Context
AIUT, a leader in automation, robotics and industrial Internet of Things (IoT) solutions in Europe, was tapped by the Municipal Water and Sewerage Company in Piekary Śląskie, Poland, to design and deploy Poland’s largest smart-metering network. As part of its portfolio of Smart City IoT solutions, AIUT provides cities with flexible, easy-to-use and quick-to-implement systems for remote, stationary utility-meter readouts, measurement and leak detection based on the best and most cost-effective technologies. The hourly and daily readouts provide real- time monitoring of the municipal water supply network’s operation, while reducing operating costs for the water utility.
“The network in Piekary Śląskie confirms that smart-city systems provide the same benefits to all cities – no matter their size. Water-purchase optimization, incident and leak detection, e-billing and lower service fees are just some of the benefits of implementing such smart solutions.”
Artur Gabryś, director of the Smart City IoT Division at AIUT
Challenge
Implementing a wireless communication ecosystem that continuously provides automatic, remote readouts of the current status of thousands of water meters in the city’s water and sewerage system, which is owned by MPWiK, in hourly intervals. The network also would provide real-time monitoring of water infrastructure, automation of management processes, and electronic service of individual and business clients.
Solution
As part of its portfolio of Smart City IoT solutions, AIUT provides flexible, easy-to-use and quick-to-implement systems for remote, stationary utility-meter readouts, measurement and leak detection based on the best and most cost- effective technologies. The company, which is familiar with the major IoT protocols, chose a LoRaWAN® network powered by Kerlink gateways for Piekary Śląskie, a city of 55,000 residents spread across 40 square kilometers.
The system includes approximately 6,500 IoT smart devices attached to water meters for transmitting usage data volumes via 15 Kerlink WirnetTM iStations to the system’s central water-control office.
“For nearly 30 years, AIUT has been committed to helping busi- nesses and water utilities adopt and benefit by the latest industri- al technologies that improve effi- ciency and lower operating costs. As a leading provider of Internet of Things solutions, the company is developing smart systems that can seamlessly integrate Kerlink’s industrial-grade hardware and software products for multiple smart applications.”
Stéphane Dejean, Kerlink CMO
Kerlink, a leading provider of solutions for designing, launching and operating public and private LoRaWAN IoT networks, offers a comprehensive product portfolio of leading industrial-grade network equipment, best-of-breed network-core, operations and management software and value-added applications. The company has more than 140,000 installations for more than 350 clients in 70 countries in all the primary IoT verticals.
First of Its Kind
The implementation in Piekary Śląskie was carried out in a turn-key model. The implemented AIUT devices and systems provide remote, wireless monitoring of water, ensuring hourly readouts and continuous monitoring of the infrastructure condition. The solution allows for quick detection of leaks and failure prediction. It also reports unauthorized interference with meters and the devices.
This is the first implementation of its kind and scale in Poland, covering an entire city with low-cost LoRa® transmission technology. The system also opens the way for development of smart-city applications and shows that the inevitable use of IoT technology is the strategic direction for the Polish economy to develop, which has been confirmed by the Polish Ministry of Digitization.
“It is well known that good ROI in digitization of urban infrastructure will largely depend both on the solutions and technologies available on the market, as well as the competence to implement them properly. It is therefore important to choose the right technology partner, and Kerlink has shown in multiple LoRaWAN networks around the world that its simple and reliable solutions ensure top per- formance.”
Artur Gabryś, director of the Smart City IoT Division at AIUT
In addition to remote, automatic data acquisition, constant hourly consumption monitoring and fast leak detection, which significantly reduces water loss, the AIUT system delivers:
- Increased operational efficiency
- Reduction of operational losses and costs
- Effective water-purchase planning
- Network failure reduction
- Network pressure-management optimization
- Data security
- Convenient electronic customer service (e-service), and
- Automation of invoicing and payment processes