IoT-enabled hydrological micrometering for public infrastructure management: implementation experience in Baja California Sur, Mexico

Abstract

Water management in arid zones represents a structural challenge for higher education institutions, which must optimize their operations while assuming an active role in the sustainability of natural resources. The SMART-UABCS system is a technology-based proposal developed within a university context that leverages the Internet of Things, integrating micro-metering devices and encrypted communication protocols alongside a web platform that monitors water consumption in real time across institutional buildings. Because of its compatibility with the university ICT infrastructure through Lightweight Directory Access Protocol and Security Assertion Markup Language protocols, it was built entirely on open-source technologies to ensure technological autonomy and replicability. The system operated continuously in the main building of the H. XVII City Council of La Paz, Baja California Sur, between February and November 2023, achieving 95 percent operational efficiency, and employing ESP32-S3 microcontrollers, WiFi and LoRa communications, and a PHP 8.2 framework based on Laravel. The results strengthened early anomaly detection, the identification of temporal consumption patterns, and the generation of strategic information for evidence-based decision-making. “Reconocimientos ANUIES TIC 2023” awarded this project in the ICT for Social Responsibility category, confirming the system's relevance within the university Information and Communications Technology ecosystem and its potential for technological transfer to institutions facing water-related challenges in arid regions.