H. Court Young - Blog: October 2015

Friday, October 16, 2015

IoT, the “cloud” and your Water Supply

A recent article in the September 2015 issue of Water Technology Magazine entitled The Internet of everything (even water) by Dave Eifert attracted my attention. It discussed how cloud-based monitoring, using the Internet of Things (IoT) can benefit the water industry.

The reason it was of interest, beyond the pure technology aspect, was that the water district which I am a “director emeritus” is embracing similar technology.

Dave notes five issues facing the water industry. This new technology has applications in all of these areas.

Retiring personnel –reducing workforce and taking important knowledge with time [lack of continuity]
Reduced funding
Increasing regulations
Drought
Strategies to overcome water scarcity (such as reuse)

He further notes:

“With potentially fewer people to complete more complex work, looking to new technologies and service-delivery models to accomplish peripheral tasks makes sense. With this technology, water treatment professionals can focus on the main task [supplying clean, potable water]. …
IoT [Internet of Things] is new technology and a new service-delivery model that makes in-the-field devices smart and allows them to provide near real-time information to end users anywhere, as long as they have an internet connection.”

Smart meters and the “cloud” allow for faster acquisition and analysis of data. Dave uses the example of chlorine residual at the end of an existing distribution system. However, I would like to present a more critical issue which, in my opinion, impacts far more global water suppliers. It is especially relevant to smaller water supply systems.

As I have noted in numerous blogs, availability of clean potable water is critical to our survival as a species. Only about 7% of the water on Earth is fresh water in the first place; the rest is brackish or salt water, unusable by humans [in that state]. It stands to reason that water is one of our most precious resources.

As drought continues to encroach upon the western United States, the availability of clean, fresh water diminishes. More users with less water creates major challenges for both small and large water suppliers. California is an excellent example of the impact of major drought across all segments of society from homeowners to farmers.

Because of scarcity, the use of water in the western United States has become a complex regulatory nightmare. This is especially true of the states of Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, New Mexico and Arizona. These states depend upon one supply, the Colorado River, as their major source of water. It should be noted that the headwaters of this mighty river is also the state with the same name. As an aside, it is estimated that 70% of the practicing water lawyers in the United States reside in my home state of Colorado. Clearly, the reason for the predominance of water lawyers is they want to be close to the source of supply.

There is both a legal [having the right to use available water] and a physical [is there water actually in the river] component to water in the states using the Colorado River basin. For example, there was a newspaper article several years ago about a rancher in Southern Colorado. He had the first priority [the number one legal right to use any water in the stream]. However, as shown on the photograph with the article, the stream was completely dry. The opposite can happen; the stream or reservoir can be full but if you have a very low legal priority you might not get any physical water. During droughts in Colorado, water becomes almost unobtainable at any price.

So how can these smart meters, IoT and the “cloud” be used to help with the challenge of scarcity? Two specific uses come to mind. While similar in purpose, these two uses function differently in the water supply scheme.

The first use is by the water supplier. Having more data faster allows the water supplier to operate the water infrastructure with increased efficiency. These increased efficiencies can be seen in everything from billing the consumers for water used to the physical operation of valves and fire hydrants. Technology can be used, as noted by Dave Eifert, to monitor such things as chlorine residuals to keep the water in the system safer. It can also be used to make sure all areas of the supply system have the correct pressure and availability of water or to detect high flows in the water mains or even customers homes.

In addition, using these smart meters and the “cloud” allows the water supplier to take advantage of newer and more efficient computer technology to monitor the water supply system in less time. This is an extremely valuable benefit for the majority of small water supply systems, such as the one I am involved with, as it saves time and effort for the very small staff involved with operating and monitoring the system on a daily basis. We use Badger Meters and National Meter and Automation, Inc. as our suppliers for the hardware and software technology.

The second, and more important, use is the identification of leaks in the system. This can manifest itself by a drop in pressure in a length of line, or an increased flow rate through a house meter. Leaks, which often do not show up on the surface of the ground can be discovered by flow and pressure data sensors in the metering system itself.

Leaks in the supply system take on increasing importance during a drought. The scarcer the resource, the more valuable it becomes. Conserving the amount of water which is available to your water supply system becomes critical, especially to small districts like the one I am involved with.

It’s obvious that fewer leaks in a water supply system makes more water available for consumers for a multitude of uses including drinking, cooking and even fire and wild fire protection. If the staff has more data, faster, then leaks can be detected sooner. This is the significant benefit to installing and using these “smart meters” and the “cloud.”

However, there is a more important benefit across the system. Using these new IoT systems, not only the water supplier staff can get the data, but the consumer can as well. Using a simple cell phone “app” or a laptop or desktop computer, the individual consumer can check usage on a daily or even hourly basis. They can even use email or text alerts to be notified when usage exceeds a certain rate. In effect, there are more “eyes” monitoring the system.

