AWS Partner Network (APN) Blog
How NewEdge Services used AWS to apply an ArcGIS GeoEvent Server at Lower Neches Valley Authority
By Austin Leveridge, Implementation Specialist – NewEdge Services
By Luis Morales, Solutions Architect – AWS
By Trenton Harper – LNVA GIS Specialist
By Josh Parrish – LNVA IT Manager
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NewEdge Services |
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The Lower Neches Valley Authority (LNVA) is a vital conservation and reclamation district in Texas, tasked with managing and distributing the water resources of the Lower Neches River basin. Covering five counties, LNVA supplies water to a vast network of municipal, agricultural, and industrial customers, ensuring quality and affordability. Operating over a 600-mile canal system, LNVA’s mission hinges on reliable monitoring of water levels and quality. However, with such an extensive territory, particularly during natural disasters, maintaining real-time data and communications presented a formidable challenge. By leveraging partnerships and technology, LNVA overcame these obstacles to continue delivering vital water resources under even the most adverse conditions.
NewEdge Services is an AWS Public Sector Partner and consulting firm specializing in services related to GIS and asset/work management software. NewEdge Services provisions AWS resources for their clients to run the ArcGIS Enterprise environment after a needs assessment and provides all system management including AWS for many of them.
In this post, we will cover how LNVA faced challenges in monitoring water quality and levels during natural disasters and communication issues. We will also explore how LNVA partnered with NewEdge Services, AWS, AT&T, and Esri to implement a private cellular network and ArcGIS GeoEvent Server. This solution enables real-time data transmission and monitoring, enhancing reliability and security while reducing manual checks. Facilitated by NewEdge Services, these technologies have transformed LNVA’s operations, allowing remote oversight and proactive water management.
Overcoming Data Display Challenges
The Lower Neches Valley Authority has monitoring stations throughout the canal network to monitor water levels and water quality stations near source water intakes. These stations aid operational staff in the delivery and conservation of water and provide customer insight into water quality that aids in treatment processes. This operational awareness has proven to be a valuable tool in the delivery of quality raw water to LNVA’s customer base.
On-site monitoring of these stations is difficult because of the large geographic area LNVA serves, and during times of natural disaster (hurricanes, flooding, and ice storms, travel to remote sites is challenging if not impossible. The LNVA used a public cellular network that allowed communication to the stations for continuous monitoring. This system faced challenges with inconsistent cellular communication and, as a critical service, needed to be highly reliable even in the most extreme weather conditions.
To overcome the challenges, LNVA collaborated with AT&T, AWS, and Esri to enhance the reliability of its monitoring system. AT&T spearheaded the deployment of a private cellular network that efficiently transmits readings from the monitoring stations to an Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instance using AWS Site-to-Site VPN.
Leveraging text data transmission, ArcGIS GeoEvent Server was implemented on the EC2 instance to effectively process the substantial volume of data. LNVA’s AWS cloud environment has been intentionally separated from the primary network, a strategic measure designed to insulate the data in the cloud. This fortifies the security of the data stored in the AWS cloud.
Figure 1. AWS Diagram showing the infrastructure for ArcGIS GeoEvent Server
LNVA contracted with NewEdge Services to provide expertise and troubleshoot the configuration of GeoEvent and the AWS environment. This strategic connection aimed to ensure a smooth and effective implementation of these technologies.
Figure 2. Real-time dashboard monitoring salinity levels at the Neches River Saltwater Barrier, ensuring a regional freshwater supply.
Once configured GeoEvent seamlessly ingests the continuous data flow from the remote stations and feeds data to the published feature services. These services populate dashboards within LNVA’s ArcGIS Enterprise environment, providing real-time readings for each site. This increased visibility allows LNVA staff to monitor the entire system remotely, eliminating the need to visit each station for on premises readings.
Figure 3. Real-time visual of LNVA’s canal water levels
Geospatial Innovation for Water Management
The implementation of ArcGIS GeoEvent Server at the Lower Neches Valley Authority has proven to be a transformative solution to the challenges faced in monitoring their extensive canal network. The LNVA, with a mission to provide a continual and reliable freshwater supply to municipalities, industries, and agriculture, recognizes the critical importance of real-time data in managing water quality, levels, and salinity across their 600-mile canal system.
The adoption of a cellular network, despite initial challenges, emerged as a resilient and efficient means of communication, with monitoring stations distributed throughout a large service area. The combination of AT&T, AWS, and Esri further strengthened the system’s reliability and security, overcoming issues such as poor cellular communication.
The expertise brought in from NewEdge Services played a pivotal role in configuring ArcGIS GeoEvent Server and the AWS environment, ensuring a seamless integration of technologies. The successful implementation enables LNVA to remotely monitor the entire canal network in real-time, eliminating the challenges associated with onsite monitoring, especially during natural disasters that can restrict physical access to monitoring sites.
Figure 4. Real-time dashboard monitoring pH, Specific Conductance, Temperature, and Turbidity levels on LNVA’s canal system, enhancing operational awareness for customers treating a raw water supply.
Conclusion
Looking towards the future, the Lower Neches Valley Authority’s commitment to leveraging technology for data analysis and pattern recognition demonstrates a forward-thinking approach to informed decision-making and system optimization.
The extensive dataset generated by the GeoEvent Server holds the potential for uncovering patterns and contributing factors influencing station readings, paving the way for continuous improvements and proactive management.
NewEdge Services – AWS Partner Spotlight
NewEdge Services is an AWS Partner that provides an advanced monitoring solution for cloud apps and modern infrastructure that aggregates metrics across distributed services to alert you on service-wide issues and trends in real-time.