Retrospection calls for Renovation

“I am not as funny as I thought”… this is my humility telling me after a retrospection of my journal entries. I had initiated this blog in 2004, a time when I was feeling low and had an insolent outlook to the industry that bought me my daily bread. At the time, I thought I would pen laughable entries on the quirkiness of the industry and the world but now when I look back at the entries I made after reviving it, I fail to find a reason to laugh.

Considering the original theme, I had two things right, the name of my blog “Laughter Inc” and the title “Lifes all ha ha he he”. Now these are misnomers and I need to find a more apt name and a title.

Being an advocate of crediting individual artistic creativity it is very wrong of me to use the title that in a way belong to Meera Sayal. Meera actually has a novel and a mini-series “Life Isn’t all Ha Ha Hee Hee”. I altered this to suit my needs. This is not very artistic of me.

This gives me two reasons, misnomer and possible copyright violation, to rename and renovate my journal.

My journal entries do not seem to follow any one theme – they are an assortment of my ideas, my thoughts, and may be my travel. My entries are around topics that my brain can creatively sew.

Here is a list of names that I think, reflect my journal and are more fitting:

1. Thought Factory (my most preferred)
2. Brain Splatters
3. Light Bulb Ideas
4. Creative Scribbles

And a list of titles include:

1. My hearts passion is my brains playground (my most preferred)
2. When the wheel of ideas spin
3. Brains sauteed in Art, Design and IT

I wish to change these on April 1st. Until then I would highly appreciate it if you can either vote for any of my options or make your own suggestions. When you make a suggestion, it will imply that you are also giving me the permissions to use it.

Use the following poll to post your recommendations:

Name(URL) for my blog/journal

Title for my blog/journal

IT in Sewers

This is not another satirical entry on the IT industry. This is literally about “IT in Sewers” or to put it professionally it is about “IT in the Drainage Systems” This design solution was a prize winning entry of the “Pan India Solutions Community’s” monthly challenge sometime in the recent past. Rewriting certain sections of the text was imperative for making it a suitable journal entry.

The main reasons for overflowing drains are:

1. Littering causing accumulation of garbage in drains
2. Authorities unable to pin point the exact point of clog within the drainage system and
3. Authorities unable to send a team to the location to clear the clog on time

Littering is an issue with social responsibility, there is not much IT can do. In my country, finding people with civil sense is as difficult as finding them with common sense.

However, IT can be of immense help with the other points, equipping the authorities with the right information at the right time to keep the drains clean (figuratively speaking) and clear. 

Using sensors, geo-spatial data and mobile technology can help overcome these two inadequacies. As a first step, it will be required to embed sensors in the entire drainage system. These equally and logically spaced sensors should be designed to be able to determine the level and the velocity of water currents. The difference in the level and speed of water between adjacent sensors can give a fair idea on the presence of blockage in the drain.

A Single Line Diagram (SLD as the industry will like to call it) will provide a layout of the drainage system along with the locations of the sensors. Diagrammatically depicted as:

 

There can be two modes of transmitting the sensor readings in real time to a centralized remote Control Center:

1. Consolidating the readings from several sensors first to a single location called “Concentrator” and then transmitting the data from the Concentrator to the Control Center using GSM/CDMA mobile technology. Cheaper technology like Bluetooth or Infrared can help transmitting data between the sensors and the Concentrator
2. Directly transferring data from the sensor the Control Center using mobile technology

Appending the readings from the sensors in the drain to the SLD will enable the managers of the Control Center with the data required to decide on the presence of a block in the drain. Super imposing the SLD on a satellite image of the region will provide the managers with geo-spatial information that will help in assigning priorities and in routing mobile cleaning units, equipped to clear the clog, to the clog site.

Additional feature of this system design can include:

1. Setting auto alerts for clogging which require immediate attention
2. Creating work orders for mobile unit field staff
3. Business rules for setting priorities to work orders created. Some areas will require immediate clearance of clog while others can be delayed for a period of time  
4. Better city planning
5. Introduce regular maintenance works

With multiple mobile servicing units, work assignment and clog clearance can be efficient by using the GPS to track and locate the nearest field staff and assigning work to them.

This design solution can be extended for any piping system such as gas and water. For such utilities, this system can facilitate in:

1. Keeping a tap on leakage due to breakage or burst in pipes
2. Keeping a tap on theft
3. Ensuring timely and efficient supply
4. Better Planning of supply connection
5. Better forecasting of requirement

Does your country have such a solution in place? What are the typical features or pain areas you think there could be?