9621 Agnes Crossing, Lake Suzanneview, New Mexico Island 84604-9295.
More than a hundred sensors monitor the quality of our waterways. The data from these sensors now receives a new platform: good for the VMM people’s mailboxes, good
More than a hundred sensors monitor the quality of our waterways. The data from these sensors now receives a new platform: good for the VMM people’s mailboxes, good for the efficiency of the sensors and good for the quality of our water. ITdaily takes a closer look at Aalst.
The streets of Aalst still seem pretty deserted when we make our way to the Zwarthoek Bridge around eleven o’clock. This silence heralds a storm: the carnival floats are ready everywhere. A conspicuous steampunk bull on the corner of the bridge is deftly ignored by a group of people gathered around a pole with a solar panel on it on Denderkaai. They all look with fascination at Philippe Vertonghen, MPS management manager and team leader at the Flemish Environment Agency (VMM), who has just lifted a pipe on a chain from the dender. That’s what we came for too.
“This is the In-Situ Aqua Troll 600,” says Vertonghen. “The sensor is connected to this pole.” He opens a cabinet on the pole and shows the contents: a container with some IT equipment. “The solar panel powers this lithium-ion battery. It also supplies power to the sensor and this modem. The sensor itself has two D batteries, like in a dildo, and if they’re empty, the thing doesn’t work.” Vertonghen conveys his story colorfully. We have no further questions about Aalst’s battery habits.
The Aqua Troll is part of a network of more than a hundred probes that monitor water quality. The copy on Zwarthoek Bridge, like the other Aqua Troll sensors, collects data at intervals of a few seconds. These are then sent hourly via the modem and a 3GPRS IoT network to the Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) servers. The system is admired by a group of people from the VMM itself, from the Ghent Geoparc, which is developing a new platform for sensor data, and a delegation from the University of Lille, which wants to develop intelligence for this platform.
Vertonghen opens the probe for us and points to the end of the pole. “The four sensors are here. One measures how conductive the water is, another looks at the number of particles it contains, a third measures the PH levels and the last sensor can measure the oxygen content. Finally, there is a brush that cleans all the sensors.” “Or break it,” agrees his colleague Nico Van Hove, responsible for MPS management at VMM. “If there’s too much trash in there.”
Just like the residents of Aalst, the steampunk bull behind us is gradually waking up. The first carnival beats sound cautiously from some loudspeakers. Van Hove lowers the sensor into the water again and we cross the Dender on the way to the VMM laboratory. The sensors are maintained and calibrated there.
In the crowded laboratory, Van Hove takes a seat behind a computer and outlines the problem that Geosparc and the people of Lille must solve. “The data from the sensors arrives on the VMM servers and based on environmental regulations we have set up a series of alarms,” he explains. “As soon as sensor values exceed or fall below a certain limit, we receive a notification. Unfortunately, we cannot adapt these instructions in detail and apply to all appointments.”
He explains: “If a sensor in the Dender measures a salt content above 1,400 microsiemens per centimeter (µS/cm), that is problematic enough to trigger an alarm. There is also the alarm threshold there. But the sensors in the brackish water on the coast naturally measure much higher values of 20,000 µS/cm. This is completely normal, but will result in notifications.”
Currently, these notifications don’t end up on a platform, but rather in the form of a cruel spam campaign. Van Hove’s inbox is flooded with warnings about exceeded limits that are actually irrelevant. “There are too many notifications to even filter,” he sighs. Manually combing through the sensor data looking for real anomalies seems to be the only solution at the moment.
We receive too many notifications to even filter them.
Nico Van Hove, VMM
Alarm fatigue lurks around the next corner. We immediately think of IT administrators or security specialists drowning in a flood of data and alarms from different applications. In this context, it is important to display all data efficiently in a dashboard, set priorities and keep false positives to a minimum. It’s no different in Aalst.
“We will address this,” says Tars Morel, software consultant at Geospact. “Geosparc is building a platform on which the data from the sensors can be better managed. For example, employees can set different alarms depending on the region in which a sensor is located.” It will also be possible to temporarily mute a sensor’s data or assign a priority to alarms. “This is useful when you know something is wrong but can’t do anything about it, such as the Westhoek floods,” he explains.
The basic design of the new platform is as clear as necessary. VMM employees can see the sensors via a map and work on the alarms themselves. In addition, the platform will be linked to work orders so that a local team can quickly take a look when sensor data requires it.
That sounds simple, but it isn’t. “Technical monitoring in real time is a complex data process,” Tom De Kegel from GeoSparc tells us afterwards. “It is an art and a challenge for IT companies to convey information to the user in a clear, simple and understandable way, with a complex monitoring engine and algorithms behind it.”
Geosparc also wants to immediately include information where data combinations may cause concern. “We take a pragmatic approach and initially develop simple but valuable alarms so that the VMM can receive immediate help,” explains Morel. “As we gain insights, we then add more complex logic.” For example, it is currently not possible to combine data from multiple sensors to generate insights. That could be possible in the new environment.
Conversely, some limit value violations are no cause for alarm. “When it rains heavily after a long drought, a lot of groundwater enters the river. The sensors register this and can trigger alarms, even though it is a natural phenomenon,” explains Morel. “We can easily prevent such alarms in the platform, especially when the sensor data is correlated with other data such as the weather.”
The platform’s architecture will be flexible as the intention is to get more out of the data quickly. Morel explains: “For advanced intelligence based on machine learning, we are working with the University of Lille, for example. There, researchers can develop intelligent systems to, for example, predict incidents before they are clearly visible or to plan maintenance work just before a sensor fails. When such a function is ready, we can click it into the platform.”
As the carnival joy grows outside, Rochdi Merzouki, a professor at Lille Polytech University, is identifying specific needs. “Which data is relevant to you?” he asks. “We can provide all sorts of insights, but they must be relevant to your day-to-day work.” GeoSparc, the VMM and the university decide to meet every two weeks to discuss the evolution of the development.”
As the delegation from Lille is led to sandwich lunch, we discuss the matter with Morel. He admits that the coincidence of carnival and visit is not intentional, although after today the French undoubtedly have more to think about than just sensors. Outside, children of all ages dance in their traditional costumes. Women push strollers filled with beer and men occasionally stretch out their breasts. Luckily that is Voil Jeanettes is only scheduled for tomorrow because it might be difficult to explain to the French. “Even outside of Aalst they don’t understand it well,” says Vertonghen.
“We have actually made great progress in Belgium in monitoring our waterways,” concludes Morel. We shouldn’t be misled by the flood of spam that is the norm these days. “We have a lot more data here than in other countries. This has to be the case in such a densely populated and built-up area.” This data will soon be made accessible with a future-proof platform. Hopefully, alarm fatigue will be a thing of the past for Van Hove and Vertonghen as they can finally work properly with the data from their sensors.
In addition, the VMM will be able to achieve more with fewer employees. Van Hove: “With five to six people we can service around 150 sensors, but more is currently difficult due to the frequent maintenance.” For example, the aforementioned D batteries need to be replaced in a timely manner. If this maintenance is managed more efficiently by the data platform, so that people are only on site when necessary, the added value of the platform can be felt immediately.
The carnival has now really begun. The steampunk bull at Zwarthoek Bridge is ready for the procession, just like the people. The NMBS brings one car after another to the revelers and the streets are packed. Nobody looks at the pole next to the bridge anymore or notices the Aqua Troll 600, which continues to dutifully measure the quality of the water, party or not.
Source: IT Daily
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
