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Transforming City Fountain Management with SenseCAP LoRaWAN Weather Monitoring-Based Automation in Slovakia

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By: Kezang Loday

The city of Trenčín in Slovakia has transformed the management of its iconic Vodnik fountain using IoT-powered automation, powered by the Helium LoRaWAN network. By deploying SenseCAP sensors and controllers, the team at Heliotics supported the city automating the fountain’s operation based on real-time weather data, ensuring optimal efficiency and resource conservation. The system allows for remote management, significantly reducing water and energy consumption while minimizing the need for manual intervention. This innovative solution demonstrates how IoT can modernize urban infrastructure and enhance sustainability efforts in smart cities.

  • Solution: IoTech automated the Vodnik fountain using a smart weather station and controller, powered by Helium LoRaWAN, for real-time weather data, remote management.
  • Industry: Smart City Solutions, IoT Automation
  • Solution Deployed in: Vodnik Fountain, Štúr Square, Trenčín, Slovakia

Trenčín, Slovakia, is a city rich in history and known for its picturesque landmarks, including the Vodnik fountain at Štúr Square. This iconic fountain draws tourists and locals alike, especially during the summer. However, managing its operation, especially during adverse weather conditions, has proven both challenging and costly for the city. Traditionally, city workers had to manually switch the fountain on and off, leading to inefficiencies, excess water consumption, and unnecessary energy use. The need for a more efficient, automated solution prompted the city to explore IoT technology to manage the fountain remotely.

Fountain
The Vodnik Fountain

Challenges

Traditional Fountains, like the Vodnik fountain, need to operate under specific conditions to maximize their aesthetic appeal while conserving resources. Ideal operational conditions include moderate temperatures, low wind speeds, and no rainfall, ensuring optimal visual impact without unnecessary water or energy wastage.

However, the manual operation process required city workers to visit the fountain, turn it off during storms or at night, and turn it back on under favorable conditions. This time-consuming method led to unnecessary resource use when immediate action was needed, and it relied heavily on weather forecasts and human intervention. Moreover, the risk of damage from freezing temperatures or water splashing during high winds presented further challenges, leading to increased maintenance costs and resource wastage.

The Vodnik Fountain

Solution

To address these issues, our partner Heliotics implemented a smart, IoT-powered solution for the city of Trenčín, leveraging the Helium LoRaWAN network and Heliotics CORE app. This system integrates a SenseCAP S1000 V2 10-in-1 Compact Weather Sensor and SenseCAP S2100 Data Logger for real-time monitoring of weather conditions, and a Milesight UC300 Controller for automation of the fountain’s operation. The weather station tracks key environmental factors like temperature, humidity, wind speed, and rainfall, while the controller is connected to the fountain’s main electrical system to manage its operation.

This solution automates the fountain’s on/off cycles based on predefined threshold values (e.g., low temperatures, high wind speeds, or heavy rainfall), ensuring optimal operation. The system’s logic follows a color-coded range (green for favorable conditions, yellow for caution, and red for shutoff), allowing the fountain to shut down automatically under poor weather conditions and restart when conditions improve—all in less than 10 seconds.

The system also features remote management capabilities via the Heliotics CORE app, enabling authorized personnel to monitor and control the fountain’s operation from any device. Alerts via SMS or email are sent in case of extreme weather or malfunction, allowing for real-time intervention if necessary.

SenseCAP Data Logger

Why SenseCAP and LoRaWAN?

The SenseCAP sensors were chosen for their ability to deliver reliable and real-time data in outdoor environments, crucial for the automation of the Vodnik fountain system. The SenseCAP S1000 V2 10-in-1 Compact Weather Sensor provides multi-parameter monitoring, collecting key environmental data such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, and rainfall to ensure the fountain operates under safe conditions. These sensors are durable, designed to withstand harsh weather without frequent maintenance, making them ideal for continuous outdoor monitoring. Known for their low power consumption, SenseCAP devices are also cost-effective for long-term use and scalable, allowing for future expansion to other smart city infrastructure. Additionally, their seamless integration with the Helium LoRaWAN network ensures efficient, long-range data transmission, perfect for city-wide remote monitoring and automation solutions.

“Our IoT solution at Vodník Fountain in Trenčín uses LPWAN technology, reducing installation costs by eliminating cabling. With advanced automation and remote 24/7 control, the city has achieved nearly 75% savings in water use and optimized energy consumption. The flexible system also allows manual operation, saving time on-site and highlighting the sustainable impact of smart infrastructure” comments Miroslav Macko, CEO of Heliotics

Heliotics CORE App

Heliotics CORE App Dashboard

SenseCAP 10-in-1 Compact Weather Sensor

Results

The implementation of this IoT-powered solution has transformed the management of the Vodnik fountain, significantly reducing water and energy consumption by automating its operation. The system ensures the fountain only runs under optimal conditions, thus extending its operational lifespan and minimizing maintenance costs. Furthermore, remote monitoring via the Heliotics CORE app has reduced the need for physical intervention, allowing the city to respond swiftly to changing weather conditions while also conserving resources.

Overall, this smart solution has improved the city’s sustainability efforts, cut unnecessary costs, and enhanced the public experience of this iconic landmark. The success of this project demonstrates the potential of IoT in modernizing municipal operations, setting an example for other cities looking to adopt smart technologies for better resource management.

Partners

https://www.heliotics.com/ 

Heliotics is a provider of IoT solutions that specialize in smart city applications, offering advanced automation tools for urban infrastructure management. Through its flagship Heliotics CORE app, the company enables remote monitoring and control of various systems, such as fountains, lighting, and environmental monitoring, to optimize city operations. By integrating real-time data and automation, Heliotics helps municipalities like Trenčín achieve greater efficiency, reduce resource consumption, and improve sustainability.

https://www.helium.com/lorawan 

The Helium LoRaWAN Network is a decentralized wireless network designed for IoT devices, offering long-range, low-power connectivity across large areas. Known for its cost-effective and scalable infrastructure, the network allows smart city solutions to operate seamlessly without the need for traditional cellular or Wi-Fi networks. By utilizing Helium’s LoRaWAN technology, cities like Trenčín can monitor and control infrastructure remotely, enhancing both operational efficiency and real-time data collection.

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