The Driller
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
  • EDUCATION
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
  • SIGN UP
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Water
  • Geothermal
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Mining
  • All Industry News
  • EQUIPMENT
  • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
  • Consumables
  • Pumps
  • Featured Products
  • VIDEOS
  • Newscast
  • Drill Talks
  • Ask Brock
  • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
  • Drilling Business Insights
  • Reference Desk
  • Sponsored Insights
  • EVENTS
  • Conferences & Demo Days
  • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
  • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Advertise
The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP
MarketsOpinionsWater Wells

Tech Topics: There's a Cloud Over the Groundwater Industry (and It's a Good Thing)

By Bob Pelikan
April 22, 2013
SymCom customers can get a version of Aqua Management’s VAPOR system built to SymCom specifications to monitor a variety of well and pump parameters remotely using an iPad or smartphone. Source: Aqua Management Inc.


There has been a lot of talk lately about “the cloud”-cloud computing, cloud data storage, etc. So what is this cloud all about and how, if at all, does it apply to the groundwater industry? I decided to do a little snooping, so I visited a company I’d heard about in Las Vegas called Aqua Management Inc. (AMI). They make cloud-based remote asset monitoring systems for the groundwater and other industries.

First of all, what is “the cloud”? The cloud refers to the use of hardware and/or software computing resources delivered as a service over the Internet. It can be as simple as storing your photographic images on services like Just Cloud or Dropbox-there are dozens of them, and some for free. One of the most popular examples of cloud storage is YouTube, where you store and share your videos for free.

At the other end of the spectrum are products by companies like Oracle, which offer application software and database services to banks and large corporations on a fee basis so that their customers don’t have to have in-house specialists to keep their hardware and software running. For this, they pay a very large monthly fee.

Microsoft is now offering some of their application software, such as Office 13, via the cloud so you don’t have to have the software on your computer and worry about keeping it updated. For this service, you pay a small monthly fee.

Another term used in describing Aqua Management’s products with which you might not be familiar is SCADA which stands for supervisory control and data acquisition. SCADA systems provide the communication pathway between devices like pump controllers and variable frequency drives to computers. SCADA communications protocol has been used for years between pump stations and management computers but, before devices like those manufactured by AMI, pump controllers and VFDs were hard-wired or connected by land lines to computers that made using them in remote locations difficult and not for the faint at heart.

A useful feature of SCADA-type communication protocols is their ability to allow multiple parameter sensors like water level, discharge pressure and flow rate to be connected on one network to multiple computers. In addition to the well parameters, which are monitored using digital pressure sensors, flow meters, etc., all of the pump motor parameters like horsepower, kilowatts, kilowatt-hours, voltage, frequency of the power, phase balance, etc., can be monitored using a SCADA-compatible VFD or pump control unit. And, as the name implies, SCADA systems can also control your pump. Virtually any information that you can gather or control standing at a pump station is available remotely via a SCADA system.

What Aqua Management brings to the table is a simple, inexpensive little weatherproof device called VAPOR that includes SCADA software and a built-in cell phone that interfaces with the well through pressure sensors, water level sensors and a pump controller such as SymCom’s Model 777, allowing you to monitor and control all of the important functions of the well from anywhere with a computer, iPad-type device or smartphone via the Internet.

With this system, a farmer, using his iPhone while on vacation in Hawaii, could check the water level in his well, the flow rate and pressure output of his pump, the pump run hours and total kWH consumed, plus about anything else he wanted to know about his well in Iowa. Or, he could check the moisture content in his corn field and turn on the center pivot pump if he thought it necessary.

The possibilities are endless and if this article has sparked your interest and imagination, contact the manufacturer at the Internet address listed with this column. Or, if you are already a SymCom customer, you can get a version of VAPOR built to SymCom’s specifications and tailored to use with the 777 PumpSaver series of pump controllers directly from SymCom. Their unit is called the CellRam for Cellular Based Remote Asset Monitor. SymCom’s contact information is also listed with this article.

