DEFINING SMART WATER DATA MANAGEMENT:
FROM HARDWARE TO SOFTWARE Water security can be defi ned as the availability of a suffi cient quantity and quality of water to sustain livelihoods, health, socio-economic development and ecosystems. To achieve this goal, water managers need timely access to reliable, insightful, and defensible data.
Water resources are under increasing pressure from issues such as climate change, population growth, urbanisation, land use, and agricultural demand. These changes can result in water scarcity (quantity and/or quality) and intensify competition for water resources, so monitoring activities need to adopt a more holistic approach, integrating meteorological, hydrologic, and water quality data throughout an entire catchment.
On a global scale, climate-induced stressors are creating changes to all water resources, like increased average river and stream fl ows and decreased groundwater reserves. These water conditions can lead to more frequent and severe emergency events like stormwater or fl ood situations that communities need to prepare for, to ensure the safety of local lives and property. To combat these accelerated environmental changes, organisations are applying for smarter, manageable instruments to monitor water resources that deliver more data, collected more often, with real- time access to information.
The Demand for Hydrology Data is Growing Across the Globe
Whether on the country, city, or municipality level, there is an increasing need to see more detailed information about the water that exists within our communities.
Data is becoming denser and more diverse as new parameters and instruments are added to networks, with data being recorded more frequently. No matter the amount of data being collected, it is crucial to glean insights from that data. Without proper analysis, these utilities are missing out on information that could be critical to understanding the data and completing key tasks such as repairing aging water infrastructure or assessing non-revenue water losses.
Therefore, the fi rst crucial step to smart water data management is utilising the best hardware, including sensors and datalogging tools, for the information that your organisation needs to better conserve and/or adequately manage water, closely followed by having the proper analysis system in place through a robust software to properly view and manage the data.
Setting Up Remote Environmental Monitoring Systems
The purpose of monitoring hardware, including sensors and dataloggers, is to measure and collect data from the fi eld. Every year, technology becomes more advanced with robust capabilities that enhance data collection and validity, with some of the following stand-out trends:
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• Non-Contact Sensors: These sensors are growing to be at the height of popularity because they can collect measurements safely above the water to avoid damage by large debris, sediment, and fl ash fl oods. Non-contact sensors are ideal for placement on bridges, piers, or mounting arms and above brackish or corrosive conditions.
o Surface water velocity radars have been gaining interest as non-contact options that can collect highly precise velocity measurements in open channels and rivers. These sensors will only continue to grow as a non-contact option over time due to their low power consumption and low maintenance needs.
o Impulse radar technology is a non-contact sensor technology utilised in key monitoring networks around the world to determine water levels in an accurate, energy-effi cient way.
• IP Cameras: These are an ideal addition for many application solutions, including fl ood monitoring, to save employee time and resources. When positioned at a station, they allow you to see your site in near real-time to verify current conditions and determine whether a visit is necessary.
• Increased Data Validation and Flags: Having a remote way to check on equipment in the fi eld is becoming increasingly crucial. Sensors can have built-in status indicators and data quality fl ags which leverage data from integrated sensors and internal sensor statistics, which all work to ensure data quality.
• All-In-One Systems: It’s especially convenient when all required technology for a sensor is included in the device, like for the OTT ecoLog 1000 all-in-one device with the sensor and data logger included.
• Increased Parameters: As organisations move towards data densifi cation, both with data collected more frequently
(temporal data) and collected in more locations (spatial data), it’s also helpful to collect increased parameters within water. These can include temperature, conductivity, and other nutrients concerning the quality of water, or surface water velocity and fl ow concerning the quantity of water.
• Shifts in Datalogging: The emergence of customisation capabilities like Python scripting, as seen in the SUTRON XLink 500 plug and play modems, allow for fi netuning based on the exact parameters and frequency of the data collected. Data redundancy also allows for multiple transmissions simultaneously, which is especially helpful during emergency water events where conditions can change rapidly. Real-time spatial and temporal data is important so that fl ood response resources can be applied effectively. Redundant telemetry systems and redundant hardware at each station help to ensure the provision of reliable data 24/7.
• Shifts in Telemetry Capabilities: As extreme weather events increase due to climate changes, remote data transmissions that are reliable are becoming extremely important. Mobile transmission can be susceptible to inclement weather and bad service, which has led to increased demand for IRIDIUM® and Geostationary Satellites that provide stable and reliable transmissions of data for peace of mind. Transmission options that provide two-way communication are especially valuable as they allow users to check on the status of equipment and send confi gurations while away from the fi eld.
Managing Remote Environmental Monitoring Systems
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