Gestión inteligente de sistemas de distribución de agua

The United Nations predicts that the world's population in 2050 will reach 9.7 billion people. This exponential growth will mean an increase in the global demand for water available for human consumption. In addition, the advance of climate change is causing the occurrence of more frequent droughts, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. Indirectly, this means an increase in the costs associated with water transport and purification, as water must be drawn from sources that are increasingly distant from the points of consumption and the quality is getting worse. The traditional management of urban water supply is changing towards a more sustainable model aimed at an efficient use of resources (water, energy, labour) that not only reduces management costs but is also more environmentally friendly. This transformation is taking place due to the development of other transversal disciplines (cloud computing, communication systems, Big Data, electronics, etc.) applied to many fields of science, which applied to water management, can bring considerable benefits. Furthermore, to achieve intelligent management of a water supply network, it is necessary to rely on current tools that provide objective knowledge of the system. For example, geographic information systems (GIS) together with hydraulic models serve as a georeferenced database where the behaviour of any hydraulic network in different scenarios can be simulated. The Internet of Things (IoT) allows the connection of a network of sensors to know the main hydraulic variables at any time, providing key information for hydraulic models to faithfully reproduce the behaviour of modelled systems in real time. Digitalisation itself favours the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to convert traditional management into smart management. For these reasons, new studies are needed to assess the potential and applicability of these new tools. This thesis is organised in 6 chapters focused on the development and application of a decision support system that allow the manager of a water supply network to make decisions based on data recorded on real-time. All the tools developed throughout this thesis have been tested in a real water supply network located in the south of Spain, managed by the Provincial Water Company of Cordoba (EMPROACSA). Chapter 1 shows the trajectory of urban supply management: explaining the starting point and where it is expected to achieve. Then, Chapter 2 describes the main objective and the specific objectives of this thesis, as well as the structure of this document. Chapter 3 presents a methodology that serves as a basis for starting the digitisation process in water supply networks. The system developed is based on three pillars: the geographic information system, the hydraulic model, and the application for mobile devices. The geographic information system provides a georeferenced database of the infrastructures that compose the hydraulic network; the hydraulic model simulates the response of the network to different operation scenarios; and finally, the mobile application facilitates the feedback of the system to keep it always up to date with changes in the systems. One of the distinguishing features of this work is the use of free software (Qgis, Epanet and Google My Maps) in all stages, which fosters digitisation in supply companies with a low budget. Chapter 4 develops an early warning system based on water pressure monitoring. The communication node developed ad-hoc for this work, sends water pressure data to the cloud, where users can visualise them with a device with an internet connection. Among its advantages are its low cost, it allows the use of different communication systems and has a high autonomy powered by batteries, which makes it well adapted to supply systems. The proposed monitoring system detects failures in the network due to pressure drops, alerting managers of the affected zone. Chapter 5 explains the decision support tool developed to deal with failures in water transmission networks. The web platform that supports this tool is divided into 3 independent modules: fault detection, alerts, and fault repair. The first module is responsible for detecting, geolocating and classifying faults in the hydraulic network using the information recorded in real time by the pressure monitoring system described in the previous chapter. The second module is responsible for sending alerts selectively to the workers in the area of the failure. Finally, the third module estimates, applying the hydraulic model, the maximum time that the manager has to fix failures, avoiding supply cuts using the water stored in regulation tanks when the failure occurs. The fault detection and classification module has demonstrated a 95% accuracy when applied to a real case. Chapter 6 contains the general conclusions of the thesis, as well as possible lines of future work. In summarise, water management is experiencing a paradigm shift. This transformation requires sufficiently mature technologies to ensure good results. Therefore, studies are needed that not only advance towards smart management, but also evaluate the tools available now and their integration into the current management model. This thesis presents a decision support system applied to supply networks, which help managers to make decisions based on objective information, not on intuition or experience. The use of open-source software and hardware in all the developments of this thesis must be emphasised. This specific feature allows the adoption of the methodologies proposed by water companies, regardless of size or financial resources, enabling the whole system or only part of it to be adapted to the operation of the company.Las Naciones Unidas prevén que la población mundial en 2050 alcanzará los 9.700 millones de personas. Este crecimiento exponencial supondrá un aumento de la demanda global de agua disponible para el consumo humano. Además, el avance del cambio climático está provocando la aparición de sequías más frecuentes, especialmente