The University of Johannesburg team combines electrical and electronic engineering, distributed sensing, IoT and edge computing, artificial intelligence, water-quality monitoring, data integration and decision support. Our technical architecture integrates multi-parameter field sensing with ESP32 acquisition, Raspberry Pi 5 edge processing, a 7-inch on-site HMI, offline-capable local storage and AI inference, Firebase synchronisation and a separate remote web/mobile interface. The project further integrates laboratory reference validation, geospatial and hydrological data, explainable AI, uncertainty analysis and stakeholder-centred implementation. The South African team includes complementary expertise in analytical chemistry, public health, implementation, innovation and techno-economic assessment. Our focus is translating sensor and AI research into deployable, field-oriented monitoring systems for water-constrained and data-limited environments.
Topic 1. Integrated Monitoring and Assessment for Sustainable Water Management
Topic 3. Smart, Secure and Adaptive Water Infrastructures for Sustainable Water Management
WATERSIGHT is a 36-month Water4All 2026 proposal led by the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, primarily under Topic 1 with a strong contribution to Topic 3. The project will develop and validate an integrated water-intelligence system for distributed monitoring and adaptive management of chemical, microbial and antimicrobial-resistance risks. It combines field sensing, ESP32 and Raspberry Pi 5 edge intelligence, laboratory confirmation, hydrological and geospatial information, explainable AI and verified alert-to-action protocols. We seek two complementary funded partners from participating European or Horizon Europe Associated countries: 1. Advanced water analytical chemistry/environmental microbiology: trace contaminants, metals, microbial indicators, AMR, reference-method validation and a European validation site. 2. Hydrology/water infrastructure/digital water systems: hydrological modelling, smart water infrastructure, digital twins, Earth observation, utilities or decision support and a European validation site. Partners should be eligible under their national Water4All funding rules and willing to lead a defined work package.
water quality monitoring, distributed sensing, analytical chemistry, environmental microbiology, antimicrobial resistance, smart water infrastructure, digital water, edge ai, hydrology, decision support