Making waves in pool management with IoT integrations
You might remember matching colors on a manual testing kit to determine pH and chlorine levels in the swimming pool water. Over the past twenty years, electronic devices have mainly replaced manual testing kits. Well-known public swimming pools and thermal baths use electronic devices and manual sampling to maintain ideal water quality. Measuring parameters such as pH, chlorine, urine concentration and others is vital because of the potential health consequences for guests. The norms are defined by the cantonal and national authorities and regularly checked.
However, most pool facilities mount these measuring devices not in public spaces but in walled-off areas close to the filtration and water treatment system. The lack of integration of these devices into a central system, such as a cloud platform, robs them of their full potential. It leaves the lifeguards with the time-consuming task of gathering data from reading displays, filling out report cards with pen and paper, and sharing the reports with the owners and authorities.
The digital facility management team at gammaRenax, now part of ISS Facility Services AG, prototyped a solution that would improve the status quo for lifeguards, swimmers, owners, and the authorities.
The ARGUS concept envisioned a reliable connection from the existing pool monitoring systems to a cloud platform, which would feed an intuitive app for lifeguards and other staff.
Initially, data from the existing pool monitoring system is collected by a Modbus bridge from Comtac, the project's hardware and connectivity partner. This setup allows us to connect with most existing monitoring systems while maintaining the option to install additional sensors across pool areas.
The data is then sent to the Akenza platform via LoRaWan, which stands for Long Range Wide Area Network. This energy-efficient wireless connection can transmit data over long distances even when blocked by walls, making it ideal for our use case.
Akenza, the project's IoT partner, processes and stores the data on its platform. In addition to handling connectivity and device management through its platform, Akenza's API integrates with the web application backend, bridging the gap between the product's hardware and software components.
headbits' role in this project focused on app design and development. Our team was responsible for creating the interface and user experience for the ARGUS platform. We integrated the data collected by the IoT sensors into the platform through Akenza's API, ensuring that the information was presented in a clear and actionable format.
The ARGUS platform allows users to monitor pool conditions remotely and efficiently manage compliance with health regulations.
The app allows lifeguards to check pool water quality without leaving their watching position. Should any parameter leave the narrowly defined ranges for ideal water quality, the app sends live alerts, enabling lifeguards to make informed decisions quickly.
Additionally, the ARGUS platform aggregates all measurements and generates accurate reports for the authorities in the required format, removing the paper-based and error-prone process from the equation. This increases measurement accuracy and reduces the workload for lifeguards.
ARGUS delivers a significantly improved experience with minimal installation effort, benefiting multiple customers today. But that's just the beginning. The digital team at gammaRenax has a broader product vision for the future, including predictive maintenance, supply management, and well-being. However, every enhancement to the ARGUS platform will continue to lead to a more sustainable and safe future for soothing swimming facilities.