Jefferson Project at Lake George in US uses big data analytics to manage fresh water

Researchers are using ‘Internet of Things’ to create a ‘Smart Lake’ at Lake George in upstate New York for big data analytics, which will help in managing and protecting the fresh water body.

Scientists from IBM Research have been working on the Jefferson Project in collaboration with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and The FUND for Lake George.

Scientists expect that the insight from the project will not only help in protecting the lake, but also help in creating a blueprint to preserve lakes, rivers and other bodies of fresh water around the globe.

Titled as ‘The Jefferson Project’, the initiative deploys Big Data and analytics technology for the management and conservation of the fresh water lake.

Sensors have been placed in the lake which enables enormous amounts of data collection for further analysis.

Besides offering insights about the water circulation, road salt and water runoff from nearby mountains, and local ecosystem, the accumulated data have even enabled creation of a weather model.

Derivations from the project are also expected to offer foresight about preservation of other major lakes, rivers and fresh water bodies around the world.

Jefferson Project associate director Harry Kolar said: "The world’s important bodies of fresh water such as Lake George are precious to people, essential to life and drive the economy, but they’re under siege from a growing list of threats.

"The key to protecting this precious natural resource lies in the data, and the stage is now set to discover a deluge of insights about the delicate ecology of the lake and the factors that threaten it. The results of our efforts will help drive new ways to protect bodies of fresh water around the world."

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Image: IBM Research scientists Mike Kelly (left) and Harry Kolar (right) deploy sensors at Lake George. Photo: courtesy of IBM.