Meeting #5
Chris Dymond

Instigator

Posted on 25-03-2018

Meeting held at Arup on 19th February 2018

Present:

  • Chris Dymond: Sheffield Digital & Unfolding (Chair).
  • George Taylor: Caudata
  • Hamish Cunningham: The University of Sheffield
  • Steve Jubb: The University of Sheffield / Urban Flows Observatory
  • Sarah Cullen: Sheffield City Council, People’s Portfolio
  • Simon Needem: Spire Digital, Chesterfield
  • Simon Redding: Spire Digital, Chesterfield
  • Jon Graves - Leeds
  • Roy Woodhead - Sheffield Hallam University
  • Alex Kelly: Tensely Bridge Group

Communications & Organising:

As of (15/03/2018 when this is being written up), there are:

  • 28 people on the mailing list.
  • 20 registered as contributors on the TTN Sheffield Community Page.
  • 31 members of the #internetofthings channel on Sheffield Digital's Slack.

If you are not on the mailing list, but would like to be, please drop Chris Dymond a line).

The comms set up is working much better and improving.

There's still a need to share out jobs better. Help is forthcoming from several members of the group, and Roy Woodhead is organising the next event with speakers from other TTN communities in the North, as well as a series of hacks.

In addition, as agreed in December, we are increasing the frequency of coordination meetings to monthly, and Roy is also orgnising these and will write them up.

Infrastructure:

Gateways

New and imminent gateways:

  • Hamish has a gateway which is currently in his office (although it will be going to Nepal eventually).
  • Steve at UFlO has two lorix gateways, one of which will go on the Hicks Building (along with a WNDUK SigFox install), and the other will go to WANDisco for installation on the roof of the Electric Works.
  • George at Caudata is installing one on a mast he hasjust built in Attercliffe.
  • Hive IT are installing one at Park Hill.
  • Perry Ismangil also has a domestic one.
  • Spire Digital are commissioning two gateways in Chesterfield.

Out of interest the cost of home-brew gateways is now roughly £200-£250, and a professional-grade Lorix gateway is around £500.
There was a discussion about taking some of the prototype single-channel Raspberry Pi-based gateways and turing them into multi-channel gateways using a shield. Get in touch on Slack if you would like more info on this.

We also decided that it's no longer necessary to do a one-off Gateway hack, but now that the infrastructure is being built out that we should organise some node & application development hacks instead. Roy is taking this forward with Sheffield Hackspace.

Sites

We discussed additional site options for more Sheffield gateways:

  • Water tower at Norton (this would provide connection towards Chesterfield).
  • Hope valley cement works.
  • Chimney in Rotherham.
  • Gripple at Riverside. (Chris will ask Gordon McCrae about collaborating).

As has been mentioned previously, if anyone can provide location, power and backhaul, UFlO will provide the gateway.

Coverage

We discussed coverage mapping software, and use of TTN Mapper (https://ttnmapper.org/ )
Steve J also suggested that the UFlO van will be able to do mapping when it is in the field and driving around Sheffield.

Architecture & Development / Applications

In order to increase the number of people developing applications for the network we should initiate a series of monthly hacks.
Venue suggestions are Sheffield Hackspace at Portland Works, or iForge at University of Sheffield (Diamond Building?)

Roy is going to take this further.

AOB

The next meeting will be prior to the March SmartSheffield meeting, which features a Things Network "Takeover" - people from other Northern TTN communities will be speaking, along with talks from some of us, in a knowledge exchange.

See eventbrite for details: https://smartsheffieldmarch2018.eventbrite.co.uk

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