en las zonas áridas y semiáridas. Indirectamente, esto supone un aumento de los costes asociados al transporte y la depuración del agua, ya que hay que extraerla de fuentes cada vez más alejadas de los puntos de consumo y la calidad es cada vez peor. La gestión tradicional del abastecimiento de agua en las ciudades está cambiando hacia un modelo más sostenible orientado a un uso eficiente de los recursos (agua, energía, mano de obra) que además de reducir los costes de gestión, es más respetuoso con el medio ambiente. Esta transformación se está produciendo gracias al desarrollo de otras disciplinas transversales (computación en la nube, sistemas de comunicación, Big Data, electrónica, etc.) aplicadas a diversos campos de la ciencia, que aplicadas a la gestión del agua, pueden aportar considerables beneficios. Además, para conseguir una gestión inteligente de una red de abastecimiento de agua, es necesario apoyarse en herramientas actuales que proporcionen un conocimiento objetivo del sistema. Por ejemplo, los sistemas de información geográfica (SIG) junto con los modelos hidráulicos sirven como base de datos georreferenciada donde se puede simular el comportamiento de cualquier red hidráulica en diferentes escenarios. El Internet de las Cosas (IoT) permite la conexión de una red de sensores para conocer las principales variables hidráulicas en cada momento, aportando información clave para que los modelos hidráulicos reproduzcan fielmente el comportamiento de los sistemas modelizados en tiempo real. La propia digitalización favorece el uso de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC) para convertir la gestión tradicional en una gestión inteligente. Por estas razones, son necesarios nuevos estudios para evaluar el potencial y la aplicabilidad de estas nuevas herramientas. Esta tesis se organiza en 6 capítulos centrados en el desarrollo y aplicación de un sistema de apoyo a la decisión que permita al gestor de una red de abastecimiento de agua tomar decisiones basadas en datos registrados en tiempo real. Todas las herramientas desarrolladas a lo largo de esta tesis han sido probadas en una red real de abastecimiento de agua situada en el sur de España, gestionada por la Empresa Provincial de Aguas de Córdoba (EMPROACSA). El capítulo 1 muestra la trayectoria de la gestión del abastecimiento urbano: explicando el punto de partida y hacia dónde se espera llegar. A continuación, el capítulo 2 describe el objetivo principal y los objetivos específicos de esta tesis, así como la estructura de este documento. El capítulo 3 presenta una metodología que sirve de base para iniciar el proceso de digitalización de las redes de abastecimiento de agua. El sistema desarrollado se basa en tres pilares: el sistema de información geográfica, el modelo hidráulico y la aplicación para dispositivos móviles. El sistema de información geográfica proporciona una base de datos georreferenciada de las infraestructuras que componen la red hidráulica; el modelo hidráulico simula la respuesta de la red ante diferentes escenarios de operación; y, por último, la aplicación móvil facilita la retroalimentación del sistema para mantenerlo siempre actualizado con los cambios en los sistemas. Uno de los rasgos distintivos de este trabajo es el uso de software libre (Qgis, Epanet y Google My Maps) en todas las etapas, lo que favorece la digitalización en empresas de abastecimiento con bajo presupuesto. El capítulo 4 desarrolla un sistema de alerta temprana basado en la monitorización de la presión del agua. El nodo de comunicación desarrollado ad-hoc para este trabajo, envía los datos de la presión del agua a la nube, donde los usuarios pueden visualizarlos con un dispositivo con conexión a internet. Entre sus ventajas están su bajo coste, permite el uso de diferentes sistemas de comunicación y tiene una gran autonomía alimentada por baterías, lo que hace que se adapte bien a los sistemas de abastecimiento. El sistema de monitorización propuesto detecta fallos en la red por caídas de presión, alertando a los gestores de la zona afectada. El capítulo 5 explica la herramienta de apoyo a la toma de decisiones desarrollada para hacer frente a las averías en las redes de abastecimiento en alta. La plataforma web, que soporta esta herramienta, se divide en 3 módulos independientes: detección de averías, alertas y reparación de averías. El primer módulo se encarga de detectar, geolocalizar y clasificar las averías en la red hidráulica a partir de la información registrada en tiempo real por el sistema de monitorización de presiones descrito en el capítulo anterior. El segundo módulo se encarga de enviar alertas de forma selectiva a los trabajadores de la zona de la avería. Por último, el tercer módulo estima, aplicando el modelo hidráulico, el tiempo máximo del que dispone el gestor para solucionar las averías, evitando los cortes de suministro con el agua almacenada en los depósitos de regulación cuando se produce la avería. El módulo de detección y clasificación de averías ha demostrado una precisión del 95% cuando se aplica a un caso real. El capítulo 6 contiene las conclusiones generales de la tesis, así como posibles líneas de trabajo futuras. En resumen, la gestión del agua está experimentando un cambio de paradigma. Esta transformación requiere tecnologías suficientemente maduras para garantizar buenos resultados. Por ello, son necesarios estudios que no sólo avancen hacia una gestión inteligente, sino que evalúen las herramientas disponibles en la actualidad y su integración en el modelo de gestión actual. Esta tesis presenta un sistema de apoyo a la decisión aplicado a las redes de suministro de agua, que ayuda a los gestores a tomar decisiones basadas en información objetiva y no en la intuición o la experiencia. Cabe destacar el uso de software y hardware de código abierto en todos los desarrollos de esta tesis. Esta particularidad permite la adopción de las metodologías propuestas por las empresas de agua, independientemente de su tamaño o recursos financieros, permitiendo adaptar todo el sistema o sólo una parte de él al funcionamiento de la empresa

