The innovative Water Sense technology is used to manage water quality in real time. The comprehensive system for identifying threats to the condition of rivers is based on Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and uses autonomous measurement stations. Importantly, Water Sense constantly signals risks to ecosystems and allows to predict potential effects on the environment and prevent ecological disasters. The solution was created by engineers from Magly, in cooperation with the Center for Advanced Materials and Technologies (CEZAMAT-PW), the Warsaw Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW-PIB) and Nebucode.
In Poland, as in the whole of Europe, we are still dealing with water pollution caused by, among others, industrial activity, sewage discharge or excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture. We all bear environmental costs – from the loss of biodiversity in rivers, through the negative impact on human health, to higher costs of water treatment or restrictions on the possibility of using water, e.g. for recreational purposes.
The motivation for creating Water Sense was the need to monitor and protect rivers, resulting from the growing problems with water quality in Poland. As the creator of the system emphasizes – over 99% of Polish rivers are in poor condition, and their constant monitoring is crucial to start actions aimed at improving the current situation. However, it was necessary to create a technological solution that takes into account the differences between river conditions and sea and ocean conditions – the existing tools have focused mainly on the latter group. The measurement stations available on the market are adapted to ocean conditions and are powered by energy from solar panels, which will not work in Polish conditions – it would be necessary to change the batteries too often, almost every few days. In addition, contamination of sensor sensors is also problematic – in the ocean the water is much cleaner than in the river, which is why it was necessary to use disposable sensors on special rollers that will cope with the river biofilm that grows on the sensors.
– – The answer to these challenges and needs is Water Sense, which is an autonomous measurement station that comprehensively monitors water quality. Thanks to the use of the latest technological solutions, such as a micro-water turbine, a heating system or disposable sensor sensors, the system is adapted to operate in various conditions and – what is particularly important – to transmit data in real time, e.g. to the cloud. The solution is aimed at all entities interested in testing water quality in Poland – not only local governments, but also companies from the water and sewage industry or non-governmental organizations focused on environmental issues – explains Filip Budny, CEO of Magly and PhD student at the Warsaw University of Technology. – Filip Budny, CEO of Magly and a PhD student at the Warsaw University of Technology, explains.
The potential of Water Sense has been noticed many times – suffice it to mention the successes of recent weeks. At the beginning of June, the project won first place in the Idea Challenge competition in the category of the Best Business Idea at the Carpathian Startup Fest. In June, the results of the Hydrostrateg II program of the National Center for Research and Development were also announced – the competition jury gave a positive opinion on the project and awarded it funding in the amount of PLN 22,178,017.24.
Source: Warsaw University of Technology
