Pedro Reis

iEcoSys – An Intelligent Waste Management System

At present, only a few small cities have implemented procedures for collecting rubbish in an innovative way. Thus, it is urgent to implement measures that initiate sustainable behavior, with the active participation of citizens, ensuring the conservation of resources through the reduction and recovery of waste. This paper describes the system iEcoSys (Intelligent Ecologic System), an intelligent waste management system, developed by the authors. It is a technological tool that identifies the waste produced individually, using RFID tags embedded in rubbish bags – the iBags. When depositing waste, the recycling center identifies and weighs each bag and the collected data is sent to a server system using ZigBee communication standard. When the information reaches the server system, it is inserted into the database management system, making it possible to know the deposited waste in the iEcoSys internet portal, and even order new iBags. Making the cities smarter and promote sustainability by changing the paradigm of receiving for the recycled rubbish instead of paying for the waste produced, is the contribution of this study.

Intelligent management of urban garden irrigation

The scarcity of water resources, associated with the growing need for water, is one of the most critical problems of humanity. At the same time, irregular rainfall, coupled with the occurrence of high temperatures, are strong obstacles to the preservation and growth of plants, causing high rates of water deficiency. Recently, several systems of soil monitoring and irrigation control have been developed with the aim of improving water use efficiency. This study describes a system (iRain), developed by the authors, which aims to ensure autonomous and efficient irrigation in urban gardens. It consists of a net of sensors and actuators with Zigbee communication and control software for storage and availability of monitoring data on a web portal in real time. In manual mode, the irrigation management is the responsibility of the irrigation manager in order to control the system from the portal. In automatic mode, the system prevents watering if there is a forecast of precipitation (up to 3 days) and if the humidity of the soil has not fallen below a critical value. In this mode the decision is made at the local base. The system also gives preference to irrigation at night and during periods of light wind in order to obtain more accurate and efficient irrigation. Thus, the iRain constitutes a valuable tool for promoting sustainable use of this scarce natural resource.

Advanced System for Garden Irrigation Management

Water is a limited resource. It is crucial promoting water efficiency strategies to help decrease the amount of water wasted. This study describes a system (iRain), developed by the authors, which aims to ensure autonomous and efficient irrigation in urban gardens. It consists of a net of sensors and actuators with Zigbee communication and control software for storage and availability of monitoring data on a web portal in real time. In manual mode, the irrigation management is the responsibility of the irrigation manager in order to control the system from the portal. In automatic mode, the system prevents watering if there is a forecast of precipitation (up to 3 days) and if the humidity of the soil has not fallen below a critical value. In this mode the decision is made at the local station. The system also gives preference to irrigation at night and during periods of light wind in order to obtain more accurate and efficient irrigation.

Intelligent system for recycling incentive

Cities are facing an increasing growth in population, resulting in, among other things, increasing quantities of waste being generated. Industrialization and economic growth has produced more amounts of waste, including hazardous and toxic wastes. Thus, every year, millions of tonnes of litter end up in municipal or industrial waste dumps, oceans, beaches, forests and elsewhere in nature. This paper presented an intelligent system of recycling incentive (iEcosys). The study is divided into two fronts. On the first part, an empirical study, which demonstrates the usefulness of the iEcosys system, based on a questionnaire survey, will be presented. The second part will describe the iEcoSys system developed by the authors. It is a technological tool that identifies the waste produced individually, using RFID tags embedded in rubbish bags - the iBags. Making the cities smarter and promote sustainability by changing the paradigm of receiving the recycled rubbish instead of paying for the waste produced, is the contribution of this study.