MOBESENS · MOBile watEr quality SENsor System

Management of the environment for predictable and sustainable use of natural resources is one of the great challenges of the 21st century. Although water covers most of the planet, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ensure adequate supplies of fresh, clean water for drinking, as well as, for sports and wellness activities. The demand for water resources is increasing as the population grows. At the same time, water resources are increasingly exposed to pollutants and spills as parts of the world become ever more crowded and industrialised. Potential climate changes due to global warming may also impact water resources.<br/><br/>Management of water quality requires regular measurements and monitoring. Today, measurements of water quality are performed manually. The process can be slow and painstaking. Multiple point measurements are needed to cover an area. The process needs to be automated and extended to provide rapid and effective monitoring. Autonomous, mobile and self-healing solutions are needed to identify trends and to help localize and track potential problems. <br/>\t<br/>MOBESENS provides a modular and scalable ICT based solution for water quality monitoring. It enables data to be gathered quickly and reported across wide areas. The low power wireless sensor network gathers data samples, which are time and location stamped and automatically entered into the grid based information system to facilitate analysis and issue alarms if needed. Mobility is a unique feature of MOBESENS, which are capable of navigation and both surface and subsurface measurements. This extends range, enables 3D area measurements and facilitates operation, even in bad weather. MOBESENS may form ad-hoc networks enabling rapid and reliable reporting as well as relative localization and tracking (e.g. of contaminants). Opportunistic communication between MOBESENS and both fixed and mobile buoys is envisioned. Renewable energy sources are studied for self-sustained MOBESENS operation.