The Internet of Things is opening multiple doorways to redefine the industrial structure. In the water industry, IoT as a technology is working wonders to conserve and reuse our natural resources in a smarter way.
Water authorities are now practically performing smart water management with the help of the Internet of Things. Implementing technology with the existing system is a step towards a great transformation, thus IoT leads in terms of innovation and implementation.
How IoT manages water (a Smart Water Management)
With the growing number of connected devices, the water industry is making the most out of sensor-based systems. These sensors devices target water level monitoring, leak detection, regulating water flows, and many such processes for efficient data analysis. The data collected through these sensor devices is collected and stored in a database for future use.
The Internet of Things has significantly eliminated the dependency on traditional SCADA systems used in the water sector and has introduced modern techniques like smart water meters that generate effective results. Additionally, the water treatment processing is experiencing an advanced change with the commencement of smart sensor devices. These sensors are installed at various points in the water treatment plant to collect valuable data of water quality, temperature changes, pressure levels, leakages, and is then sent back to the platform hub for further analysis. This creates a secure network among the factory assets that collaboratively work towards better and value-based outcomes.
The Internet of Things has significantly eliminated the dependency on traditional SCADA systems used in the water sector
Uses of an IoT-based smart water solution
Developing an optimized water solution is very crucial to help control the excess consumption of water resources. A smart water management system provides better irrigation facilities, especially in urban areas. These advanced-level monitoring systems offer innovative solutions, like real-time leak detection, for effective resource conservation. The use of an IoT-based smart water solution in the water industry helps provide effective inputs to measure critical factors for enhanced decision-making.
Apart from industries, a smart water solution is highly effective in residential apartments also.
Smart Water Solution in residential apartments
All the gated communities or the residential apartments consume water as the most important resource for a living. Even as a natural resource, water does not flow freely in the current times. This becomes a major challenge for the residents to consume and conserve water simultaneously.
An advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) or a smart water meter is an end-to-end solution that creates a communication network among the meters and the platform hub. The data collected through this communication network is then sent to the customers to create transparency for generating accurate bills. This high-resolution data can also be used to raise awareness among the residents regarding water consumption. This practice generates optimal results as now the customers know the areas where they need to conserve water. These smart meters work as a key to help manage the water supply efficiently in local households.
Purpose of a Smart water solution in residential areas
Implementation of a smart meter solution in residential areas proves successful in long-term resource consumption. Nowadays, merging a smart water solution within the household network offers immense benefits to the people as well as the environment. Utilizing an IoT-based water system benefits the following:
- Identifying leaks in the pipelines
- Energy minimization
- Enhanced awareness of water consumption activities
- Promotion of efficient and smart appliances
- Indicates the performance areas to take necessary measures
Taking an example of the most desirable places in the US, San Francisco
The city is using automated water meters for efficient consumption practices. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has installed automated water meters in almost 96% of San Francisco’s registered water accounts. Through a wireless network, these smart meters collect the hourly water consumption data and transmit it further to generate accurate bills. Also, the readings are measured in terms of every cubic foot of water used per hour. These meters offer reliable and regular water usage information to the customers. It further monitors the water usage and allows the customers to detect leakages more quickly as compared to the manually operated meters. Introducing an automated water meter in every household is the most economic step taken by the public utility department of San Francisco, which also creates awareness among the residents and teach them ways to conserve water.
The existence of IoT is everywhere and is impacting our lives in the most convenient ways. Whether water or any other industry, taking necessary measures and adopting smart techniques to use water for different purposes is effective for many generations to come. Thus, a smart water solution is considered to be a must-have to utilize our most precious natural resource, water, in productive ways.
