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End User Control System

Using IoT to remotely monitor and control the allocation of recycled water across community spaces

Indicium EUCS

BACKGROUND

Parks Shire Council is the local government body of the Parkes region, an area in central west New South Wales with a population of approximately 15,000 people. Previously famous for landmarks such as the 'dish' (a giant radio telescope) and the iconic Elvis festival, the Parkes region is also now known for the pioneering Recycled Water Scheme (RWS), Parkes Shire Council and Indicium worked together to create an End User Control System for the management of the recycled water.

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The Parkes Shire Council Recycled Water Scheme (RSW) was built in 2020 to provide high-quality recycled water to irrigate open spaces around the Parkes region. The goal of the system was to develop a drought-proof source of municipal irrigation, ensuring that parks and green spaces remained green during times of water scarcity, without drawing on the treated drinking water supply.

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As part of this scheme, a system for managing the supply and demand of recycled water to end users of the scheme was required. Parkes Shire Council decided to explore the use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology and a centralised cloud environment as the means through which to collect and display water consumption data more effectively. 

Indicium EUCS system

DATA REQUIREMENTS

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Existing data systems were siloed, making it difficult to achieve a unified view of water management metrics, and control over the management of water. The solution needed to centralise the display of data from a range of different sources.

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The solution developed needed to collect real-time data relating to water levels and water flow.

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The solution needed to enhance user interaction by providing a platform that was accessible and easy to use for both administrators and end-users, facilitating better control and monitoring of water usage

SOLUTION

EUCS solution architecture

To fulfil these data needs, Indicium worked with Parkes Shire Council to develop an End User Control System.

 

The solution involved the installation of several different devices:

  • IoT control devices - used to control meter valves and collect pipeline characteristics such as water flow, water usage and leak detection.

  • IoT Sensors – devices that provide additional environmental or storage information such as tank levels, and weather observations.

 

The data from these devices are collected and displayed by the INDICIUM Cloud, an innovative cloud environment that is easily customised according to specific customer requirements.

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Critical information is displayed via dashboards making it easy to see information at a glance, and enable real-time interaction with equipment on the ground. Users can manage irrigation schedules and operation rules through a highly intuitive user interface.

LoRaWAN controller for EUCS
Indicium EUCS system

BENEFITS

Accurate real-time monitoring of water flows and pipeline performance is easily accessible via the dashboards in INDICIUM Cloud.

ACCURATE DATA

The user interface provided using the INDICIUM Cloud is user-friendly, customisable, and displays critical data in a central location. This allows users to track and manage water consumption easily.

USER-FRIENDLY DATA INTERFACE

The data collected has enabled the Recycled Water Scheme to reclaim 250ML of wastewater a year, avoiding the release of the same volume of effluent to the environment, and saving 185ML of drinking water that would otherwise be used for municipal irrigation (learn more).

IMPROVED WATER EFFICIENCIES

IoT sensors provide a wider understanding of environmental factors impacting the efficacy of irrigation (e.g. wind and rain events), supporting data-driven decision making as to the optimal times for irrigation.

IMPROVED DECISION-MAKING 

Provides easily accessible, remote viewing of water use in real-time, allowing the Council to:

  • Set water allocations and irrigation schedules that maximise water use efficiencies

  • Determine and assess the irrigation needs of end-user sites;

  • Track sprinkler system performance;

  • Identify leaks in irrigation reticulation;

  • Alert users to issues with water quality

  • Restrict supply, when appropriate, to end-user sites to protect the scheme from excessive demand

ENHANCED CONTROL OF WATER ALLOCATION

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