It has been projected that by 2015 it will take you five years to view all the videos crossing the Internet to and from the cloud every second. Soon everyday things around us will start talking to each other, from home appliances to industrial machines and even vending machines. Imagine your washing machine asking the water heater for 10 gallons of hot water and the water heater checking with the utility company for best rate plan during the day to heat up the water. This technology will be available in a few years. Talking to your well from a remote location is available now. Check it out.

____________________________________________________________________

Aqua Management Inc.
855-299-2782
www.aquamanagement.com

SymCom Inc.
800-843-8848
www.symcom.com
KEYWORDS: Submersible pumps

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Bob is a regular contributor to The Driller. Contact bobpelikan@comcast.net to request a copy of The Pump Book, a compilation of Bob's columns for reference or training available for only $20.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • geotechnical drilling rig

    6 Onsite Phrases Environmental Drillers Hate

    Here are six phrases that highlight common frustrations...
    Geotechnical Investigation
    By: Jeff Garby
  • Wayne Nash

    Pipe Stuck? Common Causes and Solutions for Drillers

    If you have drilled for any length of time, sooner or...
    Oil & Gas Drilling
    By: Wayne Nash
  • submersible pumps, water well pumps

    Selecting and Sizing Submersible Pump Cable

    This article helps pump installers and servicers decide...
    Pumps
    By: Bob Pelikan
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The Driller audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The Driller or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit
    Sponsored byGeoprobe

    Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

Popular Stories

MainPhotoTwoBrothers.jpg

Two Brothers' Journey Through the Drilling Industry

AI and Drought Concerns

AI’s Growing Thirst for Water and Power

demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit

Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

The Driller Classifieds

COMPRESSORS

EAST WEST MACHINERY & DRILLING IS BUYING AND SELLING AIR COMPRESSORS, AIR BOOSTERS, AIR ENDS & PARTS
Company: East West Machinery

DRILL RIGS

LOOKING FOR LATE MODEL TOPHEADS & DRILLTECH D25'S
Company: Spikes’s Rig Sales

DRILL RIG PARTS

MEETING DRILLERS NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD
Company: East West Machinery

ELEVATORS

SEMCO INC. PIPE ELEVATORS
Company: Semco Inc.

GROUTERS

GROUTING EQUIPMENT - GROUT PUMPS & GROUT HOSE REELS
Company: Geo-Loop Inc.

PUMP HOISTS

SEMCO INC. - BASIC PUMP HOISTS
Company: Semco Inc.

WELL PACKERS

LANSAS PRODUCTS - INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS
Company: Vanderlans Lansas Products

WELL SCREENS

WELL SCREENS & SLOTTED PIPE
Company: Alloy Screen Works

Products

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

By carefully explaining both the underlying theory and the underlying mathematics, this text enables readers to fully grasp the fundamentals of physical and chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater.

See More Products

Subscribe to The Driller Newscast

Related Articles

  • Tech Topics: Plumbing the Pressure Tank in a Submersible Water System

    See More
  • Tech Topics: Sizing a Residential Water System: Part 2 - Pressure

    See More
  • Tech Topics: Sizing a Residential Water System - Part II: Pressure

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • M:\General Shared\__AEC Store Katie Z\AEC Store\Images\ND\new site\water-and-wastewater-treatm.gif

    Water and Wastewater Treatment: A Guide for the Nonengineering Professional, Second Edition

  • M:\General Shared\__AEC Store Katie Z\AEC Store\Images\ND\new site\water-well-pumps.gif

    Audel Water Well Pumps and Systems Mini-Ref

  • M:\General Shared\__AEC Store Katie Z\AEC Store\Images\ND\new site\water-quality-eng.gif

    Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

See More Products
×

Dig deeper into the drilling and water supply industry!

Build your knowledge with The Driller, covering the people, equipment and technologies across drilling markets.

SIGN UP NOW
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Classifieds
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP