ICT for remote data collection: A study on hydrological and weather stations in Afghanistan

Collecting data from remote hydrological and weather stations in Afghanistan has been a severe challenge to the relevant departments, as the lack of internet infrastructures is evident across the country. The staff members commute to the stations regularly to collect the data manually. This manual practice requires constant human labor and substantial financial resources and is inefficient in accessing timely data and managing the massive amount of collected data afterward. Until recent years, some stations were accessible through a satellite link; however, they are now disconnected due to high cost of the service. On the other hand, telecommunication services in Afghanistan had a rapid growth in the last two decades. People even in rural areas now have access to phone call and SMS; however, internet access has remained limited to the cities and populated areas. Hence, this research proposes the SMS solution to address the challenges of collecting data from remote hydrological and weather stations. A survey was conducted to evaluate the coverage of SMS vs. mobile data on 183 stations. A set of lab experiments were also conducted as a proof of concept. The results show that SMS is an applicable solution, considering current conditions in the region.