Aumsat: Detecting Leakages from Space

Water monitoring is an essential public service. The resulting hydrological information enables evidence-based decisions about water. Public safety, food supply, energy production, social justice, the environment, health, and prosperity all have high inter-dependency on the water within any water pipeline infrastructure. Policies, planning, adaptive management, and engineering decisions need reliable information about the variability of water quantity and water quality over time and in space. The role of potable water in the context of the sum of the impacts of human activities must be understood in order to learn from the past, manage the present, and create a secure water future. Providing for a safe and secure source of water to support all requirements is expensive. Developing sufficient capacity to survive periods of drought is expensive Making wrongful assumptions about the quality and/or the quantity of water in providing for these essential public services is expensive Given the high cost of hydrological ignorance, a sustainable supply of relevant, reliable, and trustworthy integrated pipeline water management is necessary.

Leak detection technologies have not changed much in 80 years. They continue to be costly and relatively inefficient as companies around the world struggle to find leaks and conserve scarce resources. Often they consist of a blind survey, without the ability to target or prioritize where to look. As a result, many agencies don’t fix a leak until it is visible and reported by customers. Non-Revenue Water in India has resulted in a loss of 42% of the total potable water resources.

Aumsat provides precision-driven, AI-Enabled, Satellite-based hydronalytics for detecting, predicting, and forecasting leakages in water pipeline networks. Unlike traditional survey methods and SCADA based systems, we help public utilities, irrigation departments accurately detect, analyze, forecast water leakages, ruptures, spills in water transmission networks without physically being present in the field.

Consider the benefits:

•           No external expertise is required for interpretation.

•           Synoptic view of the entire city in one single screening.

•           Proprietary algorithm for multi-satellite data assimilation and data analysis.

•           No installation or capital cost required. No changes in existing infrastructure required.

•           Reduced NRW both economically and logistically.

•           Information interoperable with existing GIS layers.

•           Detection of underground leakages up to 10m depth

Link to Publications: https://drive.google.com/drive...

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Our solution is aimed at addressing the critical issue of water scarcity faced by a substantial segment of India's population, where 2 out of 5 individuals lack access to clean drinking water. The gravity of this problem is further underscored by the fact that India experiences an Average Non-Revenue Water (NRW) loss of 40%, translating into a significant amount of potable water lost annually due to pipeline leakages.

The primary beneficiaries of our innovative approach are communities throughout India, especially those in areas most impacted by inadequate water access and inefficient water infrastructure. These communities are currently underserved, lacking the advantages of sophisticated water management technologies capable of efficiently identifying and rectifying water losses.

Our groundbreaking solution for groundwater detection, monitoring, and exploration employs advanced, non-invasive methods aimed squarely at reducing NRW losses by pinpointing and addressing pipeline leaks, thereby optimizing water management practices. A testament to the efficacy of our approach is our success in Udaipur, where we identified 47 leaks, saving 36,000 kilolitres of water per month and securing revenue savings of 80 lakhs. This achievement has directly benefitted the lives of 500,000 residents, marking a significant milestone in our efforts to ensure broader access to clean water.

In addition to improving water access, our solution offers the dual benefit of substantial economic savings in water management and a profound positive impact on the health and wellbeing of the population. Drawing inspiration from the successful intervention in Singapore in 2019, where 197 out of 330 leakages were preemptively identified, resulting in monthly water savings of 6,300 gallons and annual financial savings of 1.7 million dollars, we are motivated to replicate and scale this impact across India. Our ultimate vision is a future where water scarcity is drastically reduced, enabling universal access to clean drinking water and significantly enhancing the quality of life for millions.

We are specialized engineers, scientists and big thinkers passionate about making information accessible and actionable having being part of India’s Chandrayaan 2 lunar mission and trained by NASA, UNOOSA, ISRO, Google and Harvard School of Design. Our consistent foundations are built on Precision, Innovation and Trust.

To date, we have collaborated with 9 users, successfully detected 3,400 leaks, conserved 80,000 kilolitres of water since 2019, and positively impacted the lives of 1.8 million people. This progress underscores the effectiveness of our pipeline leak detection technology, which leverages sophisticated, non-invasive methods. Our solution has been rigorously tested and enhanced through partnerships with PUB Singapore, SETOM France, and in seven Indian smart cities: Udaipur, Gandhinagar, Bhopal, Mumbai, Indore, Nandurbar, and Nanded.

