SWAM

by

Smart WAter Management system for better environmental sustainability

SWAM is a novel product for better environmental sustainability addressing a new water market integrating emerging technologies.

SWAM will offer an innovative end-to-end solution from Smart Probe to Smart Visualization and by considering ground-breaking aspects: multi-protocol for IoT connectivity, cybersecurity and traceability by design to provide a valuable tool for water management encompassing quality monitoring, safe and security aspects, decision support and cost-efficiency management.

SWAM wants to support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the implementation of EU initiatives (IEP Water) by providing a robust, smart, effective and tailored water management system. SWAM addresses the need to develop the market of digital services for water management stakeholders with those expected impacts: improve the decision making and performance of water infrastructures, enhance interoperability and real-time data accuracy, and reduce costs for water utilities and monitoring.

The SWAM route to market is driven by a product sales model and a value-based pricing strategy to maximize market penetration. The main product is an IoT end-to-end solution composed of platform and probe. SWAM will offer different tailored versions of its platform to suit better the needs of different target clients, e.g. water suppliers, utilities, water intensive agriculture. Other revenues may come from derived concepts: software use licenses, probes sales or rental, or services provision.

Estimated results: 

The beneficiaries or customers concerned are represented by a wide range of private or public water distribution operators, operators who want to optimize the operation of their networks. Adopting the SWAM solution will generate various benefits:
• Improving service quality and customer experience (QoS and QoE)
• Optimization of O&M (Operation and Maintenance) water infrastructures aimed at reducing operational costs,
reduction of water losses and / or better preventive maintenance.
• Reduction and optimization of consumption (electricity, chemicals and other consumables).
• Better adaptability and simple system extension through a modular system design.

Website EUREKA: https://www.eurostars-eureka.eu/node/555013

Official website: http://agile.ro/swam/

SWAM FLYER

Project ID: EUROSTARS-2019-E!12889-SWAM

Contract: nr.128_2019

Funded by UEFISCDI – Program 3 – European and international cooperation – Subprogram 3.5 Other European and international initiatives and programs, traditional EUREKA (network) projects, EUREKA cluster, EUROSTARS

Title:  Smart WAter Management system for better environmental sustainability

Project Coordinator: BEIA Consult International S.R.L.

Director: Dr.ing. George SUCIU

The total value of the budget: 2.880.570 lei;

The total value of the co-founding: 909.170 lei

Non-refundable value: 1.971.400 lei

Consortium: Romania – BEIA Consult International

Contract duration: 36 months (10/12/2019 – 09/12/2022)

Contact: George Suciu – R&D and Innovation Manager

Telefon 0744914798
Fax 0213323006
E-Mail george@beia.ro

Phases and activities

1. Defining use cases, requirements and evaluation criteria 10/12/2019 -30/06/2020

Activity 1.1 Definition of use cases (correlated with activity T2.1 of the international project)

Activity 1.2 Defining the requirements and evaluation criteria (correlated with activity T2.2 of the international project)

Results

In this phase, the definition of use cases, requirements and evaluation criteria, the use case for Romania was described, as well as the definition of evaluation requirements and criteria. At this stage, relevant information was provided about the pilot scenario, KPI and an architecture project of the planned solution. Also in this phase, the requirements and technical specifications were formulated, because this scenario offers the main aspects of the ways to develop the pilot program.

Dissemination activities:

Papers and publications

  • INTELLIGENT WATER MANAGEMENT SOLUTION FOR SMART CITIES AND SMART AGRICULTURE – WRW2020 Conference
  • Challenges and opportunities for agriculture telemetry using data from IoT, drones and satellites – “THE 28TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
    “”DELTAS AND WETLANDS”” 2020″
  • Intelligent water solution for smart agriculture – EXPOAPA 2020

Events

The results achieved  have been disseminated in the following events: EU Sustainable Water Week, a meeting of the working group organized on March 10, 2020 at the headquarters of the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests, CCW 2020, Knowledge4Innovation Forum.

