Monitoring water quality is a crucial aspect of health for all people and there are a variety of methods to carry it out. If it’s to identify the watershed, or to respond to emergencies monitoring can let us understand what’s happening in our water. The most popular methods involve collecting water samples from regularly scheduled or chosen sites some are automated and are part of the water quality monitoring system. The primary concern for a large number of utility establishments and private customers is whether advanced water monitoring systems are better than conventional meters.
Importance of water monitoring
The pollution of water is among the most significant environmental threats to our ecosystems and it could cause various ailments. This is why it is crucial to spot pollution early in order to avoid dangerous situations. This is the necessity of monitoring quality of the water. Thus, IoT-based systems to monitor water quality are becoming more crucial. With sensors and IoT, these systems could aid in ensuring the purity of water that is safe for humans as well as ecosystems.
Water quality monitoring systems make use of the wireless sensors networks. This technology lets users check the water’s pH levels in real-time. Then, they can send the information to a central control center. The information can be used to predict the quality of water. For instance, an unbalanced pH value in a body of water could indicate water pollution. In addition, these sensors could be used to perform periodic preventative maintenance inspections.
The ability to evaluate the quality of water is crucial to safeguard people as well as the agricultural sector. If the water is not clean it could cause illness in humans, impact animal health as well as plants, and result in real harm. Every year, millions people are killed by water-borne illnesses. These illnesses are typically result of a combination of factors like increasing population, the increase in agricultural production and a rise in migration. This means we have to continuously monitor the water quality to avoid these diseases becoming widespread in our communities.
What is needed to be monitored?
Quality of water parameters are crucial to be considered as water resources are vital for the daily life of humans. Monitoring the quality of water in real-time provides the required information to act immediately in the event that there are any issues. There are many essential water parameters that you should consider when evaluating the condition of water and we’ll quickly discuss each one for your greater understanding.
Salt levels
The salinity issue is of great concern for water quality. It could be affected by changes in the climate, in land use, and erosion of rock. It is a problem that can be found in soils and groundwater and can even reach levels that are high. If the salinity level can be high it may influence water sources as well as PH levels and the ecosystem. Monitoring salinity is vital to aquaculture and livestock and also the industry of wastewater. Even minor variations in salinity could cause the death of animals and plants and lead to animal and plant waste.
Bacteria levels
Monitoring the temporal and spatial variation in levels of bacteria is essential to ensure public health. Contaminated water can lead to many diseases, such as dysentery, diarrhea, and stomach issues. But there are some many limitations to the methods currently used to measure the amount of bacteria. For one, the data on the concentration of pathogens in water that is not treated are sporadic. The second reason is that antibody-based methods are less sensitivity. While they are able to identify bacteria in only 20 min, they do not have the sensitivity needed to determine bacteria that are near the standards. Thirdly, these methods can not provide a reliable assessment of the effectiveness of the organisms being measured. The current systems assess the quality of water in more general ways, and consume an amount of time that requires the search for the most efficient system.
Dissolved oxygen levels
There are a variety of reasons levels of dissolved oxygen are vital to determine the quality of water. This gas can be found within the spaces between elements of water. Fish require oxygen to live and oxygen-depleted water isn’t beneficial for animals or plants. Since fish can’t absorb oxygen directly from the air and dissolved oxygen in the water is crucial for them.
Although dissolved oxygen levels naturally fluctuate in the water, human activities may result in significant changes to the levels. The impacts on wastewater treatment plants as well as runoff from the nitrogen-laden waste of fish can decrease the oxygen levels in water bodies. In water, low levels of oxygen could cause death of fish and reduce the likelihood of reproduction.
What are the drawbacks of traditional environmental monitoring systems?
The traditional assessments of water quality are not without limitations. They require and hire water quality monitoring equipment that is specialized and skilled personnel. Additionally, human error may cause data loss. Additionally, these systems are not able to predict future trends since the data gathered will be analysed by humans rather than machines. In addition, the sample transportation process could cause deviations in the water’s properties. Therefore, it’s difficult to assess the quality of water constantly using old measurement methods.
