Smart Water Grid Research Group Project: An Introduction to the Smart Water Grid Living-Lab Demonstrative Operation in YeongJong Island, Korea

In South Korea, in line with the increasing need for a reliable water supply following the continuous increase in water demand, the Smart Water Grid Research Group (SWGRG) was officially launched in 2012. With the vision of providing water welfare at a national level, SWGRG incorporated Information and Communications Technology in its water resource management, and built a living lab for the demonstrative operation of the Smart Water Grid (SWG). The living lab was built in Block 112 of YeongJong Island, Incheon, South Korea (area of 17.4 km 2 , population of 8000), where Incheon International Airport, a hub for Northeast Asia, is located. In this location, water is supplied through a single submarine pipeline, making the location optimal for responses to water crises and the construction of a water supply system during emergencies. From 2017 to 2019, ultrasonic wave type smart water meters and IEEE 802.15.4 Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) networks were installed at 527 sites of 958 consumer areas in the living lab. Therefore, this study introduces the development of SWG core element technologies (Intelligent water source management and distribution system, Smart water distribution network planning/control/operation strategy establishment, AMI network and device development, Integrated management of bi-directional smart water information), and operation solutions (Smart water statistics information, Real-time demand-supply analysis, Decision support system, Real-time hydraulic pipeline network analysis, Smart DB management, and Water information mobile application) through a field operation and testing in the living lab.