Development of a wireless sensor network for early detection of sinkholes using ground vibration and soil moisture sensors

Mohd Zahari, Muhammad Ariff Nazmi and Mansor, Hasmah and Gunawan, Teddy Surya and Mohd Ali, Abdul Malik (2025) Development of a wireless sensor network for early detection of sinkholes using ground vibration and soil moisture sensors. In: IEEE International Conference on Smart Instrumentation, Measurement and Applications (ICSIMA, 10-11 September 2025, Royale Chulan, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.

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Abstract

Sinkholes are a substantial hazard to society and infrastructure. Conventional detection techniques can be reactive and expensive. This study develops a low-cost, IoT enabled wireless sensor network for early sinkhole detection using ground vibration and soil moisture sensors, integrating an SW-18010P vibration sensor and a capacitive soil moisture sensor with an ESP32 microcontroller and Blynk platform. Real-time data transmission to the Blynk dashboard enabled remote visualization and alerting. In controlled simulations replicating karst dissolution, the system achieved 100% alert accuracy, triggering warnings for combined thresholds such as 69% moisture and 3709 analog read. Cavity formation was simulated using a dissolvable rock sugar setup, which effectively set off alarms when both thresholds were surpassed. Dual-sensor logic, which required simultaneous vibration and moisture anomalies, helped lower false positives. The system is scalable for field deployment in high-risk areas due to its small size, low power consumption, and cost. In conclusion, this study shows that it is possible to use widely available IoT technologies for real-time geohazard monitoring, giving populations at risk of subsurface instability an early warning system.

Item Type:	Proceeding Paper (Plenary Papers)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Sinkhole detection, Wireless sensor network, Soil moisture, Vibration sensor, Internet of Things
Subjects:	T Technology > T Technology (General)
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Engineering > Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Kulliyyah of Engineering
Depositing User:	Dr Hasmah Mansor
Date Deposited:	20 Nov 2025 16:33
Last Modified:	20 Nov 2025 16:33
Queue Number:	2025-11-Q071
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/124485

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