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Create a Google Map heatmap with cellular and GPS data acquired by a Raspberry Pi Pico and Notecard, using Python and Google Cloud Platform.

A heatmap overlaid on satellite imagery is one of the more tantalizing means of displaying map-based data. Considering my newfound love for the Raspberry Pi Pico, and having seen how easy it can be to add cellular connectivity to the Pico, why not combine these loves in a new project?

Today we are going to build a cellular- and GPS-enabled IoT solution that collects cell signal strength and location data at defined intervals, stored in the cloud, with a web app to display said data in a heatmap.

Specifically we will be developing with:

- Raspberry Pi Pico (any compatible MCU works fine too).
- Notecard and Notecarrier from Blues Wireless (for cellular and GPS).
- 1602 LCD module (optional, for displaying in-action status updates).
- Google Cloud Platform (for cloud functions, storage, and maps)
If Google Cloud Platform is a turnoff, you can absolutely swap in your cloud provider of choice for most of the functionality covered.”

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