Setting Up A New Server For Small Data Transfers

I am an end-program computer engineering student. I have experience with programming languages such as C++, Java and various others but have very little experience with web based applications and hosting.

I am working on a project for my local chapter of Engineering regulators. Once a year, they hold a popsicle stick bridge building competition in different areas of the province and measure and record the maximum force that each bridge can withstand before breaking. I am tasked with measuring this data for each bridge and displaying it on a GUI.

There are approximately 5 of these competitions held in the same week, each in a different area of the province. I would like to bring the data recorded in each competition online so that the competitions can be linked together regardless of geographic location.

To do this I would need some very small scale web hosting. These competitions tak place only once a year and the amount of data sent to the server from each competition is minimal - approximately 5 entries per bridge (number, weight, max load, owner, age group) for about 200 bridges. Each competition would sample this data at regular intervals so that they can compare their top scores with those of different locations.

I have come here for some advice on the best way to set this up. I have considered the following options:

1. Purchasing server space online - This seems to come at too high a cost ($10/month is the minimum that I could find) and come with more space and speed than is required for this purpose.

2. Setting up my own server space online - This would require a dedicated PC running at all times for a long period of time (it will probably be 10-15 years before this system is redesigned). This system needs to be self maintaining as once I am off this project it will not have IT support.

3. Using the engineering regulators website space to host this data - They have a website already and I may be able to keep this data there, however, I am unsure about accessibility of this space. This database will have to be accessed by a Java or C++ based program as the GUI will be written in one of those languages, and I am note sure if this type of webspace supports the commands needed to access this information.