The impact of agricultural activities on water quality: a case for collaborative catchment-scale management using integrated wireless sensor networks

The challenge of improving water quality is a growing global concern, typified by the European Commission Water Framework Directive and the United States Clean Water Act. The main drivers of poor water quality are economics, poor water management, agricultural practices and urban development. This paper reviews the extensive role of non-point sources, in particular the outdated agricultural practices, with respect to nutrient and contaminant contributions. Water quality monitoring (WQM) is currently undertaken through a number of data acquisition methods from grab sampling to satellite based remote sensing of water bodies. Based on the surveyed sampling methods and their numerous limitations, it is proposed that wireless sensor networks (WSNs), despite their own limitations, are still very attractive and effective for real-time spatio-temporal data collection for WQM applications. WSNs have been employed for WQM of surface and ground water and catchments, and have been fundamental in advancing the knowledge of contaminants trends through their high resolution observations. However, these applications have yet to explore the implementation and impact of this technology for management and control decisions, to minimize and prevent individual stakeholder’s contributions, in an autonomous and dynamic manner. Here, the potential of WSN-controlled agricultural activities and different environmental compartments for integrated water quality management is presented and limitations of WSN in agriculture and WQM are identified. Finally, a case for collaborative networks at catchment scale is proposed for enabling cooperation among individually networked activities/stakeholders (farming activities, water bodies) for integrated water quality monitoring, control and management

Design and implementation of remotely monitoring system for pH level in Baghdad drinking water networks

Many people in the recent days have suffering from number of diseases due to unsafe and impure drinking water, especially in rural areas. As typical laboratory experiments and official water quality tests take considerable amount of time to obtain results and due to non availability of a simple device that can measure such water quality parameters in real time, therefore in this paper a remote pH level monitoring system for Baghdad drinking water system is proposed. A PH level sensing and monitoring nodes are distributed at different location. These nodes are proactively measured pH level of water and send data to the maintenance center to give them overall picture about pH level via global position system (GSM). This proposed system gives a robust, low-cost and effective method for the drinking water maintenance center to measure and monitoring the water quality in real time environment

Wireless Sensor Technologies and Applications

Recent years have witnessed tremendous advances in the design and applications of wirelessly networked and embedded sensors. Wireless sensor nodes are typically low-cost, low-power, small devices equipped with limited sensing, data processing and wireless communication capabilities, as well as power supplies. They leverage the concept of wireless sensor networks (WSNs), in which a large (possibly huge) number of collaborative sensor nodes could be deployed. As an outcome of the convergence of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology, wireless communications, and digital electronics, WSNs represent a significant improvement over traditional sensors. In fact, the rapid evolution of WSN technology has accelerated the development and deployment of various novel types of wireless sensors, e.g., multimedia sensors. Fulfilling Moore’s law, wireless sensors are becoming smaller and cheaper, and at the same time more powerful and ubiquitous. [...

Designing of Real-time Communication Method to Monitor Water Quality using WSN Based on IOT

Data accuracy has always been the essential and foremost requirement of any communication. A Real-time Water quality-monitoring system (WQMS) needs high-level data accuracy to process the water perfectly for the desired usage in any specific purpose.  Exponential growth in man-made processes, human activities, Industrialization, and economic growth along with depleting safe water resources has made the water pollution issue a foremost threat to human survival and human civilisation as a whole. The Conventional WQMS lacks in providing data accuracy while testing and analysing the water samples at sites due to improper data transmission, human intervention, instrument node working and calibration issues. Therefore, monitoring the quality of the water is essential with a prime focus on data accuracy through proper testing, data analysis and data transmission methods to provide real-time data accuracy. In this research work, an IOT-based wireless sensor network (WSN) is proposed that uses mesh networking to connect the sensor nodes and message queuing telemetry transfer (MQTT) protocol to send the acquired data to a cloud server ADDA Fruit IO. ESP32 standalone microcontroller with in-built Wi-Fi is used as a transceiver on sensor nodes and master nodes. As far as sensor and master node power is concerned, a self-adapting power generation system is incorporated using solar power and water energy harvesting techniques. The sensor nodes are calibrated as per WHO standards using deionized water and buffer capsules. Five random samples are collected from river water, pond water, Borewell water, R.O water and Municipal committee water to analyse the proposed system’s accuracy. The accuracy test and analysis is done using statistical tools on water sample measurements by the proposed sensor node, and the same is compared with the actual certified instrument, hardware manual-based measurement, Laboratory value check and transmitted value on Cloud Server. The proposed WQMS is designed to measure various WQM parameters i.e. Total Dissolve Solid (TDS), pH, Temperature and turbidity and to ensure data accuracy

