Lessons learned from our grantees: Portland State University

Case Study 6: Portland State University: GSM-enabled sensors for monitoring handpumps to improve water services in Rwanda

In 2013, we launched the M4D Utilities Innovation Fund (formerly MECS) to test and scale the use of mobile to improve or increase access to energy and water services. With the support of the UK Government, GBP 2.4 million in Seed and Market Validation grants was awarded to 13 organisations in 11 countries across Africa and Asia.

Today we continue our Case Study series on lessons learned from these 13 projects. A core output of the Innovation Fund are the lessons and evidence base developed throughout the grant timeline that can inform ecosystem players on topics such as commercial benefits to mobile operators, and social and economic impacts for the underserved. By making these lessons public, we intend to accelerate scaling and sector growth. Since the inception of these grants, we have already seen significant expansion and innovation to mobile-enabled products and services for water and energy delivery as well as sanitation and the business models that support them.

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The sixth Case Study in our series focuses on Portland State University (PSU) which launched SweetSense Inc. to commercially develop GSM-enabled sensors for data collection about usage and functionality of services, including water, energy and sanitation, to enable data-driven decision making and accountability for reliable service delivery.

In December 2013, GSMA awarded PSU a Seed grant of just under GBP 200,000 to trial their sensors for monitoring handpump functionality in Rwanda, installed and maintained by Living Water International (LWI). For the GSM-enabled machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, PSU partnered with MTN Rwanda.

Handpumps are a common water service technology in much of rural Africa, yet an estimated one in three are not functional. This largely reflects a lack of operations and maintenance services often due to the fact that in-person monitoring of handpump failures in remote areas is costly and ineffective. The key objective of this grant was to test the use of GSM-enabled sensors to provide real-time, quantitative data on service delivery such as pump uptime, frequency of use, time to repair, volume of water pumped and other key indicators. The pilot was structured to also assess the cost effectiveness of the solution compared to traditional maintenance models and the potential for government to utilise and pay for the information.

Some of the pilot’s most valuable findings are outlined below and are explained in more depth in the Case Study.

GSM sensor-driven maintenance significantly increases average handpump functionality and reduces repair time compared to traditional maintenance models. The study compared three different maintenance models by placing sensors on 181 handpumps to monitor functionality. The ambulance maintenance service, in which sensor data alerts maintenance staff of likely breakages, resulted in 91 per cent mean functionality (uptime). In comparison, the best known practice of circuit rider maintenance (geographically sequential monitoring), resulted in only 73 per cent functionality, and the ad-hoc maintenance (triggered by random inspection or consumer complaint), resulted in only 68 per cent functionality. The sensors on the latter two models was used to detect functionality for the purpose of the study but did not inform maintenance activities.

The cost of a sensor-enabled maintenance model is similar to traditional maintenance models but is likely to decrease. The study tracked all capital and operational costs associated with each maintenance model, including transport and staff costs. Total costs were roughly similar for maintaining a functional pump over one year when accounting for average pump functionality (total costs of handpump hardware and maintenance, divided by the mean functionality). The sensor hardware and maintenance costs are expected to decrease with expanded production and improved design.

Sensor data for accountability of service delivery has a strong value proposition, yet international donors and NGOs may be more ready clients than governments. The ultimate objective for the Rwandan Government to take ownership of the sensors
 and responsibility for the data by paying a fee for services, has not yet been achieved. The Government has been highly engaged and enthusiastic about the sensors, yet faces funding constraints. LWI, however, has invested in continuing the ambulance service model.

As a result, PSU revised their business model to “sensors-as-a-service,” focusing more on providing data-driven decision aids, rather than commoditising the sensors, and have been awarded new contracts with NGOs and international donors, valued at over USD 2 million.

GSM sensors for handpumps require advanced and iterative technical design of robust hardware. PSU encountered several challenges related to battery longevity and sensor placement inside the pumphead, such as signal attenuation and water leakage. They ultimately redesigned an improved version of the sensor that can be placed outside of handpumps. As of March 2016, these have been installed on a few of LWI’s handpumps in Rwanda, as well as for other clients monitoring handpumps and boreholes in Kenya.

More detailed analysis and statistics that led to the findings in the case study are included in 
PSU’s publication in the Environmental Science
and Technology journal titled ‘Evaluating Cellular Instrumentation on Rural Handpumps to Improve Service Delivery – A Longitudinal Study in Rural Rwanda’.

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