Open-Source Application for Water Supply System Management: Implementation in a Water Transmission System in Southern Spain

Sustainable water use has become a critical issue for the future of the planet in face of highly probable climate change. The drinking water supply sector has made significant progress over the last 20 years, although improvements in the management of urban hydraulic infrastructures are still required. The proposed system, Integrated Tool for Water Supply Systems Management (ITWSM), built on three interconnected modules (QGIS database, Epanet hydraulic model, and Google My Maps app), was developed on open-source software. The core of ITWSM allows analyzing the behavior of water supply systems under several operation/failure scenarios. It facilitates decision making supported by the mobile application ITWSM-app. Information flows easily through the different decision levels involved in the management process, keeping updated the georeferenced database after system changes. ITWSM has been implemented in a real public water supply company and applied to manage breakdown repairs in water transmission systems. The use of the proposed methodology reduces the average cost of failure repair by 13.6%, mainly due to the optimal planning of the resources involved

Design and Implementation of a Pressure Monitoring System Based on IoT for Water Supply Networks

Increasing the efficiency of water supply networks is essential in arid and semi-arid regions to ensure the supply of drinking water to the inhabitants. The cost of renovating these systems is high. However, customized management models can facilitate the maintenance and rehabilitation of hydraulic infrastructures by optimizing the use of resources. The implementation of current Internet of Things (IoT) monitoring systems allows decisions to be based on objective data. In water supply systems, IoT helps to monitor the key elements to improve system efficiency. To implement IoT in a water distribution system requires sensors that are suitable for measuring the main hydraulic variables, a communication system that is adaptable to the water service companies and a friendly system for data analysis and visualization. A smart pressure monitoring and alert system was developed using low-cost hardware and open-source software. An Arduino family microcontroller transfers pressure gauge signals using Sigfox communication, a low-power wide-area network (LPWAN). The IoT ThingSpeak platform is used for data analysis and visualization. Additionally, the system can send alarms via SMS/email in real time using the If This, Then That (IFTTT) web service when anomalous pressure data are detected. The pressure monitoring system was successfully implemented in a real water distribution network in Spain. It was able to detect both breakdowns and leaks in real time

Comparison of Different Procedural Approaches for Left Atrial Appendage Closure: Searching for Simplicity

To assess procedural and long-term efficacy and safety of two alternative methods for appendage closure, conscious sedation with standard transoesophageal echo and procedure guided by rotational angiography. Background. Demand for appendage closure is increasing, and a reasonable time-response should be given to nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients not suitable to receive anticoagulation. General anesthesia and the need for an anesthesiologist are limiting factors to improve procedure availability; it is time to introduce simpler approaches. Methods. Single center experience in appendage closure during 9 years, using three different procedural approaches: general anesthesia with echo guidance, conscious sedation with echo guidance, and rotational angiography guidance. Conscious sedation and rotational angiography-guided procedures were performed in the absence of an anesthesiologist. Procedural characteristics and follow-up events were recorded. Results. 260 consecutive appendage closure procedures were reviewed: 155 were performed under general anesthesia (59.6%), 71 were performed with conscious sedation (27.3%), and 34 were rotational angiography guided (13.1%). Device success rate for procedures guided by rotational angiography was significantly lower than that for general anesthesia and conscious sedation (91.2% versus 100% versus 98.6%, p � 0.001) because there was a greater need to recapture and change device size. However, final procedural success was high and without difference between approaches (98.8% versus 97.2% versus 100%, for general anesthesia, conscious sedation, and rotational angiography, respectively); with a median follow-up of 17 months (CI 95% 13–23 month) (637.9 patients-year), there was no difference among approaches for thromboembolic (1.3 versus 1.8 versus 1.8) and major bleeding events (3.2 versus 2.8 versus 1.8), respectively. Conclusions. Appendage closure performed, either with conscious sedation with echo guidance or rotational angiography guided, is feasible, with no difference in procedural success and follow-up events compared with general anesthesia and without the limitation of the need for an anesthesiologist on-site