A Self-Powered Wireless Water Quality Sensing Network Enabling Smart Monitoring of Biological and Chemical Stability in Supply Systems

A smart, safe, and efficient management of water is fundamental for both developed and developing countries. Several wireless sensor networks have been proposed for real-time monitoring of drinking water quantity and quality, both in the environment and in pipelines. However, surface fouling significantly affects the long-term reliability of pipes and sensors installed in-line. To address this relevant issue, we presented a multi-parameter sensing node embedding a miniaturized slime monitor able to estimate the micrometric thickness and type of slime. The measurement of thin deposits in pipes is descriptive of water biological and chemical stability and enables early warning functions, predictive maintenance, and more efficient management processes. After the description of the sensing node, the related electronics, and the data processing strategies, we presented the results of a two-month validation in the field of a three-node pilot network. Furthermore, self-powering by means of direct energy harvesting from the water flowing through the sensing node was also demonstrated. The robustness and low cost of this solution enable its upscaling to larger monitoring networks, paving the way to water monitoring with unprecedented spatio-temporal resolution. Document type: Articl

IoT-based smart water network management challenges and future trend

Abstract: In recent years, internet of things (IoT)-based tech- nology has been deployed to different areas of water supply system. This is in line with the Smart Water Network Manage- ment (SWNM) initiative, that aims to propose a methodology to improve operational performance and monitoring of water supply systems. In the smart water network management applications, IoT-based technology is facing quite a few challenges. In this paper, we present IoT’s applications for monitoring the water supply network with emphasis on its application to water quality and leakage monitoring. In these applications, the technical challenges of IoT-based technology are also discussed. Finally, future research directions in this domain are also highlighted, which may be useful for further studies

Contactless Sensing of Water Properties for Smart Monitoring of Pipelines

A key milestone for the pervasive diffusion of wireless sensing nodes for smart monitoring of water quality and quantity in distribution networks is the simplification of the installation of sensors. To address this aspect, we demonstrate how two basic contactless sensors, such as piezoelectric transducers and strip electrodes (in a longitudinal interdigitated configuration to sense impedance inside and outside of the pipe with potential for impedimetric leak detection), can be easily clamped on plastic pipes to enable the measurement of multiple parameters without contact with the fluid and, thus, preserving the integrity of the pipe. Here we report the measurement of water flow rate (up to 24 m(3)/s) and temperature with ultrasounds and of the pipe filling fraction (capacitance at 1 MHz with similar to cm(3) resolution) and ionic conductivity (resistance at 20 MHz from 700 to 1400 mu S/cm) by means of impedance. The equivalent impedance model of the sensor is discussed in detail. Numerical finite-element simulations, carried out to optimize the sensing parameters such as the sensing frequency, confirm the lumped models and are matched by experimental results. In fact, a 6 m long, 30 L demonstration hydraulic loop was built to validate the sensors in realistic conditions (water speed of 1 m/s) monitoring a pipe segment of 0.45 m length and 90 mm diameter (one of the largest ever reported in the literature). Tradeoffs in sensors accuracy, deployment, and fabrication, for instance, adopting single-sided flexible PCBs as electrodes protected by Kapton on the external side and experimentally validated, are discussed as well