2. SWAM platform design 01/07/2020 – 31/12/2020

Activity 2.1 SWAM solution architecture design (Correlated with T3.3 activity in the international project)

Within this activity, different types of architectures were developed, which eventually led to the final architecture of the project. The final IoT Beia architecture part is described, with the MQTT protocols part, the description of the parameters that are monitored and how the measured data is transmitted to the visualization part. The cloud architecture is based on standards to achieve interoperability. It is robust, scalable and flexible to adapt to the changes needed in the future so that it remains successful in the market. In general, this system architecture supports various functionalities, such as integrated data in real time and outside the self-service platform for the distributed water network, supports data processing mechanisms and algorithms to allow real-time decision making and distributed control. . Also, in the SWAM architecture the data is processed after the IoT stage, and it is added to a database.

Activity 2.2 Design of functional modules, interfaces and connectors (correlated with activity T2.3 of the international project)

The design of functional modules of interfaces and connectors, by combining as concretely as possible the architecture of the water quality monitoring system is the basis for developing a platform for accurate analysis using M2M / IoT radio-telemetry systems and a Cloud platform for processing collected data. IoT-based automation systems benefit from quality of service (QoS), including service-oriented monitoring of various QoS features. Starting from the development of a platform within this activity, the hardware and software components are described, which are the basis of the intelligent water quality monitoring system. In addition to the description of these components, an important role is played by data transmission, which connectors are used for better data recording, as well as the protocols and data connections used.

Results

The architecture of the SWAM system unifies the technical and functional specifications and ensures that the data and control flows are adequate, and the integration of each subsystem runs smoothly during implementation. This architecture is based on standards to achieve interoperability. The system is robust, scalable and flexible to adapt to the changes needed in the future, so that it remains successfully on the market. In general, this system architecture supports various functionalities, such as integrated data in real time and outside the self-service platform for the distributed water network, supports data processing mechanisms and algorithms to allow real-time decision making and distributed control. . In addition, reliability and security are also taken into account in this architecture. Integrity, confidentiality, authentication, authorization, accounting are aspects of security, while reliability covers guaranteed message delivery, detection and removal of duplicates.

Dissemination activities

Events

The results achieved  have been disseminated in the following events: Water Knowledge Europe 2020 – Horizon Europe Brokerage event, Water Knowledge Europe 2020 – EU Green Deal Call Brokerage event, Worldwaterweek GoToWebinar, GoTech World 2020, Smart City Expo World Congress 2020

3.Design of the platform and security solutions 01/01/2021 – 30/06/2021

Activity III.1 Identifying cybersecurity risks

Activity AIII.1 presents the probability of risk for crop contamination. Therefore, the likelihood of a water security risk depends not only on the likelihood of such risks occurring, but also on the severity of such risks. Water quality hazards and risks can be assessed and minimized with various risk assessment tools and frameworks. Different types of risks include: risks that may affect health (chemical risks or various microbes), physical risks and cyber security risks.
The most common tools for ensuring the quality security of the water used in the irrigation system are: the Water Safety Plan, and the Quantitative Assessment of Microbial Risks. The water safety plan can be used to identify potential hazards in the water, to assess the significance and likelihood of risks and to determine the necessary risk management measures to reduce them (minimizing hazards and ensuring water quality). In complex problems, this may not always directly mean eliminating threats, but only passivating them. An example could be the use of disinfection against detected microbial hazards or the use of activated carbon filtration to remove organic compounds such as pesticides.
The SWAM project presents an example of an early warning signal that triggers the process of ensuring water protection and safety by taking samples for laboratory analysis, followed by risk assessment focused on the observed hazards. The risk assessment process should initiate management actions to mitigate those that affect health and stem from the identified hazards.

