SmartGEMS: Revolutionizing Groundwater Monitoring for a Sustainable Future

The Smart Groundwater Electronic Monitoring System, or SmartGEMS, was originally a collaborative research project under the Ateneo de Manila University's Department of Electronics, Computer, and Communications Engineering (ECCE) and the Department of Environmental Science. Today, it is one of the two primary products of EnviSense Scientific, Inc.—a spinoff company from the original project and now a startup under the Ateneo Intellectual Property Office’s incubation program. Engr. Jose Claro Monje, a professor of ADMU's ECCE department, who helped lead the project, is the company's Chief Executive Officer.

It is an integrated system of sensors, each containing different reactants to analyze and detect four or five specific groundwater quality parameters—usually, pH and static water level, temperature, electrical conductivity, and total dissolved solids—collecting data and uploading it to the Cloud where it is graphically displayed. It sends out data every minute using WiFi or cellular data.

The device is modular, meaning that its cluster of sensors, power source, and control box are separated from each other, making it less bulky given its heavy-duty tasks. A cylindrical acrylic holder groups the sensors, which are lowered into the mouth, a pipe going down a certain depth, of a groundwater monitoring well. It remains connected to its control box, a weatherproof box attached to the cage-like structure protecting the well that sends out the data it collects. Solar panels on the cage's roofing power all of these devices.

Before the SmartGEMS deployment to places like Benguet, Aklan, Pampanga, Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro, and many others, the National Water Resources Board could only gather data from groundwater monitoring wells semi-annually or quarterly. Engr. Carlos Oppus, another professor of ADMU's ECCE Department who served as a point-person and technical team member of the Smart Groundwater Monitoring System, notes that this data is useless because of the Philippines' different seasons and the variation of environmental conditions. It is unfortunate because understanding groundwater quality and quantity fluctuation is essential to good local and national policies on infrastructural development and environmental conservation. After all, groundwater is a vital resource for the Filipino people, serving as the primary water source for many local communities.

Now, with the SmartGEMS, accessing updated information about groundwater is faster and more efficient, paving the way for sustainable and holistic environmental and infrastructural development.

The SmartGEMS embodies Monje's vision of EnviSense Scientific as a champion for the environment.However, despite its optimistic vision and product future, the young company struggles to find financial footing. Lack of funds affects their payroll and ability to develop new products, but Monje stays and fights for his company. The days are long and hard, but out of a sense of duty, he remains steadfast to EnviSense Scientific. He knows he is not alone in his struggles, with fellow ECCE faculty helping the company whenever they can and AIPO continuously supporting it. Altogether, regardless of its hurdles, EnviSense Scientific and the SmartGEMS highlight a bright future for Philippine technology that helps and uplifts the nation it inhabits.

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Text: Francessca Abalos

Photos: EnviSense