Alert to help with flooding issues, the fact is this is a useful little enclosure, and I've no issue if it gets used as another form of 'alert' - in this case, when against time and budget, we simply reused it for a Air Quality sensor hub, to collate data on whether filters needed changing on soldering stations, as part of a RS DesignSpark hackathon. So if you feel you want to use this for something entirely different - please also share.

It is Open Source for open minds...