Activity III.2 Design of the security solution based on blockchain technology

Activity AIII.2 describes the best data security route, which consists of periodically storing the values of the monitored water quality parameters in its own centralized platform. In our case, the information about the water quality is sent periodically according to the changes of the values coming from the parameters and the platform receives the information through the security mechanisms with the help of a register. To store all this data you also need a timestamp, which is stored in the database and finally an encrypted backup is generated in an external location to save the information in case of unavailability or loss.

Results

The design of the platform and security solutions is a step towards data security and safety as precise as possible, thus contributing to a good quality of the data monitored within the SWAM project. In the following steps, the most precise controls on cyber threats are considered, such as: a Gateway-which verifies the authenticity of the platform by authenticating the certificate, the communication protocols between gateway and platform use TLS / SSL security (MQTTS / HTTPS). In addition, an payload encryption / decryption process, based on the single PSK per probe, is implemented at an additional security level.

Dissemination activities

Papers and presentations

  • EXPO APA 2021 – The paper “Intelligent Solution for Water Quality in Precision Agriculture” was presented on November 4, 2020.
    Authors: Cristina B, George S, Oana O, Sabina S

    • Participation in Water Distribution Infrastructure WG (WDI WG) – WIE 2021 – Water Innovation Europe on 10th June 2021.

    https://twitter.com/beiaconsult/status/1402197576502366209?s=20

Events

The results achieved  have been disseminated in the following events: “4 DELTA” DDNI Scientific Event Community, 4th edition – EDAPHIC-BLOOM Danube, Eureka Global Innovation Summit 2021, Water Knowledge Europe 2021 – Spring Edition

  • Participation in Student scientific communication session 2021

4. Development and integration of SWAM solution components 01/07/2021 – 31/12/2021

Activity 4.1 Development of the IoT component for data acquisition

Activity 4.1 presents  the case study, namely the Princely Mill Experimental Base, which is located 25 km from Bucharest, an orchard area. The parameters of the located monitoring system were described, as well as a brief interpretation of the measured data. The architecture applied to the system is large enough to allow the involvement of other data sources, as well as the extension with other sensors, measurements, measured characteristics (measurement parameters, additional commercial rules). Also, in activity A4.1, the data measured from the station were analyzed using the Grafana web platform, which is used in many fields and which allows the analysis of data in several ways (graphs, tables, diagrams).

Activity 4.2 Development of the Cloud solution and the graphical interface for data management

Activity 4.2 presented the development of the Cloud solution and the graphical interface for data management. The graph facilitates the correct implementation of queries and customization of display properties, so that the user can easily create the dashboard useful for the project. Each panel can receive data from any configured data source (currently Graphite, Prometheus, Elasticsearch, InfluxDB, OpenTSDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server and CloudWatch AWS). Libelium IoT devices collect and package data specific to water quality parameters in JSON format. An open-source time series database, called InfluxDB, was used to store the data from the sensors, which has a great benefit, namely the possibility of interaction with Grafana. The monitoring system also transmits alerts in Grafana with the help of multiple queries, the frequency of evaluation and the (optional) duration that a condition must meet before creating an alert.

Activity A4.3 Integration of components in order to achieve the SWAM prototype

In this activity we proposed a complex system for ensuring water quality in agriculture, by presenting the concept of Smart Water and the devices used to implement this technology. The system includes an increased number of sensory probes for monitoring water and the environment, but for the purpose of this paper we chose to provide experimental results for the following parameters: water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, ORP (Oxidation Reduction Potential) and turbidity. Regarding the SWAM system, it does not use a Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BODS) sensor, but it comes equipped, in addition to the proposal of Rekha et al. with an oxidation reduction potential probe, which extends the measuring range of BODS. At the same time, the proposed network is based on 3G communication technology and does not provide communication between several systems, as does our architecture. The proposed system is simple and is based on WiFi, with sensors for pH, water temperature, water level and turbidity. In addition, the values ​​for turbidity are given in NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Unit), while our system records the data in ppm, which is an advantage because it is no longer necessary to convert from NTU to ppm.

