Integration between Internet of Things and Internet of services for an enhanced optimization of water and gas distribution

The paper presents an innovative solution for the realization of an ad-hoc infrastructure that implements remote control facilities for water and gas distribution pipelines. The realization is base on an implementation of mobile wireless sensors able to flow without any restraint in any kind of conduit. A dedicated design procedure allows the minimization of the sensing and transmitting hardware, maintaining a strong transmission efficiency even when pipelines are deployed underground. The wireless device is interfaced with an acoustic sensor suitable inside liquids and it is is waterproofed, so that its insertion within pipes filled of liquid has been made possible. The sensor communicates to fixed stations deployed on the ground. These stations collect the measured data and repeat them towards an Internet gateway, allowing remote post-processing of the information and the classification of the pipeline, in terms of possible leakages, obstructions, or sediments. The introduced technological solution has been experimentally validated in a controlled scenario, where an “ad-hoc” wireless sensor network has been specifically designed and realized. Results show the exploitability and reliability of the proposed platform.