SenseAbility saves 10,000 Liters of water in Abergavenny using IoT sensors and Datacake

In the small Welsh town of Abergavenny, a big step toward becoming a more eco-friendly and technological city has been taken with the help of SenseAbility Limited , a company that's all about using new tech to make towns smarter. This story explores the journey of Abergavenny and SenseAbility, showcasing their project's recognition and significant water savings.

Meet SenseAbility

SenseAbility, a North Wales company founded by Scott Andrews and Will Valintine , has become a leader in the Internet of Things (IoT) field. They use a variety of sensors to collect and analyze data, helping businesses save money, improve safety, and better manage their operations. SenseAbility creates custom solutions for environmental monitoring, asset tracking, and customer analysis, ensuring each client gets exactly what they need.

Abergavenny's Journey to Becoming a Smart Town

The venture to transform Abergavenny into a model of sustainability began through a cooperative effort involving the Welsh Government and Monmouthshire County Council. When the town faced a particularly dry summer and aimed to achieve water neutrality by 2030, they turned to SenseAbility, following insightful recommendations from OWEN DAVIES CONSULTING LTD . The partnership led to the development of an advanced IoT-based smart water management system, which not only earned the Gold Award for Sustainable Gardening at the 2023 Britain in Bloom Awards but also served as a significant stride towards their water conservation objectives.

How the Project Works

To gather data on soil conditions, the project used six Dragino LSE01 sensors that measure moisture, temperature, and nutrients. A Multitech LoRaWAN gateway collected this information.

The data is then presented in an easy-to-understand format on dashboards on the Datacake platform. These dashboards are accessible to both contractors and volunteers working on the project. Additionally, the public can view these dashboards on the Abergavenny Town Council’s website, promoting transparency and allowing residents to see the impact of the town's sustainability efforts.

How Datacake's White Label solution facilitated the project's success.

Datacake's white-label solution has been a strategic choice for SenseAbility. It allows them to tailor the data experience for each client, giving their brand a unique identity. This customization, along with the platform's ability to manage multiple clients seamlessly, underlines SenseAbility's commitment to user-centered design that delivers real results.

Project results

SenseAbility's project in Abergavenny delivers impressive results on multiple fronts:

• Water conservation: Real-time data on plant needs led to a significant 10,000 liters of water saved compared to traditional methods. With an average saving of 1,500 liters per sensor, the project highlights the technology's efficiency.
• Reduced costs and carbon footprint: Benefits go beyond water savings. The town sees an annual saving of ￡160 in watering charges. Less water usage also translates to a lower carbon footprint. Reduced time spent filling and transporting water (2.5 hours saved) contributes further to carbon emission reduction.
• Public engagement and transparency: Public access to dashboards on the Town Council's website is a strategic move. It showcases the value of the investment to residents and ensures clear and user-friendly data presentation, even for those with no technical background.

Why SenseAbility Selected Datacake?

For their water-saving project using soil moisture sensors, SenseAbility required a user-friendly and reliable platform. Datacake emerged as the ideal choice for several reasons:

• Simplicity: Datacake's user-friendly design catered to everyone on the SenseAbility team and stakeholders, regardless of technical background. This ensured everyone could effectively understand and utilize the platform.
• Branding Control: A key feature for SenseAbility was Datacake's white-label option. This allowed them to customize the platform with their branding, presenting it as their own product to users and clients.
• Seamless Sensor Integration: Easily connecting and integrating various sensors was crucial for SenseAbility. Datacake's platform facilitated this process, enabling efficient data collection and analysis for water conservation efforts.
• Public Engagement: Public dashboards were essential for SenseAbility to display water savings and irrigation data on municipal websites. Datacake's features fulfilled their contractual obligation to make this data accessible to the wider community

Taking the project to the next level:

• Improved Plant Containers: Abergavenny Town Council has upgraded its flower planters with built-in reservoirs. This allows for a direct comparison of watering needs this year compared to last year. Data-driven decisions are now possible thanks to this evidence-based approach.
• Strategic Sensor Placement: The council is exploring the strategic placement of soil moisture sensors in key locations like hanging baskets. By monitoring select baskets, they can infer the watering needs of nearby ones. This reduces the number of sensors needed, making it a more cost-effective way to manage the town's floral displays.

Smart solutions deliver big wins in Abergavenny

The Welsh town of Abergavenny is a shining example of how smart technology and close monitoring can significantly benefit the environment, reduce costs, and improve lives.? By strategically leveraging Internet of Things (IoT) technology, Abergavenny has demonstrated that even small-scale changes can lead to substantial improvements. This success story serves as an inspiration for other communities to explore similar approaches for achieving greater sustainability and enhancing resident well-being.

Abergavenny's accomplishment highlights the power of collaboration and innovative thinking in creating a smarter and greener future for our towns.

Key Partners:

• Abergavenny Town Council
• Owen Davies Consulting
• Dragino
• Multitech
• Datacake
• SenseAbility
• Datacake (LNS)