 

Results

The development and integration of SWAM solution components is based on the development of a time series database called InfluxDB which together with the Grafana visualization platform allows data analysis and sending notifications to beneficiaries on the quality of water used in agriculture. The benefits of this database, when we want to store data from sensors, are represented by the fact that it is specially created for the chronological storage of data. The database has very good times for writing and reading data. Another advantage of this database is its free. InfluxDB is open-source and can be used by anyone for free. Also, the presentation of the Smart Water concept and the devices implemented within this technology led to the validation of the SWAM solution. The system includes an increased number of sensory probes for monitoring water and the environment, with sensors for pH, water temperature, water level and turbidity. Therefore, the sensor alternative in the SWAM project addresses the key challenges for the water irrigation sector: the economy of providing low-cost sensor networks that can be implemented in remote locations, the proper acquisition / management of data and their scalability, all gathered in an innovative platform that will assist the technician in making decisions and evaluating them. The data collected from the sensors reveals the quality of the water supplied for agricultural purposes. With the help of these sensors, farmers can be actively involved when necessary to provide reliable and real-time information on the various parameters associated with water.

Dissemination activities

Papers and presentations

  • Article presentation: Intelligent water management solution for smart agriculture, Cristina Mihaela BALACEANU, George SUCIU, Filip CONSTANTIN, Oana ORZA, Sabina BOSOC, Alexandru NEGOITA, http://www.limnology.ro/wrw2020/wrw2020.html, September 8, 2021;
  • Article presentation Smart Watering System Security Technologies using Blockchain, Cristina B, George S, et all, ECAI 2021 Conference
  • Symposium on Carbon Footprint, July 29, 2021

5. Implementation and validation of the SWAM solution01/01/2022 – 30/06/2022

Activity 5.1: Development of the IoT component for data acquisition

 

Activity 5.1 defined basin testing scenarios in order to establish an implementation process as efficient as possible for better coordination in order to install the sensor station, adapt the data to the requirements of the platform, and train the staff involved. Alerts were also set for each parameter, taking into account the limits set for each crop in the area.

Activity 5.2: Testing the SWAM solution in the laboratory

Activity 5.2 described the quality parameters of the monitored water and argued their importance in carrying out the irrigation processes within the SWAM project, depending on the crops. Although the sensors are pre-calibrated at the factory, checks of the recorded values have been performed. Due to the different amounts of nutrients of each type of crop, an analysis of the specific intervals for the factors influencing water quality was performed.

Activity A5.3: Validation of the SWAM solution in real conditions

Within Activity 5.3, the results of the validation of the SWAM solution in real conditions were defined. Thus, the pilot from Moara Domnească was presented, the parameters monitored during the filling stages, respectively emptying the basin and the levels reached by each parameter in the two states of the basin (emptying / filling). 

 

Activity A5.4: Assessing the impact of the SWAM solution

Activity 5.4 defined the description of the results obtained in relation to the analyzed procedures. For the scenario of water quality monitoring and its use in crop irrigation, a plan for the application of the SWAM solution in the Moara Domnească study area was defined. The SWAM validation platform included the evaluation of the performance and reliability of all functional aspects provided by it.

Results

In stage V, called Implementation and validation of the SWAM solution, the aim was to define the scenarios for testing the basin with irrigation water where the sensors are installed, in order to establish an implementation process as efficient as possible. The description of all water quality parameters by establishing alerts was an important element in carrying out the irrigation process for different crops. The different amounts of nutrients of the crops led to a more detailed analysis of the specific intervals for each factor that influences the quality of irrigation water.

In real conditions, the results of the validation of the solution were presented by the analysis within the pilot from Moara Domnească of certain stages, respectively: emptying the basin and filling the basin for each parameter. Taking these scenarios into account, a SWAM solution implementation plan was defined using the SWAM validation platform, which included the evaluation of the performance and reliability of all operational aspects provided by them.