Our engagement with PUB Singapore highlighted the global applicability and efficiency of our technology in optimizing water management. The collaboration with SETOM France further demonstrated the versatility of our approach, adaptable to various infrastructural and geographic conditions.

In India, our efforts have led to notable achievements in urban water management. For instance, in Udaipur, our technology was instrumental in identifying leaks, significantly saving water and improving the city's water distribution system. Similar outcomes in Gandhinagar, Bhopal, Mumbai, Indore, Nandurbar, and Nanded emphasized the efficacy of our leak detection system, streamlining water resource management and delivering tangible benefits to communities through a more dependable water supply.

The cumulative impact of these projects across millions of individuals highlights the transformative potential of our technology in water conservation and infrastructure enhancement. The successes we've achieved provide a solid basis for ongoing growth and development in pipeline leak detection.

Our application to Solve is driven by the ambition to significantly scale our pipeline leak detection technology across 100 smart cities in India, leveraging its potential to conserve water and enhance urban water management systems. While our achievements to date underscore the effectiveness of our solution, we recognize several challenges in scaling at the desired pace and breadth. Specifically, we aim to overcome financial, technical, legal, and market barriers that currently impede our expansion efforts.

Financial Barriers: Access to funding is critical for scaling operations, conducting further research and development, and implementing projects across more cities. We seek Solve’s assistance in connecting with funding partners who understand the value of our technology in contributing to sustainable urban development.

Technical Challenges: As we expand, customizing our technology to suit the diverse infrastructures of India's smart cities poses a technical challenge. Collaboration with Solve's network can provide us with access to cutting-edge innovations and expertise that can help refine our solution, making it adaptable and efficient across varying city landscapes.

Legal and Regulatory Hurdles: Navigating the legal and regulatory landscape of water management in different jurisdictions requires a nuanced understanding and strategic partnerships. Through Solve, we hope to engage with legal and regulatory experts who can guide us in complying with local regulations, facilitating smoother deployments of our technology.

Market Barriers: Building credibility and trust with local governments and stakeholders in new markets is essential for our expansion. Solve’s platform offers an opportunity to showcase our technology’s impact to a broad audience, including potential city partners, enhancing our market presence and accelerating adoption.

Cultural Considerations:Understanding and integrating into the cultural fabric of each city is vital for the success of any implementation. We anticipate that Solve’s global network will offer insights and strategies for effective community engagement, ensuring our solutions are culturally sensitive and widely accepted.

Our goal in applying to Solve extends beyond mere funding; we seek a comprehensive ecosystem of support that can propel our solution to the next level. The non-monetary support, such as mentorship, strategic advice, and access to a global network of innovators and experts provided by Solve, is invaluable to navigating the complex landscape of scaling a technology solution like ours. We believe that Solve’s unique ability to connect Solver teams with a diverse range of partners aligns perfectly with our needs, making it an ideal platform to support our ambitious goal of enhancing water management systems across India’s smart cities.

Our solution stands out due to its innovative approach to pipeline leak detection, harnessing remote radar technology that drastically reduces the need for on-the-ground operations. This method offers a significant shift in how water management issues are addressed, providing a more efficient, less intrusive, and cost-effective solution. Key benefits include:

1. Economic and Logistic Cost Savings: By minimizing ground operations, our technology slashes costs associated with leak detection by approximately 75%. This efficiency makes it a highly viable option for cities and municipalities, especially those with limited budgets for water infrastructure maintenance.

2. Advanced Radar Technology: Our use of radar technology to detect leakages, fissures, and fractures in pipelines up to a depth of 30 meters represents a significant advancement in the field. This capability allows for early detection of potential problems, preventing water loss and infrastructure damage before they become more serious and costly to address.

The broader impacts of our solution could be transformative for the water management industry and beyond. By demonstrating the effectiveness and efficiency of our technology, we can encourage other players in the space to adopt similar innovative approaches, leading to widespread improvements in water conservation and infrastructure management. Additionally, the cost savings and reduced environmental impact associated with our solution could set new industry standards, prompting a shift towards more sustainable and economically viable water management practices across the globe.

Our solution tackles the critical issue of water leaks, which can lead to higher power consumption, risk to life and property, lowered water quality, and even mimic drought conditions by reducing available water. By integrating Aumsat's radar technology into current water management systems, we aim to enhance socio-economic conditions and balance water demand and supply, ensuring that water is distributed fairly and efficiently.

