article · Water
Water demand is rising globally due to climate change, economic growth, and population growth. Urban centres can apply Internet of Things and communication technologies to conserve and manage water resources efficiently. A review of current research examines how these connected technologies are designed and applied in smart water systems. Present solutions frequently rely on microcontrollers, embedded programming languages, specialised sensors, and established communication protocols. Notably, current developments have not yet adopted 5G mobile networks for system communication. In addition, integrating solar energy and 3D printing into these systems offers promising ways to improve operational sustainability. Clearer pathways and strategic guidance are needed to support the widespread adoption of smart water applications, ensuring they can effectively safeguard resources and enhance urban facility management.
Rising populations and climate change place mounting pressure on global water supplies. Understanding how connected digital technologies, sensors, and renewable power sources can be combined helps urban planners and developers build more efficient municipal facilities. This insight supports sustainable resource management and prevents unnecessary water loss across expanding modern cities.
The review addresses IoT-based water monitoring and management applications intended for municipal and urban facility managers. The underlying research synthesises early-stage to lab-tested technological configurations, identifying integration with solar energy and 3D printing as sustainable enhancements. However, the absence of advanced 5G integration and the call for future adoption pathways suggest that many current system architectures remain at an intermediate research stage before reaching full commercial deployment.
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Water is an essential service for the sustainable development and economic competitiveness of any country. The global water demand has increased substantially due to economic development, climate change, and rising population. The Internet of Things (IoT) and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can help conserve available water resources. Smart cities apply IoT to boost the performance and efficiency of urban facilities. Smart cities are towns created to use IoT and ICT (innovative technologies) such as smart water applications. Several studies on smart water technology have been conducted, but there is a need to review current research that leverages the IoT as a communication technology to design effective smart water applications. This review paper is aimed at presenting evidence on the current design of smart water applications. The study also covers publication statistics to increase collaboration between stakeholders. Findings show that various technologies such as microcontrollers, embedded programming languages, sensors, communication modules, and protocols are used by researchers to accomplish their aim of designing IoT-based smart water solutions. None of the publications employed the 5G mobile networks as a communication module for their smart water application development. Findings further show that the integration of 3D printing and solar energy into IoT-based smart water applications is revolutionary and can increase the sustainability of the systems. Future directions required to ensure that developed smart water applications are widely adopted to help conserve and manage water resources are suggested.
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DOI: 10.3390/w16040557
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