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A case of AMR and leakage detection by smart water meter

September 01, 2022

Here we are introducing an example of the automatic meter reading (AMR) and leak detection by smart water meter implemented at Town of Tateshina, Nagano pref, Japan

Tateshina is a town with about population of 7,000, located in the eastern part of Nagano Pref.
The construction and environment department of the town of Tateshina had been implementing AMR using local cable broadcasting lines.
However, due to the deterioration of the facilities, new system was required, and in 2021, full-scale smart meters were introduced. The existing electronic water meters were continued to be utilized.
Currently, 2,000 water meters out of approx. 4,000 in use, are in AMR operation, including those using cable broadcasting lines.

Reduction in meter reading time

One of the biggest benefits of smart meter is the timesaving on meter reading. The meter reading data sent from IoT-R (the communication device using LPWA) to the data center will be reflected on the specified date every month. The data can be obtained by accessing the data center from the agency’s PC, which takes only a few minutes. So the meter readings that used to take several days can now be completed in one day.

• IoT-R installed on site

Early detection of water leakage / Individual remote meter reading

It is also used for early detection of water leakage. If there is an abnormal value that suggests water leakage, it will notify by email.
In addition, since two-way communication is available,individual meter reading is possible occasionally. They can remotely obtain specific meter reading without visiting the site.
By using our data center, the water utilities will not need to build a server, so it can save time and cost for management. They can access the data center at any time to check meter readings and meter alarm information.

Future prospects

Tateshina town plans to proceed with the systematic installation of IoT-R in the future, also considering introducing "Mimamori Service" a service that monitors the safety of the elderlies living apart from their family etc., by observing water usage utilizing IoT-R.