Success Story
More Resilient Water Supply
An NGO captures geodata in real time using IoT sensors to improve water supply in Ethiopia.
#Non-Profit / NGO
#Business Analysis & Concept Development
#AWS
The Customer Need
Analyze water resources in Ethopia. | In a country where access to to clean water for 40 percent of the people and even slight climate fluctuations can dramatically worsen this number, it is vital to know how water resources change. With IoT sensors in selected Brunnen wanted Menschen für Menschen this previously non-existent geodata for the first time.
Challenges & Extra Miles
Local conditions & political unrest. | Actually, a pandemic would be and severe political unrest enough to put any project "on hold". The remarkable commitment of the Ethiopian and German colleagues from Menschen für Menschen and the flexibility of the entire project team, it is important to thanks to the fact that our IoT prototype for water data measurement is possible at all could start.
Strategy
Real-time supply status. | Digital solutions allow, among other things: data-based decisions, the measurability of measures and a fast scalability of convincing concepts. Important goals also for our Menschen für Menschen project. For this purpose, we have not only developed various types of wells equipped with sensors. We also wanted a visualization to develop changes in the supply status of wells in real time. In the second step, a push message system was to be created, which informs users about available water resources.
Innovation
Real-time well monitoring. | Like any digitization project, "WaterWatch" is the work of a partner ecosystem. Together with the hardware partner SEBA and the Ethiopian colleagues of Menschen für we have evaluated the local infrastructure, checked feasibility, depending on the situation and the sensors are finally activated after a Remote training launched in the Ethiopian communities. Since November 2021, the sensors from both wells have been collecting live data, the information about groundwater level, temperature and salinity or cleanliness of the water.
Technical Solution
IoT prototype for WaterWatch. | How new technologies work is shown preferably by example. This is also possible with innovative projects: With the help of test data from a well in Germany, our IoT experts were able to find out what was technically and organisationally necessary for the project in Ethiopia. Together with the hardware partner for the sensors, we were able to implement all the necessary IoT set-ups make. Based on mock-ups from our UI designers, we then visualizes the data evaluation. An integrated map shows the digital monitored well. In addition to surveys on water quantity and quality, In the future, the sensors will also be able to predict water availability, inflow and daily withdrawal quantity.
Technical Milestones
Six steps to an IoT prototype:
Requirement analysis using a test well in Kaufbeuren
Hardware sourcing with IoT specialist SEBA
Infrastructure analysis with Menschen für Menschen
UI design for the monitoring dashboard
Connection of IoT sensors to the mobile Data network on site via SIM card
Operation & hosting of the web environment via the Microsoft Azure Cloud from blu BEYOND
Big Wins
Robust geo-data for an entire country. | Without data, it is hardly possible to make sustainable decisions. Especially in life-critical supply projects, gut feeling is a poor advisor. With data-based well monitoring from WaterWatch, Ethiopian communities will now collect reliable geo-data, enabling them to better assess their water resources and plan water systems more efficiently.
2.500 € to secure clean water – the cost of a spring catchment for a hand pump well
6 Well have so far been equipped with IoT sensors
4 Well will receive monitoring sensors in the next phase
4000 people now have access to safer, smarter water – powered by IoT and 10 monitored wells
Small Victories
Partnerships that cross borders Digital solutions are only created through teamwork and interdisciplinary collaboration. During times of pandemic and political unrest, Ethiopian communities, a German foundation and a medium-sized digitization company Have shown that strong partners always find a solution.
Digital Literacy Upgrade Climate, Human and health protection – the major issues of our time can be addressed better and faster with the help of of data and digital technologies.
Real-time transparency for donors Those who donate want to directly see where their money is going. Through visualization, donors can track the impact of their contribution online in near real-time.
“As an NGO, we see digitalisation as a real opportunity. That’s what led us to partner with blu BEYOND – a team willing to go above and beyond for an innovation project that isn’t about commercial success first, but about something far bigger: securing better basic services for millions of people – services we often take for granted. WaterWatch is exactly that. It enables Ethiopian communities, authorities, and research institutions to continuously track water usage, detect falling groundwater levels early, develop countermeasures, and monitor water quality. In times of drought, they can react faster, understand regional water systems better, and plan more resilient water supply strategies.”
Dr. Sebastian Brandis, Speaker of the Board bei Stiftung Menschen für Menschen
What we delivered in this project:
IT- & Digital-Consulting
Implementation & Optimization
Operational Excellence & Support
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