Perceived feasibility of computer-generated auralization in concert halls

Over the years auralization has become a useful tool for simulating and evaluating the listening experience in virtual environments. Psychoacoustic phenomena, embodied by the human hearing system, highly determine the accuracy of sound-field recreation that is required for seemingly feasible auralization. In this scenario, the main aim of this study is to assess the suitability of computer-generated room impulse responses when used for auralizing spaces. To this purpose, simulated and experimentally measured binaural room impulse responses (BRIRs) have been convolved with iconic musical excerpts for various representative seats within a medium-sized concert hall. Listening tests have been thereby conducted and their results will be shown, analyzed and discussedEn estos últimos años, la auralización se ha convertido en una herramienta útil para la simulación y evaluación de la experiencia del oyente en entornos virtuales. En este ámbito, son de especial importancia los aspectos psicológicos y perceptivos, derivados del funcionamiento del sistema auditivo y del cerebro humanos, que determinan la precisión que se requiere para una recreación aparentemente creíble del campo sonoro. En este contexto, el principal objetivo de este estudio es evaluar la validez de respuestas al impulso de la sala generadas por ordenador para su utilización en la auralización de espacios. Con este propósito, para algunas localidades representativas de una sala de conciertos de tamaño medio, se han convolucionado varias respuestas al impulso binaurales (BRIRs), simuladas y medidas experimentalmente, con fragmentos musicales conocidos. Con los datos obtenidos, se han llevado a cabo pruebas de audición, cuyos resultados se presentan, analizan y discuten en esta comunicació

Guía de gestión integrada de plagas: mango

Coordinadores: Ángel Martín Gil y Gregoria Aranda Aranda

Dietary diversity and depression: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses in Spanish adult population with metabolic syndrome. Findings from PREDIMED-Plus trial

Objective: To examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal (2-year follow-up) associations between dietary diversity (DD) and depressive symptoms. Design: An energy-adjusted dietary diversity score (DDS) was assessed using a validated FFQ and was categorised into quartiles (Q). The variety in each food group was classified into four categories of diversity (C). Depressive symptoms were assessed with Beck Depression Inventory-II (Beck II) questionnaire and depression cases defined as physician-diagnosed or Beck II >= 18. Linear and logistic regression models were used. Setting: Spanish older adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Participants: A total of 6625 adults aged 55–75 years from the PREDIMED-Plus study with overweight or obesity and MetS. Results: Total DDS was inversely and statistically significantly associated with depression in the cross-sectional analysis conducted; OR Q4 v. Q1 = 0·76 (95 % CI (0·64, 0·90)). This was driven by high diversity compared to low diversity (C3 v. C1) of vegetables (OR = 0·75, 95 % CI (0·57, 0·93)), cereals (OR = 0·72 (95 % CI (0·56, 0·94)) and proteins (OR = 0·27, 95 % CI (0·11, 0·62)). In the longitudinal analysis, there was no significant association between the baseline DDS and changes in depressive symptoms after 2 years of follow-up, except for DD in vegetables C4 v. C1 = (β = 0·70, 95 % CI (0·05, 1·35)). Conclusions: According to our results, DD is inversely associated with depressive symptoms, but eating more diverse does not seem to reduce the risk of future depression. Additional longitudinal studies (with longer follow-up) are needed to confirm these findings.T The PREDIMED-Plus trial was supported by the European Research Council (Advanced Research Grant 2013-2018; 340918) grant to Miguel Angel Martinez-Gonzalez, and by the official funding agency for biomedical research of the Spanish Government, ISCIII through the Fondo de Investigacion para la Salud (FIS), which is cofunded by the European Regional Development Fund (four coordinated FIS projects led by Jordi Salas-Salvado and Josep Vidal), including the following projects: PI13/00673, PI13/00492, PI13/00272, PI13/01123, PI13/00462, PI13/00233, PI13/02184, PI13/00728, PI13/01090, PI13/01056, PI14/01722, PI14/00636, PI14/00618, PI14/00696, PI14/01206, PI14/01919, PI14/00853, PI14/01374, PI16/00473, PI16/00662, PI16/01873, PI16/01094, PI16/00501, PI16/00533, PI16/00381, PI16/00366, PI16/01522, PI16/01120, PI17/00764, PI17/01183, PI17/00855, PI17/01347, PI17/00525, PI17/01827, PI17/00532, PI17/00215, PI17/01441, PI17/00508, PI17/01732, PI17/00926, The Especial Action Project entitled: 'Implementacion y Evaluacion de una intervencion intensiva sobre la actividad fisica Cohorte PREDIMED-Plus' grant to Jordi Salas-Salvado, the Recercaixa grant to Jordi Salas-Salvado (2013ACUP00194), grants from the Consejeria de Salud de la Junta de Andalucia (PI0458/2013; PS0358/2016; PI0137/2018), the PROMETEO/2017/017 grant from the Generalitat Valenciana, the SEMERGEN grant, and CIBEROBN and FEDER funds (CB06/03), ISCIII. International Nut&Dried Fruit Council-FESNAD N degrees 201302: Miguel Angel Martinez-Gonzalez (PI). None of the funding sources took part in the design, collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. The corresponding author had full access to all the data in the study and had final responsibility to submit for publication

