Using IoT Data-Driven Analysis of Water Consumption to support Design for Sustainable Behaviour during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Aquatic environments are cornerstone for the existence of life, while water scarcity and unsafe water supply are major global issues affecting citizens [37]. Recently, the deployment of Internet of Things over water distribution networks has indicated ways to address some of these issues. Yet, policies for sustainable and efficient use of the aquatic resources depend largely on citizen's engagement. The use of data arriving from water metering and water quality sensors in educational environments as a mean to educate citizens and inspire environmental friendly behaviours has not been studied throughly in the past, mainly due to the lack of real-world data. Towards this end, real-world data collected by smart water meters can become a powerful tool to bridge digital and physical environments to support design for sustainable behaviour. A data-driven approach is adopted here that evaluates the effect of human actions related to the consumption of water within an educational setting. The data used in this study is collected from a pilot deployment of a 24 months period and is analyzed on weekly, daily and hourly basis to identify usage patterns. The examined period also includes the restrictions imposed by the local authorities as a response to the COVID-19 emergency taking place during the first quarter of 2020. The evaluation of water consumption before, during and after the lockdown period highlights the impact of human actions within the educational environment. The paper investigates how to design educational activities for sustainable behaviour based on the analysis of the data collected from the smart water grid.