If the consumer is interested in saving money, they can monitor their own water use on a daily or weekly basis with these cloud-based systems. As more consumers monitor their water use, it takes the strain off the staff of water supplier. Consumers, as they monitor their usage, will typically notice unusually high flows and request help from the supplier. Leaks will be detected sooner, and repaired with less water loss to the system and cost to the consumer. The entire water supply system and all of the customers are the beneficiaries.

Understanding how critical water is to humans and our planet is the reason that I wrote my books about water. They are available on Amazon in downloadable digital format. Understanding Water Rights and Conflicts, Second Edition explains in easy to understand language the concepts and challenges of supplying a scarce resource to an increasing population. Understanding Water and Terrorism explains how vulnerable our water supply system is to disruption from not only humans but also natural events, such as earthquakes, and hurricanes.

As you can see, there is a significant benefit to using the “IoT” and the “cloud” to monitor and manage our water supply systems. As the small district I am involved with found out, the process of implementing new technology is challenging and expensive. But in the end, it is very rewarding for all water users involved.

We all need to think and act as if water is our most precious resource, because in reality, it is.

Sincerely,

H. Court Young
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Friday, October 2, 2015

Windows 10 and Mobile Complexity

Two computer related articles recently caught my attention (as they often do). Both directly related to the direction of our society from a technological standpoint, but first some background is needed.

I am waiting in anticipation for several new very mobile devices from Microsoft to be presented at its October 6, 2015 launch event, all based around Windows 10. As a Microsoft Windows Insider, I have followed the ups and downs of the Windows 10 roll out since the first release in fall 2014. With each new “build,” Microsoft added new features and enhanced existing features of this new operating system. When the “Release to Manufacturing” (RTM) version was released to the general public in July 2015, it had some “quirks” and fixes are being constantly developed. Many of these are small “tweaks” which will be fixed in a reported October/November 2015 general release (update).

What is the upshot of this new push for a new operating system from Microsoft? Windows 7 was one of the most utilized and successful operating systems in the history of computing. As noted in a previous blog, it had a market share above 90% worldwide. While IOS and Android are used on the majority of the ”cell” phone market, Microsoft still has the enterprise and desktop market. As an operating system Windows 7 was reasonably secure and was capable of running most legacy software. So why the change to Windows 10? What changed in the computing world?

As phones became more popular, and tablets were developing, there was a shift from the “large screen” on desktop computers to computers which were small, and portable. Increasingly, data was being stored in the “cloud” so that it was accessible anywhere, anytime and by any device. This made it critical to develop software that could operate across devices.

In addition, the running of “APPS,” became the “rage.” While fun, using APPS is not the way to run an enterprise system. Android and IOS cannot run many legacy consumer or business programs in use around the world. Business cannot operate in an environment with just “apps.” They need enterprise software which can explore and take advantage of massive amounts of data. This is the direction which Microsoft has been and is going. For example, it was one of the first major “cloud” service and data center providers on the planet (via its Azure product).

Microsoft terms this use of one operating system across multiple devices and screen sizes “continuum.” It is designed to make your software experience the same whether on a smart phone, tablet, desktop computer or large screen (such as the new 84 inch Microsoft “all in one” Hub). Whether running an Excel spreadsheet, a Word document, a PowerPoint presentation or a “legacy” program, the goal was to make your experience the same, regardless of the device or the screen size. “Continuum” by Microsoft clearly, is an ambitious undertaking. Windows 10 is the first step in this process.

There is, however, a down side to this concept of “continuum” and increased mobility. One of the two articles which caught my attention addressed this downside. The article was in the September 2015 edition of Desktop Engineering magazine entitled Mobility Means Complexity, authored by Jamie J Gooch. It noted:

“The expectation of constant connectivity and mobility is a driving force in just about every industry. Not content with connected computers in our pockets, we’re putting them in every device where they make sense – and in some that don’t. Wearable electronics are the next frontier, according to industry watchers. ‘In 2014, global mobile data traffic of wearable devices amounted to 15 petabytes per month and is expected to grow to 175 petabytes per month in 2018,’ according to Statista. That presents some interesting challenges and opportunities for design engineers.”

Clearly, just the data use and manipulation will be a massive undertaking. It makes the development of new software such as Windows 10 essential. But software alone will not suffice. New hardware is also critical to this process. Mr. Gooch further notes the complexity of the engineering considerations alone are staggering.

“Engineering increasingly smaller products with constant connectivity opens a can ow worms that includes battery requirements, software integration, antennae placement, thermal dynamics, electromagnetic interference and user interfaces, just to name a few.”

