Surf Station

an IoT qualitative data-collection device to report surfing condition

Overview

Boasting nearly 300 days of sunshine each year, the warm Southern California weather attracts millions of residents and visitors to the beaches of Los Angeles and surrounding areas. Not surprisingly, this makes the Los Angeles area one of the most popular surfing destinations in the world. As with anywhere else in the world, the surf conditions around Los Angeles can change drastically from day to day or even hour to hour, so it is always a good idea to check the surf conditions before hitting the waves.

Moreover, a lot of surf conditions are actually subjective, but data on individual surf experiences are hardly taken into account as most online platforms are about hard quantitative data. The surfing community lacks a platform to effectively record and communicate qualitative opinions.

Concept

Surf Station is a device that allows surfers to input their surfing experience on “wave” and “crowd” on a scale of 1 to 10 at a specific beach. This data is then hosted on a website that shows a collection of opinions.

This project is an experiment that creates surf reports by the community and presents a diverse variety of opinions.