The Galaxy S5 does not have temperature or humidity sensors • Hacker News Board

Re: The Galaxy S5 does not have temperature or humidity sensors

#51

Post by cleis » Thu, Apr 10, 2014, 10:17 AM UTC

aw3c2 wrote: post #32

pkaye wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The whole point of that API is crowd source collection of data so everyone can benefit.

Sadly they are selling to the devil: http://opensignal.com/insights/

The data included in OpenSignal insights is aggregated both geographically and temporally at a resolution that makes it impossible to identify any individual user. All we show are averaged stats over a monthly or quarterly period for a given area.

Part of our project is to inform users about how carriers are performing, but also to inform carriers how they're performing so that they can improve their service for their users. We use our data to independently regulate the carrier market, from both the supply and demand sides as we think this is the best way to help effect much-needed improvement. We sell to operators so that we don't have to charge consumers or show them annoying in-app ads!

Re: The Galaxy S5 does not have temperature or humidity sensors

#52

Post by JamesCRR » Thu, Apr 10, 2014, 3:11 PM UTC

receese wrote: post #50

cryptoz wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly correct! Google and Motorola put a barometer into the Xoom to test GPS altitude improvements, and it turned out that some developers (like me, and like the opensignal team) discovered that the sensor actually has world-changing potential in atmosphere modelling. Huge benefit from a simple sensor addition that didn't even really have a clear purpose at launch.

Even with a large sample, temperature and humidity data is useless unless it is ensured to be properly measured (ie outdoors, away from the person, etc). Pressure data is another story, and although it is still low quality it can be smoothed. That's why I prefer pressureNET to opensignal. Also pressureNET is actually open source, unlike opensignal which sells all your smartphone/personal data to anyone who wants it.

WeatherSignal is a slightly different project to OpenSignal (but it's by the same people) - we're sharing data with several academic institutions and independent researchers, and will make the feed fully open. Also NB, PressureNet is a great project, WeatherSignal also collects pressure data but I think other sensors are relevant.

We have an algorithm in WeatherSignal that tries to determine whether users are indoors or outdoors - there's a roof icon that appears or disappears, try it, it's pretty accurate during the day time.

WeatherSignal project is basically funded by OpenSignal sales, we sell to carriers and regulators -- who can act on the data to improve service.

(I'm James Robinson, a co-founder of OpenSignal/WeatherSignal)

Re: The Galaxy S5 does not have temperature or humidity sensors

#53

Post by JamesCRR » Thu, Apr 10, 2014, 4:00 PM UTC

__mp wrote: post #43

geetee wrote: post #5

It's most likely due to the water-proofing. The S4 rugged version has the same limitation.

I talked to an engineer from Sensirion (the makers of the temperature sensor on the S4) a couple of weeks ago. He told me that the waterproofing was the reason that they couldn't include their sensor in the S5.

Conflicting information, I just talked with someone from Sensirion who was quite central to the the SHTC1 project, he confirmed it was NOT the waterproofing that was the issue and pointed out there are Japanese devices with the same chip that are waterproof, even to IP68 (2m depth).