SCC-Planning: Smart and Connected Residential Water Quality Community

这项提议的目标是计划在住宅一级大规模实施水质传感器，并利用物联网(IOT)方法开发传感器网络。低传感器成本及其与手机和平板电脑等个人设备的轻松集成为开发新的方法在家庭一级测量水质和增加消费者信心提供了新的机会。拟议的物联网网络还将允许社区收集跨城镇和地区的众包地理数据，以定位并最终解决供水网络中的水质问题。建议开展五项规划活动：1)收集有关将在社区层面部署的可用饮用水传感器的信息；2)评估基于智能手机的水传感器物联网系统的开发；3)确定全国范围内的水质感知；4)确定不同社区的用户采用传感器和网络的意愿；5)将自来水公司、私人水井所有者和其他水创新组织与最终用户(居民)联系起来，形成一个有潜力支持众包水质数据的智能社区。在这个规划提案期间，我们的团队将从多个来源收集数据，以提出研究战略并选择一个社区进行试点测试。同时，我们将确定感知、态度、行为和人口统计方面，这些因素不仅可能影响使用传感器的意愿，还可能影响社区广泛采用的其他障碍。最后，我们将确定支持未来研究成功进行的设施、资源和专业知识。该项目连接了来自工程、社会和行为科学的研究人员，以解决影响我们社会的复杂问题，如在基础设施老化的情况下确保安全饮用水。为了协调智能手机上用于供水的传感和用户交互的智能，了解水管理团队和居民中利益相关者的需求是至关重要的。因此，我们会采取参与式设计方法，定期与这些持份者互动，进行调查，并收集他们对其需求的意见。这也将导致我们分析用户使用智能手机和其他便携式技术(如水质传感器)的能力。这将决定用户采用拟议技术的意愿程度。因此，我们将使用设计思维流程来设计和开发应用程序用户界面，以满足最终用户的需求和能力。此外，我们将确定在为本规划阶段选定的社区之一进行全面研究的最佳方法。研究小组结合了专业知识，将能够解决社会和技术方面的问题，以发展一个智能和互联的社区。支持社区参与的努力，新英格兰水与环境协会将促进研究小组与私人水井所有者以及水设施之间的沟通和活动协调。通过两个拟议的讲习班，研究小组将为未来的全面提案制定概念框架，包括社区的需要和关切。此外，他们还将能够确定支持社区研究工作成功进行的设施、资源和专业知识。

The objective of this proposal is to plan the development of a large-scale implementation of water quality sensors at the residential level and to develop a network of sensors using an Internet-of-Things (IOT) approach. Low sensor costs and their easy integration with personal devices such as cell phones and tablets open new opportunities for the development of novel approaches to measure water quality at the household level and increase consumer confidence. The proposed IOT network also will allow the community to gather crowdsourced geo data across towns and districts to locate and ultimately solve the water quality issues in the water distribution networks.Five planning activities are proposed: 1) Collect information about available drinking water sensors to be deployed at the community level; 2) Evaluate the development of a smartphone-based Internet-of-Things system for water sensors; 3) Determine water quality perceptions nationwide; 4) Determine the willingness to adopt the sensor and network by users in different communities; 5) Engage water utilities, private well owners and other water innovation organizations with end-users (residents) to form a smart community that will have a potential to support crowdsourcing the water quality data. During this planning proposal, our team will collect data from multiple sources to propose a research strategy and to select a community for pilot testing. Simultaneously, we will identify perceptions, attitudes, behaviors and demographic aspects that could affect not only the willingness to use the sensor but also other barriers for widespread community adoption. Finally, we will identify facilities, resources and expertise that will support the successful performance of the future research. This project connects researchers from engineering, social and behavioral sciences to solve complex problems affecting our society such as insuring safe drinking water in times of decaying infrastructure.In order to orchestrate the intelligence of sensing and user interaction on smartphones for water application, it is essential to understand the requirements of the stakeholders both in the water management team and residents. Hence, we will take a participatory design approach and interact with these stakeholders periodically to conduct surveys and acquire their feedback on their needs. This will also lead us to profile the user's capabilities to use smartphones and other portable technologies such as water quality sensors. This will determine the level of willingness of users to adopt the proposed technology. Accordingly, we will design and develop the app user interfaces using design-thinking processes that will meet the needs and capabilities of end users. Additionally, we will determine the best methodologies to propose a full-scale study in one of the communities selected for this planning stage. The research team combined expertise will be able to address both social and technological aspects for the development of a smart and connected community. Supporting the community engagement efforts, New England Water and Environment Association will facilitate the communication and activities coordination between the research group and private well owners as well as water facilities. Through the two proposed workshops the research team will develop the conceptual framework for the future full proposal including the needs and concerns of the community. Additionally, they will be able to identify facilities, resources and expertise that support the successful performance of the research effort in the community.