Students and professors in a Michigan State tech incubator program are working on efforts that could change the way we manage our water supply and even fix bridges.
One project involves overlaying water supply data onto Google Maps.
WWJ: The data analyzed and displayed by Hydrosimulatics comes from a wide variety of sources — federal and state agencies, universities and more.
Li ran me through several examples of how the information could be used, from mapping drinking water supply zones to characterizing the movement of groundwater contamination plumes to predicting water table declines from unsustainable overuse.
Another venture hopes to better detect when bridges and overpasses need repair.
WWJ: [Assistant professor Nizar] Lajnef said the sensors generate power from the vibration and strain of the bridges and pavement in which they are embedded. The devices communicate wirelessly in the 915 mhz radio band to moving sensors that can be embedded on vehicles — and the communication is so fast, it can take place at highway speeds.
The sensors look for changes in the strains experienced by pavements and bridges. Those changes can indicate deterioration of the bridge or pavement.