The second article was in the September 2015 Electronic Design magazine entitled “Iris Scanner Unlocks Smartphones Using Infrared LEDs.” This article notes the increasing complexity and mobility of devices adds another major concern. To combat this new threat, new technical design and software iterations are being developed by necessity. The new concern is security.

“The growing number of smartphone thefts, both in the United States and abroad, has prompted manufacturers to incorporate more resilient security methods into their designs. Fujitsu Ltd., for instance, has recently unveiled the Arrows NX F-04G smartphone, which uses infrared light-emitting diodes (IREDs) to support iris scanning authentication.”

One of the great new features of the Windows 10 platform is “Windows Hello.” This uses infrared, color and 3-D cameras to allow facial recognition instead of passwords to sign into Microsoft accounts. About this technology, Microsoft notes:

“Windows Hello is a more personal, more secure way to get instant access to your Windows 10 devices using fingerprint, face, or eye recognition. Most PCs with fingerprint readers are ready to use Windows Hello now, and more devices that can recognize your face and iris are coming soon.” – Source: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/what-is-windows-hello

I purchased a USB camera from Intel designed for the Windows 10 which complied with the Windows Hello specifications and found it works very well. Facial recognition is almost instantaneous. It is indeed, much quicker than typing in a password, and much easier than remembering what my password is for my login account. As these new recognition hardware and software systems are included in new technology, more and more web pages, APPS and accounts we use will take advantage of the increased technology. However, the transition is not easy, as computer security is a very complex issue, which is not prone to “simple” solutions.

The Electronic Design article also notes:

“Such technology is part of a larger movement toward biometric identification methods as users become more vulnerable to theft. A report issued by the Federal Communications Committee in late 2014 found that more than a million smart phone thefts are reported in the United States each year. Because smart phones hold a large amount of personal information, manufacturers are investing in more secure alternatives to four-digit passcode locks and computer backups.”

I really enjoy and marvel at the new technology, with its increasing mobility and usability across platforms. For example, it is “really cool” to have my Windows smartphone look and operate in a similar way to my 8” tablet, as well as, on my 24” desktop monitor. The new Windows smartphones being introduced will be able to dock with my 24” desktop monitor and, using continuum, I will have the same experience as having my Surface Pro 3 connected to that monitor.

However, it is very clear that the increasing complexity of having our data available on many different types of devices including smartphones, tablets, desktops, stoves, microwave ovens, televisions and automobiles makes for a very complex infrastructure. This infrastructure also includes such infrastructure components as water supply and wastewater systems, and transportation systems. Not only do we have to manage the data in a “cloud” environment (so that it is always available), but we also have to manage the engineering, social and even psychological considerations of dealing with such a complex system.

Our journey into a very complex inter-connected world is just beginning. Part of the Windows 10 launch, which was and is not well known, is the availability of Windows 10 for the IoT. A September 2015 article in ChannelPro Network magazine entitled Microsoft Tees Up Windows 10 for the IoT by Richard Edwards notes:

“Microsoft is pinning its future hopes on Windows 10 too, but it isn’t about recapturing the important mobile operating systems market; it’s about gaining a strong foothold in the next multibillion-dollar market: The Internet of Things (IoT).”

About this market, Mr. Edwards notes:

“Windows 10 IoT is free for small devices, and Microsoft is urging manufacturers to consider Windows as they build their intelligent, connected devices. These might range from home automation units to robotic systems and medical devices.”

One example noted in an article entitled Innovating processing power in cars by John J. Paliotta, September ECN magazine brings out the incredible complexity of this IoT technology:

“Consider these incredible statistics: today’s vehicles have more processing power than any of NASA’s early spacecraft, including the Apollo lander. [This is an oft quoted statistic] [Even more amazing is the following] A modern vehicle has more lines of code (10M) than the latest technology in the U.S. Joint Strike Fighter. [127M to 150M per plane – source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/15/us-lockheed-fighter-cost-idUSBRE92E12E20130315]”

As I look at the advancing technology, I think back to what we have accomplished with far less technology. One example is presented in my EPub entitled EROS, Journey to an Asteroid. There are over 300 high resolution photographs taken by a very small spacecraft of a ‘Near Earth’ asteroid which is over 14 million miles from Earth. This space craft had a journey of over 1 billion miles, and the mission ended in 2001. With the exponential advance in technology, we should be able to accomplish so much more in today’s world.

As noted previously, these Windows 10 devices include smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers. However, the IoT devices market is exponentially larger. It may include virtually any device which we can imagine, and many which we have not yet imagined.

As Mr. Gooch notes about the future:

“In the not too distant future, maybe my daughters won’t have to yell at their kids to put down their phones and enjoy the scenery. Their kids might look out the [car] window and still socialize and be entertained via a Heads-up display in the glass. And my daughters will remember when they didn’t even have 100% cellular coverage and think ‘It was a simpler time.’”

Sincerely,