Symposium on Telemetry Systems for Water Management (2014)

A symposium school on telemetry systems for water management will be held at LUMS on September 18, 2014. Pakistan is facing rapid large-scale environmental changes brought about by natural forces unleashed by climate change; historical forces driven by social, political and demographic changes; and global transitions triggered by new technologies. The impact of these changes is felt most in the water sector in poor management of irrigation networks, depleting groundwater, deterioration in water quality, poor sanitation and difficulties in preservation of eco-systems.

Engineers, computer scientists and systems analysts must pay attention to understanding these issues in developing new technologies. In particular, a dictionary must be developed between basin managers and scientists on the following translations between science & policy. In order to meet the technical challenges of time and scale in a problem as complex as water, ICT based solutions hold the key. An internet inspired system, envisioned as a tightly connected network of sensors, automated actors and local decision support systems may address problems of large scales, provide services amidst the general breakdown of governance structures and uphold entitlements and accountability. This is the vision of a smart water grid for Pakistan.

The symposium focuses on a key technology for setting up an ICT inspired smart water grid for canal and river networks. Developing scalable electronic hydrometry solutions for large-scale canal networks, rivers and groundwater is a key challenge. This requires ultra-cheap, robust and non-invasive sensing platforms and telemetry networks for real-time monitoring of water resources.

Venue: Dean's Smart Room, 5th Floor, SSE.