Up-to-date information on groundwater levels in Belgium and the Netherlands is crucial to predict and prevent flooding, but also to combat drought due to too much water being pumped up. To this end, employees of the water companies have to check thousands of underground wells on a regular basis - spread over the whole of Belgium and the Netherlands. Quite a labour-intensive job that also often has to be performed in places that are difficult to reach, such as wetlands, and with manual measurements are not always accurate and up-to-date.
Entropia and ComBus have developed a secure wireless monitoring network that automatically records (ground) water levels, pressure measurements and temperatures of water up to a depth of more than a hundred meters. This information is sent to a central control rooms of the water companies. Wells can consist of one or more depth sensors that we can have accessed using the ComBus Cloud platform.
The first challenge was to design a sensor that could accurately measure the underground water level to a depth of more than 100 metres. In doing so, we had to take into account the various underground water layers that are sometimes separated from each other by impermeable materials such as clay. In addition, we had to look for an energy solution that can power the depth sensors for at least ten years in temperatures between -20 and +45 degrees Celsius. To this end, a unique 'low power' technology was developed for connectivity with the Entropia network and a software Cloud platform (ComBus Critical Cloud) monitors these sensors, forwarding the data in a controlled manner.
The sensors transmit the underground measurement results in real time via the Entropia network. The next challenge was to provide an Entropia radio network with an availability of at least 99.99 percent - even in remote areas. The existing mobile phone networks proved to be unsatisfactory because coverage and availability could not meet the strict criteria. The Entropia network is separate from all other public infrastructures allowing data to be sent in an energy-efficient manner.
The application is now fully operational, and the number of measuring sensors is constantly increasing. Entropia, together with the ComBus platform, has various industrial IOT applications in use at its customers in Belgium and the Netherlands. This is not limited to just water measurements, but also switching tram lines and controlling pumping stations.
All collected data ends up in a central database. There they are stored, validated, transformed, visualised and passed on to the databases of the water companies. The central database is located in our ComBus Critical Cloud, which greatly facilitates operation and management for customers. In addition, the necessary APIs (Application Programming Interfaces, also called ComBus links) are provided with maximum communication with the existing systems and infrastructures of the water companies. Indeed, we have also developed and built the secure Critical Cloud ourselves, otherwise you cannot offer chain availability of more than 99% in combination with a radio network, including your own radio network.
The data collected by the monitoring network has considerable social value. For example, they are important for flood forecasting. In addition, they are also used by the hydrogeologists of the water companies for real-time monitoring of underground water levels and for the preparation of mathematical models. Based on this, actions can be taken quickly to prevent flooding above ground. One step closer to Artificial Intelligence…
iBeacons are small transmitters that detect which mobile devices are nearby. If that is the case, such a beacon sends information to ComBus, whereby the position of the Entropia walkie-talkie or the ComBus smartphone can be determined. For example, in a museum, iBeacons can display the position of all employees on a ComBus map. iBeacons can also point the way to a correct indoor location or warn if an incident is taking place.
The ComBus Push-to-Talk solution is a robust and complete system where the smartphone application, control room software, and ComBus server are coordinated in such a way that calls are made in high speed. The platform is fully IP-based and is hosted in a secure cloud environment in our own state-of-the-art data centres.
Telemetry data is essential for organisations to improve their customer experiences, to monitor security, to identify faults and to oversee performance. This automated communication system collects real time data remotely and transmits it electronically for monitoring. Entropia and ComBus Technologies’ software provides optimum control over your primary business processes allowing you to assess, react and make key decisions fast. Smart telemetry data can be processed from any location covered by our own reliable network.
Revolutionising digital telecommunications since 1990. Entropia’s innovation equips today’s organisations for tomorrow’s world. Robust, reliable, clear and instant voice and data communications to safeguard the future.
