Integrating Water Data to Empower Alaska's Rural Communities

Author: Rachel Lewis, University of Alaska Fairbanks and Noah Tsigonis, Arghya Kusum Das.

Video Presentation

Abstract

Alaska's fragmented water and wastewater sector creates significant challenges for residents and professionals, limiting access to critical resources, support networks, and opportunities for skill development - ultimately affecting safety and efficiency. To address this, we developed a unified hydroinformatics platform designed to serve remote and underserved regions of Alaska by providing essential information, education, and tools that foster safer, healthier communities. This platform integrates water, wastewater, and solid waste data from 11 disparate silos maintained by various government and private entities, each with unique formats and structures. Using Selenium-based web scraping, we automate data collection to ensure real-time updates with minimal manual input. Key features include a user-friendly file upload interface, an intuitive query tool accessible to non-technical users, and a MongoDB backend for efficient data storage and management. Our solution streamlines the organization and dissemination of up-to-date sanitation systems information, supporting informed decision-making. Currently, the platform consolidates data from over 2,000 water operators, 1,500 drinking water systems, 180 wastewater profiles, and 900 solid waste profiles, impacting more than 200 communities statewide.

Citation

Please use the following citation when citing this presentation: