Development of a web-based design tool for gravity-flow drinking water system design in developing countries
Charlie Huizenga, Research Specialist
Center for Environmental Design Research
Applications for Spring 2024 are closed for this project.
Over 2 billion people in the world do not have access to safe drinking water. Many organizations are working to provide water systems to poor, rural communities across the globe. Gravity-flow water systems, where water flows by gravity without any mechanical pumping, are commonly used in areas with appropriate topography. These systems can provide high quality water for decades when properly designed.
Agua Para La Vida (APLV, www.aplv.org) is a non-profit organization that builds such systems in rural Nicaragua. With the support of UC Berkeley faculty, they have developed award-winning engineering design tools that address the specific needs of designing low-cost systems for rural communities. Many of these tools require the use of commercial software such as Excel, which is a barrier to many potential users who cannot afford such software. APLV would like to develop web-based versions of these tools in order to make these tools widely available without cost.
Role: We will be starting with their most widely used tool, called Air In Pipes, which uses a unique methodology to design the piping system from a spring to a storage tank in the community. The path from a spring to the community is never continuously downhill, which means there is always a possibility of entraining air in the system, which can cause the system to fail if not properly considered in the design.
We will start by designing the GUI based on the existing Excel-based tool. The components of the GUI will include data input (including importing from other tools, such as topography surveying software), design visualization, data management and report generation. After gathering input from users, we will implement the GUI as a web application, test its functionality, and gather more feedback from users before releasing the tool to the public.
Qualifications: Experience with web-based GUI application development platforms
HMI design skills
Good understanding of json data structures
Hours: to be negotiated
Related website: https://aguaparalavida.org/en/design-software/
Engineering, Design & Technologies