Smart water campus – a testbed for smart water applications

Abstract

The Internet of Things concept includes low-cost sensors in combination with innovative wireless communication technology, supporting a large-scale implementation of measurement equipment in the field of urban water infrastructure (UWI). At present, the potentials of such smart solutions are often unclear, making it difficult for decision-makers to justify investments. To address this shortcoming, the Smart Campus is represented as an innovative testbed for smart and data-driven applications in the field of network-based UWI. During the last few years, the campus area of the University of Innsbruck has been comprehensively equipped with a variety of low-cost sensors for monitoring and controlling the UWI in high resolution (1–15 min). The experiences showed that the quality of service is influenced by the choice of communication technology and the installation location, thereby affecting the desired applications. Additionally, water distribution and urban drainage network including nature-based solutions have been integrated into an overall monitored system extended by measures to involve the urban population. This integrative approach allows the usage of synergies for the implementation and supports cross-system improvements (e.g., smart rainwater harvesting). However, an integration of different participants also implies new requirements for the project team (e.g., including social science). HIGHLIGHTS The campus of the University of Innsbruck is presented as an innovative testbed for smart and data-driven applications, integrating a water distribution network, urban drainage network and nature-based solutions into an overall monitoring network.; Wired communication technologies provide a high quality of service, while the amount of packet losses for low power wide area networks is strongly depending on the installation place.; For a first step into smart applications with involvement of the urban population, scavenger hunts and information boards were used to particularly inform and involve children and students.; Fault detection in real-time (e.g., water leakages and stagnation problems) and innovative applications for cross-system improvements (e.g., smart rainwater harvesting) are presented as exemplary applications.;

Keywords

• information and communication technologies
• integrative management
• real-time monitoring
• university campus
• urban population
• urban water infrastructure