Optimizing Water Resource Management Using Smart Sensors and Data Analytics in Urban Engineering Projects

Abstract

The rapid urbanization and climate change coupled with the old infrastructure place more pressure on the urban water systems. That is why new and evidence-based solutions of management are needed. The presented paper discusses the efficacy of using smart sensors together with advanced data analytics to enhance the management of water resources in urban engineering development based on a mixed approach through the experimental design. We deployed flow, pressure, and water quality smart sensors network in some metropolitan areas of water distribution. These coprocessors reacted with high-resolution real time data. With the application of time-series analysis and predictive forecasting and optimization analysis, through an analytical modeling, we could observe the level of the system that was being operated before implementation and after the implementation of the system. These results show that there is a major decrease in the quantity of non-revenue water, greater stability of pressure, enhanced reliability in anticipating the demand and provable savings of energy in the pumping processes. Real-time anomaly detection allowed the leakage and operational problems to be spotted in time minimizing the response time and service failures. Qualitative evaluation also helped in the enhancement of the efficiency and transparency of the decision-making process and the operation between the stakeholders of water utilities. Overall, the results suggest that smart sensor-based data analytics may have a significant impact on urban water management systems to improve the efficiency, resilience, and sustainability of the systems. This provides us with a scaling, and practical method of the urban infrastructure preparation in the coming generation.