Computers/Communication Systems

Increasingly, the places that irrigators and water managers work and the implements that they use are computerized and automated. Workplaces are filled with computers; water control structures and implements are increasingly automated. Additionally, communication networks reach into every corner of our geographic world: Web access continues to soar; cell phones are proliferating; and new wireless technologies are emerging. The convergence of computer and communication networks offers new opportunities for managers to improve the efficiency of water deliveries.

At StoneFly Technology in collaboration with government agencies like the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the private sector--we have been prototyping adaptations of Web infrastructure to support the needs of water managers. We have been pushing Web technologies into places and things like environmental monitoring sites and automated water control structures. We are exploring ways for people to use new digital communication devices to interact with these places and things, and use the information they find to enhance water management. Our results have been extremely positive.

Our recent work has focused on extending automation and Web technology, wireless networks, and portable devices to create a bridge between the mobile water manager and their physical entities and electronic services. There is significant evidence that the physical world and virtual world are both richer if they are interconnected.