Dissemination activities

  • Paper presentation: Water quality monitoring for irrigation in site location Moara Domnească, Eduard Hanganu, Oana Orza, Sabina Bosoc, Cristina Balaceanu, George Suciu, Conference Air and Water: Hanganu, E., Orza, O., Bosoc, S., Bălăceanu, C., Suciu, G. (2022) Statistical Approach on Floods Features Based on Long Term Data Series Analysis. 2022 ”Air and Water – Components of the Environment” Conference Proceedings, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, p. 1-11, DOI: 10.24193/AWC2022_01.

  • Matchmaking for Business Cooperation on Blue Grow , In Athena

  • Conference – Student Communications Session

  • Dissemination of the SWAM project within the Pomiculture 4.0 workshop, June 23, 2022

6. Definition of exploitation and internationalization strategy, dissemination of results 01/07/2022 – 31/12/2022

Activity 6.1: Market research and definition of exploitation strategy

As part of this activity, the size and dynamics of the market, the factors that influence the growth of the intelligent irrigation market, as well as the trends of the intelligent irrigation market of crops were analysed. At the moment, the irrigation market in Romania is in an early stage of development. , but it is dynamic and continuously growing due to climate change that directs farmers to implement irrigation management systems. One of the challenges facing this market is aligning the technology with the current market status, which means that farmers who have not previously used the benefits of modern technology have to adapt to a wide range of technical solutions, each with its own benefits. Currently, Romanian farms irrigate less than 10% of the agricultural land surface. From a statistical perspective, the current Romanian market has the capacity to absorb up to 40-50 million euros per year for intelligent irrigation solutions.

Activity 6.2: Protecting intellectual property

In activity 6.2, a description of how to protect intellectual property is made. At the same time, the exploitation plan allows the SWAM project consortium partners to consider the exploitation phase in a realistic and practical way, analyzing all aspects of exploitation and potential commercialization of the project results.

Activity A6.3: Dissemination of results

Activity 6.3 focused on dissemination of results, participation in conferences since the beginning of the project. The period of the pandemic did not affect the dissemination of the results both nationally and internationally. Also the web page of the project was created.

Results

At this stage, a product strategy was created to accelerate the market acceptance of the SWAM solution based on the exploitation plan in which the requirements of the partners were taken into account, taking into account the national and international dimensions. The IPR strategy is an important part of the exploitation plan and was discussed in the project meetings, the internal results were analyzed in order to identify important ideas and to define an individual strategy for positioning these ideas in the standardization and commercialization processes. An important role is the realization of the operational plan and the business plan to facilitate the market adoption of the SWAM solution. In addition to the exploitation plan, an important role is played by the dissemination and communication of the project results in order to prepare the market penetration of the product. In addition, through our solution complex measurement and evaluation mechanisms become embedded in the water management procedure. The solution is a single product or service, but due to the flexibility and openness of the system it can be used in several areas. It is also scalable especially in branch and functional aspects and is usable in further R&D projects.

Dissemination activities

  •     Project webpages: http://agile.ro/swam/; http://www.beiaro.eu/swam/
  •     Twitter webpages: @SWAM_EUROSTARS
  • Conference participations:
    • DAIE Conference – The Danube – Axis of European Identity: Titlu: Cost-effective solution for irrigation based on IoT technology, Autori: Sabina Bosoc, Ioana Esanu, Oana Orza,  Madalin Silion, Cristina Balaceanu, George Suciu
    • Participation to BLUE-GREENWAY Open Day Event in Romania

    • Participation to  ARA EXPOAPA 2022

    • Participation to  GoTech World 2022

7. Reporting economic effects 10/12/2022 – 09/12/2023

8. Reporting economic effects 10/12/202 – 09/12/2024

9. Reporting economic effects 10/12/2024 – 09/12/2025

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by a grant of the Romanian Ministry of Research and Innovation, CCCDI-UEFISCDI, project number EUROSTARS-2019-E!12889-SWAM, within PNCDI III

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