Lack of real-time data provisioning
The absence of immediate data delivery is an enormous issue in an old-fashioned quality control system based on manually input of data and then output. Automated solutions step into. These tools will process data on a computer without the requirement for human intervention and analysis. These solutions provide insights that are not accessible through manual methods. It is also possible to make them accessible at various levels of depth. For example, some users may require the raw data while others could only need the conclusions. A low-cost sensor network could make this possible.
Because traditional water monitoring is based upon sensor information, raw data may be poor in quality, making it difficult to comprehend the quality of water. Furthermore there could be access restrictions, which makes it harder to interpret. Therefore, real-time monitoring of water quality are vital to provide constant precise, accurate, and actionable information on the quality of water.
Cost of equipment
Traditional monitoring systems for water quality require costly equipment to run. Contrary to wireless communication conventional water monitoring systems are wired or are not even connected, which creates difficulties in establishing continuous monitoring. Traditional methods for assessing water quality are a bit limited. They require, for instance, high-end equipment and skilled staff, which is always expensive. Therefore, not all utilities or cities firms can afford the costs of these services that result in poor water management and issues.
In addition, human error can make it hard to predict the future. This could also result in a loss of cash. It takes time to create useful insights using flawed data. This is the reason why detection of contamination may be delayed and slow down over a lengthy period.
Relying on water quality indexing
Water quality indicators produces information that is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of cost-effective improvement in water quality. This approach permits the evaluation of the advantages and costs of various contaminants, removing certain of the issues other cost-effectiveness analysis suffer from. This method uses this index to measure water quality, which is the primary method to communicate information about water quality. But, the quality of water depends on other elements, too but relying on this index could cause uncertainty about the outcomes.
How IOT-based smart meters are better than existing systems?
As we have already stated that monitoring water quality is an essential task in our modern world. Industrialization and rapid urbanization have resulted in an increase in water degradation and pollution, making the identification of contaminants crucial. However, the traditional methods of measuring water quality are expensive slow, inefficient and time-consuming. The traditional monitoring method was useful to assess the quality of water prior to the advent of smart water meters using IoT however, now that there is a better technology available, an older type of water quality monitoring systems isn’t a good match any more. Today, the absence of data provisioning in real-time has been a major hurdle. Although some systems rely on long-range communication protocols to transfer data to central storage, others use an IoT-based system to supply information in real-time. In addition to providing real-time data provisioning in real time, IoT-based solutions can also provide constant information on water quality.
Coverage
Smart metering within IoT is a way to track the water quality in different locations. In this way, utilities are able to make sure the water they supply is nutritious and safe for consumption by humans even in remote locations. Furthermore, they could also assess the quality of water used in pipes and overhead tanks. A high-quality water supply is crucial for the production of crops as well and the farms could be found outside the city. The proposed system comprises smart sensors and gateways that are connected to wireless sensor networks that allows real-time monitoring in remote areas, as per environmental protection agency guidelines. The sensors are able to detect contaminants that hinder the growth of crops, thereby helping farmers to improve their irrigation practices and ensuring the highest yield from healthy crops.
Transparency of data collection
Another advantage of IoT-based systems can be the transparency data that is gathered. For example the monitoring system that is built using IoT is able to monitor and monitor water consumption at a household level and all parties can view both quantitative and qualitative outcomes of measurement. This kind of monitoring online for water quality could enhance the effectiveness of programs and guarantee accuracy and transparency in the service delivery.
Scalability and traceability
Another advantage that new technology can provide is the ability to scale and adapt. Instead of spending a significant amount of time filling out paper forms, technicians could make use of mobile apps to collect more detailed information. A comprehensive preventive management of maintenance demands the prompt detection of problems and can save time and cash. For instance, a small water leak can cause expensive structural damage as well as mold growth. It can also result in disruptions to the water distribution network.
Preventive maintenance option
A well-designed preventive maintenance plan is built on the foundation of processes, tools, and employees. A clear set of instructions, training for technicians and a method to monitor activities are crucial to a successful program. It is also essential to utilize top-quality data and a wireless sensor networks to assess the performance of equipment and make informed decisions regarding procedures for business.