The core of our mission aligns with the Jal Jeevan Mission, aiming to guarantee at least 55 litres of water daily to every Indian household by 2024. By making the pipeline infrastructure more resilient and sustainable, we believe we can make a significant impact, not just in saving water, but in improving the quality of life for millions of people.

Join us in strengthening India's water infrastructure, paving the way for a more secure and equitable water future.

Our impact goals are centered around contributing significantly to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2, 6, and 13 by ensuring food security, water sustainability, and climate action. Here's how we plan to measure our progress towards each:

1. SDG 2 (Zero Hunger): By securing water supply through efficient leak detection and management, we aim to support agricultural productivity, directly impacting food security. Our progress will be measured by the increase in water availability for irrigation purposes, leading to improved agricultural yields in communities we serve.

2. SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): Our core goal is to enhance access to clean and safe water by minimizing losses from leaks. We'll track the volume of water saved through our technology and the expansion of our services to underserved communities as indicators of our progress towards ensuring universal access to water.

3. SDG 13 (Climate Action): By reducing water loss, we indirectly contribute to lessening the energy required for water treatment and distribution, thereby lowering greenhouse gas emissions. We will measure our impact on climate action by the reduction in carbon footprint associated with water management in the areas where our solution is implemented.

At the heart of our solution is the cutting-edge technology of active radar reflectometry, a sophisticated method designed to precisely identify and monitor subsurface water signals. This technology is crucial for the early detection of various indicators within pipeline networks that may signal potential issues, such as aging infrastructure, corrosion, pressure anomalies, fluctuating demand cycles, and external stresses on the system. By identifying these early markers, our technology enables proactive condition monitoring and predictive analysis, helping to prevent failures before they occur.

A key feature of our technology is its compatibility and interoperability with existing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. This ensures that our solution can be seamlessly integrated into current water management frameworks without the need for extensive modifications. We enhance the utility of these systems by providing comprehensive analytics visualized through multiple perspectives: Satellite View, Street View, Radar View, and 3-D View. This multi-faceted approach not only facilitates a deeper understanding of the condition and performance of water infrastructure but also empowers decision-makers with actionable insights for effective management and maintenance strategies.

Our use of modern technology, coupled with an approach that can incorporate and complement traditional water management practices, positions our solution as a versatile and impactful tool in the pursuit of sustainable water resources management. This blend of advanced and adaptable technology aims to safeguard water supply systems, ensuring their resilience against the challenges of today and the uncertainties of tomorrow.

The effectiveness and reliability of our active radar reflectometry technology have been substantiated through rigorous evaluation and certification by esteemed organizations and entities within the water technology sector. Our technology has received certifications from the ICAR water technology division, PUB Singapore, and SETOM France, each of which conducted thorough assessments to validate our solution’s performance and its potential impact on water management and conservation.

Further evidence of our technology's capabilities and its application in enhancing water infrastructure management can be found in our academic and technical publications. These publications detail the methodology, implementation, and results of our technology in various settings, providing a comprehensive overview of its effectiveness in detecting early markers of ageing, corrosion, and other critical factors affecting pipeline integrity and performance.

For those interested in a deeper exploration of our technology and its validations, we have made our publications accessible through the following link: https://drive.google.com/drive.... These documents not only underscore the scientific and practical merits of our solution but also highlight our commitment to transparency and the advancement of knowledge in the field of water management technology.

Our collaborative efforts with leading water technology divisions and our proactive approach to sharing our findings and innovations through academic channels reflect our dedication to developing and implementing effective, evidence-based solutions for the challenges facing global water resources management.

Full Time: 6

Riddhish Soni CEO
Chetan Soni CFO
Karan behar CTO
Vikram Gulecha CSO
Dr. Vrunda maniya COO
Divyang S. Head Data Science
Dr. Shivam Sharma, Strategy Advisor, 
Dr. K.D Sharma, Water Expert

Part-Time: 3

Abhyudaya Goyal, Marketing Expert
Abhishek Sharma Finance Expert 
Pratap Raju, Networking Expert

Contractual: 2

Kartik Khatik

Manish Kothe

15/10/2019

We are specialised engineers, scientists and big thinkers passionate about making information accessible and actionable having being part of India’s Chandrayaan 2 lunar mission and trained by NASA, UNOOSA, ISRO, Google and Harvard School of Design. Our consistent foundations are built on Precision, Innovation and Trust

SAAS based Pay Per Km Model. We charge $80/Km for scan

We have generated revenue of $245000 and are revenue positive