Raspberry Pi Forums

Hello - I'm a beginner, but the question is complex, so I thought I would try here.

Preamble I want to build a system that can be placed in a remote area and sense sound. If the sound is over 80db I would like a value to be recorded. If it is under 80db I would like another value to be recorded. I then need this information to be sent realtime to a cloud database which then interfaces with a map, so that a user can view the information realtime, with geolocation.

I need the following components:
- A sensor that senses db level (I have located a few)
- A computer that can run a program to classify the sound (from my research, it seems Pi would have this ability)
- A way to link that program to a cloud base so that it sends GPS information/or a code that could be tagged to its location (this is where I am most confused, not sure that Pi can do this in real-time)
- A remote power supply (have read pi doesn't take much juice, so maybe batteries or a usb solar panel)

Can anyone help point me in the right direction? I'm probably asking a 1000 questions here. Any help would be really appreciated. Can Rpi do all this? Or should I be looking at something else? If so what components would I need? Would I be able to tackle the programming as a novice, or should I seek outside help? If yes, where would I start?

Thanks everyone.

What is the output from the dB sensors you have looked at? Its not clear what you want - are you saying you want it to generate a 1 if its over 80db and a 2 if its under etc. or send an actual reading. If its the former then you just need a microphone then a potentiometer to calibrate it to the right level, then feed that through a transistor or two into the GPIO. However you also need a minimum level below which it won't give any output. If you need a reading you can just use a microphone and an analogue to digital converter that feeds a value to the GPIO. The program is simple from that.
The best way to transmit the information would be using a wifi dongle in the RPi and a Wifi to 3G dongle sitting near by. Then you'd need software at your server to read and display the results.
As for a GPS location, it would be best to simply program that in to your map for each RPi and then give each RPi an identity (which it will have anyway when you're connecting to the internet).

Power I'm currently working on, which is how I found your thread. The issue being that it takes 5Volts and batteries are not. Solar will probably be too precarious, but solar feeding a battery might be workable. It shouldn't be that hard to use a couple of mobile phone batteries and drop the power down with a zenar diode and resistor or even just a resistor. If I can't find anything someone's done already I'll have to put my brain in gear and design one.