In this dissertation, the design, implementation, and educational applications of a real-time water and weather monitoring system, developed to enhance water sustainability education and research, are discussed. This unique system, called LabVIEW Enabled Watershed Assessment System (LEWAS), is a real- world extension of various data acquisition modules that were successfully implemented using LabVIEW into a freshman engineering course (Engineering Exploration, ENGE 1024) at Virginia Tech. The outdoor site location measures water quality and quantity data including flow rate, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and temperature -- as indicators of stream health - for an on-campus impaired stream in real-time. In addition, weather parameters (temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity and precipitation) are measured at the LEWAS outdoor site. The measured parameters can be accessed by remote users in a real-time through a web-based interface for education and research. LEWAS is solar powered and uses the campus wireless network through a high-gain antenna to transmit data to remote clients in real-time. Its power budget consisting of consumption (14 W), electrical storage, and generation (80 W, peak) is balanced to enable 24/7 operation regardless of weather conditions. An embedded computer with low power consumption and modules for communicating and storing data are installed in the field and it is programmed to process measured environmental parameters to be delivered to remote users. This computer is programmed both using a field programmable gate array (FPGA, for low power consumption and robust operation) and traditional microprocessor programming (for more flexibility). The environmental sensors of the system are routinely calibrated using established procedures. A LEWAS Development Platform was established to develop and test the system and to train and mentor several undergraduate and graduate students who helped in its implementation. A number of design and implementation challenges were overcome including extending campus Internet access to a location not included on the network and integrating hardware and software from three different sensor manufacturers into a unified software platform accessible over the Internet. To study the educational applications of LEWAS, an observational study was conducted as the system was gradually introduced to students in ENGE 1024 between 2009 and 2011. Positive student attitudes on the role of LEWAS to enhance their environmental awareness informed an experimental design implemented to study the motivational outcomes associated with the system. Accordingly, appropriate educational interventions and a hands-on activity on the importance of environmental monitoring were developed for both control and experiment groups, with only the latter given access to LEWAS to retrieve the environmental parameters for the activity. An instrument was developed on the theoretical foundation of the expectancy value theory of motivation and was administered to control and experimental groups in ENGE 1024. Altogether, 150 students participated in the study. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was applied which resulted in factors that group questions together based on interest, importance, real-time access, and cost (feasibility of monitoring). After conducting parametric and nonparametric statistical analyses, it was determined that there exists a statistically significant difference between control and experimental groups in interest, real-time, and cost factors. This finding implies that providing real-time access to environmental parameters can increase student interest and their perception of feasibility of environmental monitoring -- both major components of motivation to learn about the environment. Future extensions and applications of the system at Virginia Tech and beyond are discussed. / Ph. D.

Cette thèse vise à expliquer les fluctuations du bien-être momentané tout au long de la journée et de la semaine, en tenant compte de l'influence de l'environnement construit et social sur ces variations. Cette étude a évalué l'impact du moment de la journée, des interactions sociales, de la météo et des environnements bâtis et sociaux, sur le bien-être momentané à l’aide d’un devis longitudinal par évaluation écologique momentanée géographique (GEMA). Un total de 899 participants résident dans le Grand Montréal, âgés de 18 à 80 ans (Âge : M = 41,71, md = 39 ; femmes = 55,7%) ont rempli une échelle brève de l'humeur trois fois par jour pendant sept jours consécutifs sur leurs téléphones intelligents (application EthicaData). Lors des réponses, la coordonnée GPS de leur localisation a également été captée, et a servi à mesurer diverses expositions environnementales dans un système d’information géographique. Un modèle à effets mixtes à trois niveaux avec des effets aléatoires a montré une corrélation positive entre le bien-être et l'âge, les après-midis, les week-ends et les interactions sociales impliquant la famille et les amis. En revanche, le bien-être était négativement associé aux soirées. Quelques variables de l’environnement bâti et social étaient significativement associées au bien-être. Ces liens ont persisté après contrôle des facteurs de confusion potentiels. De plus, un effet d'interaction a révélé que l'influence des interactions sociales momentanées différait entre les hommes et les femmes. Cette étude met en lumière le rôle des facteurs environnementaux et sociaux dans la compréhension du bien-être momentané. L'intégration de la technologie géospatiale et des évaluations écologiques momentanées offre des perspectives précieuses pour l'urbanisme et la santé publique dans l’exploration des liens entre contexte et santé. / This thesis aims to explain the fluctuations of momentary well-being throughout the day and week, taking into consideration how the built and social environment affects these variations. In this seven-day longitudinal study using GPS-enabled smartphones and EthicaData software with a geographic ecological momentary assessment (GEMA) approach, the real-time impact of built and social environments on self-reported momentary well-being of residents of Greater Montreal between 2018 and 2021 was investigated. A total of 889 participants aged 18–80 years (Age: M=41.71, md=39; females = 55.7%) completed the Short Mood Scale three times daily for seven consecutive days. A three-level mixed-effects model with random effects showed a positive correlation between well-being and age, afternoons, weekends, and social interactions involving family and friends. On the other hand, well-being was negatively associated with evenings. Only a few built and social environmental variables were found to be significantly associated with well-being. These links remained after controlling for potential confounding factors. Moreover, an interaction effect revealed that the influence of momentary social interactions differed for men and women. This study highlights the significance of environmental and social factors in comprehending momentary well-being, which has important implications for urban planning and public health initiatives. Integrating geospatial technology and EMA provides valuable insights into this intricate relationship.