Goldstuck on Gadgets
Internet of Things can make Water Week real
The objectives of Water Week have always been about propaganda rather than reality, but IoT can change this, writes ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK
While the Department uses the technology of the Internet to share its messaging, precious little use is made of the technology that could present a stopgap to this decay. It’s called the Internet of Things, and it comprises networks of sensors and other devices that collect information from the environment and allow them to be analysed online.
For example, IoT.nxt, a subsidiary of the Vodacom Group, has devised and installed two IoT technology solutions in South Africa this year so far, to improve water resource management.
“The introduction of IoT technology to better manage water infrastructure has the potential to enhance efficiencies across the entire water supply chain,” says Richmond Nkambule, who heads business development and sales, at IoT.nxt.
The first project, rolled out at the start of the year at a rural municipality, provides a real-time view of its water infrastructure, allowing it to monitor faulty meters and accurate consumption. Maintenance teams receive instant alerts via email or SMS about faults, including the GPS location of the meter, its status, flow rates and consumption.
The success of the project, of course, depends on the municipality’s will and capability to deploy maintenance teams. As has been seen in many municipalities, that is low on officials’ lists of priorities. But it’s not for want of trying by the likes of Vodacom, and the more visionary stakeholders are joining the cause.
Says Peter Malebye, managing executive for IoT at Vodacom Business, “South Africa is one of the 30 driest countries in the world. Increasingly, municipalities and other utility service providers are looking to innovative end-to-end connected solutions that enable utility operations like water and electricity to run more efficiently, reliably, safely, and cost-effectively. Our modem-driven, end-to-end software solution helps clients to implement advanced state-of-the-art analytics, revenue assurance and protection, and smart pre-payment to improve utilities’ operational performance.”
The second solution seems better destined for success: a Smart Water Storage Management Solution, which has been installed at a large pharmaceutical company in Johannesburg. It is intended to drive efficiencies, reduce risk, and help create water security within an office park. It provides a complete view of water levels in eight water tanks, as well as of water pump statuses, and sends alarms to the facilities manager when municipal water stops running.
“The use of technology, with other initiatives such as greater focus on the treatment and re-use of wastewater, can dramatically improve the threatened water security situation around the world,” says Nkambule. “Our next focus is on solutions for agriculture, a major consumer of water globally. Our agriculture application is in the final stages of development, and we are aiming at testing and then launching it in the second quarter of the year.”
Go to the next page to read about South Africa’s other water challenge.
