In May 2013, Primodal Inc. became the first Southern Ontario Water Consortium (SOWC) user to access Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) monitoring stations with a system to develop, test and demonstrate a new real-time water monitoring and data evaluation product in a real-world environment.
The system install, located along the Grand River at Brant Park, is being used for the testing and further development of Primodal’s software, PrecisionNow ©, which controls the collection, analysis and storage of continuous environmental data sets, and is wirelessly connected to Primodal’s head office in Hamilton. This trial gives Primodal researchers the opportunity to learn, adjust and adapt the software and hardware to an ever-changing environment.
“Every time something goes wrong, it’s a good thing,” says John B. Copp Ph.D., one of two principals at Primodal, regarding the importance of testing in real-world environments. “There’s no way to get these results in the lab, you have to be in the field.”
The mathematical algorithms being developed capture not only the raw data, but also produce ‘clean’ data in real-time. Running concurrently with the logging of the raw data, these algorithms produce ‘clean’ data that is free of inconsistencies and corrupt information at the time that the data is stored. The goal is to improve the quality of data for clients and reduce or eliminate post-processing effort.
“When working with millions of continuous streaming data points, the algorithms we’re developing are extremely resourceful,” says Copp. “When software can automatically replace, modify or delete inaccuracies, we’re left with a clean data set, and this provides greater efficiencies for our clients.”
Another key aspect of the project is the development of a warning system for both data management and physical upkeep of the Primodal system. As continuous information is being transmitted back to the office in Hamilton, an alert is sent if an issue arises. Maintenance is timely and efficient, saving both time and money.
Primodal and GRCA are working collaboratively on the project and sharing mutually beneficial data. SOWC will support and facilitate access to GRCA monitoring stations with Primodal and with future users. The use of GRCA and SOWC facilities will save significant time and money for SOWC users who would otherwise need to obtain land access, build infrastructure and work through environmental and other approvals.
Primodal Inc. is an environmental consulting firm offering modeling and monitoring solutions for biological systems. Based in Canada and the US, they are recognized internationally for their services and special expertise in wastewater treatment process modeling, system monitoring and data evaluation.