A solid preventive maintenance strategy is one that includes regular inspections in order to decrease the likelihood of downtime for the water supply system which is particularly important for countries in need. It is important to follow the schedules as closely as is possible to monitor water quality parameters and manage procedures.
The purpose in preventive maintenance is stop breakdowns in equipment before they happen with minimal cost. If you keep up with the maintenance schedule, you will stop major system breakdowns and limit the impact on your operation. An ever-evolving computer science makes it feasible. The best method to handle this is to be prepared and proactive.
Help achieve leed and well standards
To ensure adequate surveillance of the water’s quality monitoring of water quality, the system must adhere to the standards. The standards are built on points or credits for various categories of sustainable designs for buildings. Minimum requirements cover actions that aim to improve the use of energy, sustainable aquaculture and the standard organic and inorganic material proportions.
While LEED insists on the energy efficiency of buildings and green construction, WELL focuses on human health. Therefore that buildings must satisfy specific requirements that improve human health, like air quality heating and lighting and other materials. A water quality monitoring system could help in achieving LEED certification through helping reduce the use of water, as well as analysing humidity and temperature levels, oxidation-reduction capacity and many other parameters.
Through an IoT-based monitoring system for water quality it is possible to treat wastewater prior to it reaching freshwater. The sensors are able to help analyze important parameters like the pH as well as turbidity. For example, water that is mixed with harmful elements may impact the health of crops. With IoT technology monitoring of water quality is feasible for any size urban or residential property, as well as agricultural land.
What do smart water systems consist of?
The systems consist of two components of software and hardware. The hardware component includes sensors to monitor different parameters, like the temperature sensor and pH sensor electrical conductivity measurer, as well as the turbidity sensor. The software process the data gathered by the sensors before uploading these values to the cloud. The sensors monitor the water’s quality on a continuous basis and issue an alert when the parameters are either higher or lower than thresholds. The data can be displayed on any screen connected to the.
Another crucial component of hardware is gateways. Gateways are required to establish connecting the device and the final user. The most important prerequisites for gateways are reliability as well as capacity for transmission, coverage and capacity. Belcur gateways have, for their part are carriers-grade, able to support the entire world’s ISM Bands, and offer numerous mounting options. If you are looking for water metering and quality monitoring at a city scale, the best option is the Kona Macro IoT Gateway designed for outdoor installations with IP67 ingress protection as well as excellent blocking of interference from other networks like mobile or paging. It can be installed with plug-and-play, and will save you a significant amount on the installation cost in this respect. Its benefit is its compact and lightweight size, which means there’s no issue mounting it onto a power pole light post or tower the roof or even a wall.
The water quality monitoring systems can be connected to Internet with wireless technology. They transmit data to a cloud-based server. The sensor data are monitored remotely and can be accessed by end-users through smartphones or PCs This is not just an extremely technological and ingenuous method of monitoring, but also an extremely comfortable one.
What is belcur experience in water metering solutions?
Belcur believes that using sensors for water supply can be used to improve the quality of water and we believe that the IoT and LoRaWAN solutions will greatly enhance the efficiency of any sector. Belcur has created sensors for smart energy as well as water metering in conjunction with gateways to create an efficient connection using third-party sensors that are that are based upon LoRaWAN technology. Belcur gateways can support communication at two different frequencies, which allows the device to simultaneously send and receive data. This is essential since most gateways be able to suspend reception in order to send data.
Short summary
Monitoring the quality of water is becoming increasingly crucial as the global population increases and pollution is becoming more common. This makes water quality monitoring an essential requirement to ensure a sustainable globalization. The most significant issue is that traditional laboratory tests are expensive and lengthy. Sensor networks that are wireless, for instance can enhance monitoring and provide instant feedback in a cheap and simple way. Therefore, if you’re seeking for ways to enhance the indoor atmosphere of your property, intelligent monitoring of water quality can be helpful. belcur has years of expertise in this field and is dedicated to making the world a better place, so it is reasonable to say that we have the capacity and desire to assist.
