At the conclusion of the 2011 Egypt WaterHackathon, software developers and water specialists presented their innovative ICT-based solutions to real-world problems of water access and sanitation. This presentation highlights one of these solutions.

1. Real time - Remote Sensing for
Water Table Management
Shaimaa Ahmed
Finding Nemo

2. Problem
• We have a regional unconfined aquifer , we
pump water and the water table decreases.
• We need an early warning system that can
alert us with water quality data and the
change in the water table.

3. Area of
interest

4. Steps
• Drop a plastic ball sensor in the beginning of the
large unconfined aquifer.
• The sensor create map that is used as a base
map. (assume time = 0)
• This ball collects data and it transmit to another
sensor that is hold in a well within a grid of wells.
• The fixed sensor has its own sensing range which
means that the ball may transmit the signal
within a radius of it.

5. • The well sensor is linked to another sensor on the
ground which transmit the data to a server ( by
satellites) that compares the current situation
with the base maps.
• When there is a difference an alarm will be sent
to a server.
• the transmutation is done by sending signals to a
satellite in real time.
• This idea predict the change in the beginning at
the aquifer thus it is a warning system at the end
of the aquifer.

6. Another solution
• The ball stores the water table level in a small
chip on it (at time =0) and when it is doing its
second trip, it compares new data with stored
data. If different then it sends a signal
through the previous network
• The sensor ball exists but it is used to collect
data from caves and ground water.

7. Layout of ground water
Well grids (current and
future – fixed sensor)
Range of
sensors
Ball Path
Ball path
Ball path
Ball path

8. PCs Cross
Server
Satellite Section
Fixed
Fixed sensor
sensor
Piezometer
Piezometer
Beginning of Fixed
the aquifers Fixed
sensor
sensor
Through the
Ball Sensor (Nemo) aquifer or at
its end

9. http://www.karstworlds.com/2011/03/underwater-cave-mapping-sensor.html

10. Suggested water quality parameters
• http://www.nj.gov/dep/dsr/trends2005/pdfs/groundwater.pdf

11. What is new?
• The added feature is the hardware that can
compare base maps (at time =0) with the
current situation (time= t1, t2…t n)on real time.
• The fixed sensors are new because it has to
receive signals from a moving object and send
it to above the well.
• The well grid concept is new.

12. What is new
• The ball moves freely (no need to energy
source) through the aquifer and by calculating
the distance, time - velocity
• From velocity equation  get the difference
in head.

13. Difference between two heads
• It can be calculated by the velocity and plug it
on the flow rate equation then we get the
head differences
• dh/dl = head difference / length of aquifer

14. How to get the ball back?
• The ball is like a small submarine and it has its
source of energy and it can be controlled from
above the surface and can be picked from a
well when it is within its sensing range.

15. What is new?
• Further development:
• The ball collects real samples from below for
future analysis such as biological analysis

16. Products?
• New invention (ball sensor that calculate the
difference in real time)
• Software managing this invention in the
ball, on fixed sensors, servers and PCs.
• Web application, cell phone applications and
new hardware plugged on them to work with
the signal transmitted
• Maps of ground water (three dimensions)

17. Products
• Maps and database show water quality
parameters and water table differences.
• The well grid installation, Sensors …etc
(infrastructure) .

18. Who may use the system
• This applications may be applied on regional
or national level.
• Governments ( how to manage shared water
resources among different countries).
• International organization.
• NGOs.
• researchers
• farmers

19. • On national level, the server must be located in a
unit that mentored and shared among
governmental agencies, civil society (NGOs), and
it has to be published on the net for transparency
among citizens.
• On regional level, a community of both countries
has this responsibility , the community includes
governmental representatives, NGOs
representatives.. others.

20. How to learn more?
• Web applications.
– 2d maps
– 3d maps  new to the GIS market
• Cell phone applications.
– 2d maps
– 3d maps  new to the GIS market

21. How to learn more?
• If it is required to farmers
– Videos on TVs (new market, new hardware and
SW to transmit this information in real time “delay
may be hours but not days” )
– Maps on cell phones

22. •Thank you