ICT at the service of environmental protection and sustainable business

On the basis of a public procurement tender “Platform for monitoring water quality in Hutovo blato protected area”, JP Elektroprivreda Hrvatske zajednice Herceg Bosne d.d. Mostar decided that Ericsson Nikola Tesla will be the supplier of an overall ICT solution that will, by using its IT solutions in the field of environmental protection, IoT technology and automatically connected sensors that communicate via NB-IoT mobile communications network, enable predictive analytics for the purpose of improving environmental protection and sustainable business.

The two-year agreement on cooperation on this innovative and, at regional level, pioneer project was signed this year in August. 

The system will be implemented at Čapljina Hydroelectric Power Plant, which is part of Hutovo blato protected area. By using IoT sensors which are installed at 5 key locations in the area of Čapljina Hydroelectric Power Plant, it will monitor key water quality indicators, such as pH value, temperature, ORP (Oxidation Reduction Potential of water) and dissolved oxygen, and the data will be consolidated and processed in real time in an application solution developed for that purpose. Communication between connected devices in real time will greatly contribute not only to making decisions fast and to their quality, but also to transparency in relation to the local community and NGOs in the field of environmental protection as well as to collaboration with the scientific community. 

Local biologists that participate in the project will define thresholds for selected parameters that are used to monitor water quality in line with local practice and regulations to ensure relevance, accuracy, and efficiency of collected data. 

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. 

To Ericsson Nikola Tesla, this project is yet another step towards the field of eEnvironment, which the company recognized as a strategically important segment in relation to solution and service development.