BOCS Data Collection

Contains the source code for the python3-bocs Debian package that runs the BOCS air quality instrument, recording data to local storage. Deb files for installation are available in the Releases page.

Setup Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi needs setting up before the BOCS software can be installed.

1. Install the latest version of Raspberry Pi OS with desktop to a microSD card
2. Boot up the Pi (outside of the BOCS) and follow the onscreen instructions to setup locale, password, WiFi access (if needed), and make sure to update the software
3. Reboot
4. OPTIONAL: If you want to either use the touchscreen display or connect via SSH then run sudo raspi-config, go into Interface Options and enable Legacy Camera and/or SSH. Then Reboot

The Pi can now be inserted into the BOCS and interfaced with by either SSH or connecting a keyboard to the USB port on the front panel, depending on what was configured in Step 4.

Installation of BOCS data collection software

With the Pi housed in the BOCS and connected to a sensor array via USB, the data collection software is ready to be run.

1. Download python3-bocs_1.0.0-0_all.deb from the release page onto the Pi
2. Install it with sudo apt install ./python3-bocs_1.0.0-0_all.deb

The data collection should start automatically; if a plaintext log file with the day's date doesn't appear in ~/bocs/data/ then check the log with journalctl -t bocs_control.

Daily archiving

Provided the Raspberry Pi has its time set (either through NTP via a network connection or being manually set at each boot), each day at 01:00 the previous day's data is archived into a zip folder and placed in ~/bocs/data using the same file naming convention as the data files. Logs from this process are sent to the system log and can be viewed using journalctl -t bocs_archive.

Building from source

If you want to build the program from source than you can use the provided Dockerfile to rebuild the Deb. First clone this repository, then create a Debian Docker image with the build dependencies from this repo's root folder.

docker build -t bocs_debian_builder .

Build the Deb by running the image from the repository's top level directory, passing in the directory's contents.

docker run --rm -v `pwd`:/bocs_control -w /bocs_control bocs_debian_builder