Smart Water Systems

Overview

Handpumps are critical for hundreds of millions of people in rural Africa to provide drinkable water, but an estimated one-third are broken at any given time. A partnership between the Oxford School of Geography and The Environment and Department of Engineering Science has developed data transmitters that fit in hand pumps and send text messages containing water usage data to a central server. This is made possible by the growing mobile network coverage across the developing world.

Project description

The system measures the movement of the handle to measure pump usage and estimate water flow. Data are then transmitted to a central server, and are accessible through a web interface that displays water consumption. This will enable (a) more timely and efficient repairs to be made when pumps breakdown, (b) accountability by enabling central government, donors and other stakeholders to monitor the performance of the handpump network, and (c) a detailed source of water usage data to inform future planning and investment decisions.

Key features

Sensoring unit sitting on the handpump

Data transmission using telecommunication network

Database and web-interface for data storage and exploitation