Imagine trying to track river levels or soil moisture but finding the equipment too expensive to install everywhere. This project creates a way to get high-quality data using cheap, off-the-shelf parts like Raspberry Pi cameras instead of pricey industrial sensors. It's like switching from a professional cinema camera to a smartphone that still gets the job done for the price of a fraction of the original cost.
Traditional environmental monitoring in Africa is too expensive to deploy at scale, making it impossible for climate services to be financially self-sustaining.
A Water Management Information System (WMIS) front-end, a mobile platform for germination insurance payouts, and low-cost image-based flow measurement systems (DK and DKL).
If you are an insurance provider dealing with high risk and uncertainty in crop germination — this project developed a mobile platform for the design, onboarding, and payout of germination insurance in Ghana. This allows for automated monitoring and compensation payments via mobile money.
If you are a reservoir operator dealing with inefficient water tracking — this project developed a Water Management Information System (WMIS) front-end application. It provides real-time reservoir information to operators using Docker and Kubernetes for scalable data processing.
If you are a service provider dealing with the high cost of deploying sensor networks — this project developed sensing methods that reduce deployment and maintenance costs by 90%. This enables the creation of viable business models for flood early warning systems.
The project aims to establish sensing methods at a fraction (10%) of the costs compared to traditional methods, representing a 90% reduction in deployment, maintenance, and use costs.
Yes, the project focuses on establishing local enterprises that can uptake and sell these methods locally to ensure long-term financial sustainability.
Based on available project data, the project uses off-the-shelf hardware components from the Raspberry Pi ecosystem and specific software solutions like DischargeKeeper (DK) and DischargeKeeper Light (DKL) developed by subcontractors.
The system uses a front-end application built on the TWIGA platform and runs via Kubernetes with Docker containers to integrate various software models and products.
The project period runs from 2023-02-01 to 2027-01-31, with current reports showing installations already active in Zambia and Ghana.
The consortium is heavily industry-weighted with a 50% industry ratio (6 industry partners out of 12), including 4 SMEs. This balance, combined with 3 universities and 3 other organizations across 8 countries, suggests a strong focus on commercial viability and local market penetration rather than purely academic research.
Contact the Technical University of Delft (TU Delft) regarding the WMIS and sensor network deployment.
Contact SciTransfer to connect with the TEMBO Africa consortium for low-cost sensor licensing.
