Revolutionizing Industrial 4.1 with The Group Lab's WisBlock Solutions for Wetland Preservation and Urban Hydraulic Networks

Denitsa Prodanova

Jul 21, 2022 • 6 min read

Company profile

The Group Lab is a company, located in Santiago, Chile, that provides technological tools to improve productivity without neglecting environmental care. They provide services for Industry 4.1 like:

Internet of Things for remote monitoring of production processes;
Transmission of production and sustainability indicators in real-time;
Simulation of processes to make improvements, evaluate performance, and solve problems.

"What is not measured, is not controlled, and what is not controlled, cannot be improved."

Most of the solutions offered from The Group Lab use LoRaWAN. They have dedicated about five years of hard work developing around LoRaWAN and have inspired the birth of the first LoRaWAN LatAm (Latin America) community on Telegram.

Problem Statement

Wetlands, known for their ecological significance, are facing significant threats due to environmental degradation and human activities. These valuable ecosystems are vital for water purification, groundwater replenishment, storm protection, flood control, and biodiversity preservation. However, real estate development, urbanization, water misuse, and industrial pollution are contributing to the decline of wetlands worldwide.

Chile has recognized the importance of wetland preservation and introduced regulations to safeguard these ecosystems and their diverse flora and fauna.

Location

Santiago, Chile

Solution

At the forefront of addressing wetland preservation challenges, The Group Lab turned to RAKwireless for their innovative WisBlock solutions. The collaboration began three years ago, with The Group Lab initially utilizing the cost-effective RAK811 and RAK831 modules, along with customized Raspberry Pi-based gateways, for their telemetry water systems. The flexibility of connecting these devices to Arduino allowed them to validate their concepts successfully.

Over the years, The Group Lab and RAKwireless continued their partnership, making advancements with the introduction of WisBlock. Leveraging low-power WisBlock hardware, The Group Lab developed sensor nodes tailored to their specific requirements. They have also relied on the extensive support and knowledge-sharing within the vibrant RAK LoRaWAN community, particularly on platforms like TTN and Chirpstack.

With WisBlock, The Group Lab can tailor solutions for their clients who can't find off-the-shelf products that meet their unique requirements. This is especially helpful since their standard product has limitations. By using WisBlock as the base node and adding modules as needed, The Group Lab can create a custom solution that is cost-effective and reliable.

As a result, two impactful solutions have emerged:

REMO: The Group Lab's REMO solution utilizes WisBlock as the core processing and communication platform for monitoring wetlands. By integrating various sensors such as pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, and depth, REMO's buoy collects crucial data to assess the health of wetland ecosystems over time. The collected information not only aids in identifying anomalies but also helps raise awareness and facilitates effective wetland preservation efforts.
SAFEKO: Addressing the monitoring needs of urban hydric networks, The Group Lab's SAFEKO solution combines third-party residential water meters with custom-developed devices. WisBlock serves as the core for measuring water pressure and flow within city pipes. By deploying these WisBlock-based nodes, The Group Lab can accurately monitor water usage, detect inefficiencies, and contribute to the sustainable management of urban water resources.

Both REMO and SAFEKO solutions are powered by LoRaWAN technology and seamlessly integrate with The Group Lab's in-house developed IoT platform, specifically designed for visualizing and analyzing the collected data.

Outcome

The Group Lab's groundbreaking solutions have gained significant traction, aligning with the growing demand for regulated water management and monitoring in Chile and across Latin America. By leveraging RAKwireless hardware, developing proprietary software, and establishing their LoRaWAN platform, The Group Lab has become a catalyst for change in the water conservation landscape.

With the aim of continuously advancing their projects, The Group Lab plans to upgrade their existing hardware using the latest offerings from RAKwireless. This hardware expansion includes the incorporation of the following:

The Group Lab's vision extends beyond wetlands in Latin America, as they aspire to expand their solutions to other industries such as salmon farming. Moreover, they seek to grow the SAFEKO network, which currently spans across Chile.