Ericsson Nikola Tesla delivers ICT solution for digitalized monitoring of water in the area of Hutovo Blato

This end-to-end ICT solution implies the introduction of a central upgradeable IT platform for the monitoring of environmental quality in protected natural areas and the monitoring of potential negative impacts hydroelectric power plants have on the environment.

Ericsson Nikola Tesla has successfully delivered to JP Elektroprivreda Hrvatske zajednice Herceg Bosne d.d. Mostar an end-to-end ICT solution which implies the introduction of a central upgradeable IT platform for the monitoring of environmental quality in protected natural areas and the monitoring of potential negative impacts hydroelectric power plants have on the environment. This solution enables central storing of and transparent access to all environmental data with the aim of more efficiently monitoring and implementing an environmental protection plan and include the local community into the implementation of protection. It will be used in Nature Park Hutovo blato. 

The solution implemented by the company Ericsson Nikola Tesla is basically an IT solution dealing with the digitalization of environmental parameters using data which is transmitted from sensors by means of telemetry and by using mobile communications networks, enabling therefore the preparation of water bodies’ eutrophication models by applying algorithms in the system.

After the end of the project whose implementation lasted for six months, Karlo Guštin, Manager for New areas & Strategic Initiative, emphasized the extensive expertise of Ericsson Nikola Tesla in the area of water ecosystem monitoring and explained: 
“This project is an example of a technological concept which will additionally accelerate Industrial Revolution 4.0, which has begun approximately ten years ago and aims at enabling all industry sectors to continue their sustainable economic growth, protect the health of natural ecosystems, preserve biodiversity and improve the quality of life in the local community in which it is carried out.”

This solution enables the following: central and unified access to all available historical data that describe the state of the environment at a chosen location, automated collection of environmental parameters from mobile sensors and finally the analysis of collected data with the aim of interpreting the state of the environment based on the estimation of the eutrophication level for Čapljina HPP.

“JP Elektroprivreda Hrvatske zajednice Herceg Bosna d.d. Mostar bases all its business activities on sustainable development principles which imply responsible management, positive business, satisfaction of all interested parties and a dynamic development that does not endanger the environment,” said Zoran Tabak, member of the Management Board at EP HZHB and executive director for electricity production, and added:
“The company strives to constantly achieve better results in environmental protection and is going to be taking all the measures available that will improve environmental protection in all its organizational units and activities. The impact business has on the environment will be continuously monitored and actions will be reviewed to reduce their harmful effects. Therefore, we believe that the implemented system is in line with the promoted environmental policy principles and will additionally contribute to the system for monitoring environmental protection and improve and set clear goals for the management of environmental protection.”

Cooperation with the academia and local biologists

In addition to the platform’s functionalities that enable the abovementioned values, a cooperation with the academia and local biologists was established through this project to additionally stress the importance of water monitoring which needs to be designed in a way to ensure a clear and comprehensible overview of the ecological and chemical status.
Anita Dedić from the University of Mostar says: “Hutovo Blato lakes, both natural and artificial, are a key feature of our natural environment and play an important role in our society. In recent years, the ecological status has been significantly changed by the action of various stressors, and as a result we see a reduction in the number of endemic species and an increase in the number of cosmopolitan, widespread and invasive species, as well as an increasingly frequent occurrence of algal blooms and eutrophication. By introducing digitalization into water monitoring as part of this project, we got a transparent overview of data and a status assessment with the purpose of protecting and using water bodies in a sustainable manner. With the adequate monitoring program, a multipurpose use of the lake is enabled. Numerous studies and analyses have shown that the introduction of mandatory factors for monitoring water quality does not make electricity production more expensive, and it significantly improves the quality of the environment.”