Open-Source Application for Water Supply System Management: Implementation in a Water Transmission System in Southern Spain

Sustainable water use has become a critical issue for the future of the planet in face of highly probable climate change. The drinking water supply sector has made significant progress over the last 20 years, although improvements in the management of urban hydraulic infrastructures are still required. The proposed system, Integrated Tool for Water Supply Systems Management (ITWSM), built on three interconnected modules (QGIS database, Epanet hydraulic model, and Google My Maps app), was developed on open-source software. The core of ITWSM allows analyzing the behavior of water supply systems under several operation/failure scenarios. It facilitates decision making supported by the mobile application ITWSM-app. Information flows easily through the different decision levels involved in the management process, keeping updated the georeferenced database after system changes. ITWSM has been implemented in a real public water supply company and applied to manage breakdown repairs in water transmission systems. The use of the proposed methodology reduces the average cost of failure repair by 13.6%, mainly due to the optimal planning of the resources involved

Design and Implementation of an IoT Device for Measuring Discharges in Sanitation Networks

The monitoring of the discharge points of sewage networks is a complex task mainly due to dispersion and the difficulty of accessing this type of infrastructures. The aim of this work is to develop a device for monitoring discharges in the spillways of sewage networks. The proposed device represents a step forward in the digitization process of these networks, avoiding a high initial investment and ensuring sufficient robustness. The benefit for managers is twofold: it allows for monitoring discharge events and determining the maximum capacity of the network without spillage

Handbook of Research on Using Disruptive Methodologies and Game-Based Learning to Foster Transversal Skills

As new technologies and professional profiles emerge, traditional education paradigms have to be adapted to new scenarios, creating favorable conditions for promoting transversal skills among students. Consequently, there is a growing demand for training in emergent skills to solve problems of different natures, distributive leadership competencies, empathy, ability to control emotions, etc. In this sense, one of the challenges that educators of all different educational levels and training contexts have to face is to foster these skills in their courses. To overcome these obstacles, innovative and disruptive methodologies, such as game-based learning activities like escape rooms, can be a great ally for teachers to work on transversal skills and specific knowledge at the same time. The Handbook of Research on Using Disruptive Methodologies and Game-Based Learning to Foster Transversal Skills gathers knowledge, skills, abilities, and capabilities on innovative and disruptive methodologies that can be applied in all educational levels to foster transversal skills. This publication contains different contributions focused on the description of innovative educational methods, processes, and tools that can be adopted by teachers to promote transversal skills such as creativity, critical thinking, decision-making, and entrepreneurial skills. This book is ideal for teachers, instructional designers, educational software developers, academics, professionals, students, and researchers working at all levels in the educational field and provides valuable background information to professionals who aim to overcome traditional paradigm obstacles and meet student needs by means of innovative and disruptive methodologies