YORKSHIRE Water has launched a real-time AI water quality monitoring project.
In partnership with UnifAI Technology, the project aims to offer swimmers, paddlers, and other water users timely information on water quality at various sites across the county.
The current monitoring process, reliant on periodic sampling and lab testing, often results in delayed communication of potential health risks. The new AI model seeks to change this by providing real-time predictions on water conditions.
The project is funded through Ofwat’s Water Breakthrough Challenge 5 Catalyst stream and involves collaborations with The Rivers Trust, the British Standards Institution (BSI), and SOCOTEC, with additional support from Southern Water.
SOCOTEC has installed specialist monitoring technology at 20 bathing water sites, which will take readings every 15 minutes, measuring parameters such as dissolved oxygen, pH levels, ammonia, temperature, and turbidity.
This data, combined with lab-tested water samples taken four times per week, will contribute to the development of advanced AI models capable of predicting harmful bacteria levels in near real time.
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The initiative, if successful, will make data available to the public via a web app, aiding in informed decision-making before water activities.
The two-year project will gather over 7,800 samples to build a transferable AI model.
