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Tsalano takes second place at NDP 2030 Hackathon

Tsalano's smart water metering system has earned the company second place at the SITA NDP 2030 Hackathon.


Johannesburg, 11 Dec 2018

IT solutions provider Tsalano Business Solutions, a partner of Software AG, took second place at the recent SITA NDP 2030 Hackathon event, in the Internet of things (IOT) category.

Tsalano showcased its Water Telemetry System solution, developed to aid with water usage monitoring and demand management, in view of South Africa's status as a water scarce country.

The intensive 72-hour hackathon was hosted by the State IT Agency (SITA) and 200 participants took part in the finals at the Sandton Convention Centre, in Johannesburg, between 30 November and 2 December.

Tsalano COO Josiah Senona explains the company's Water Telemetry System, built using Software AG's comprehensive IOT platform, Cumulocity, monitors water consumption from the bulk supply side to suburban areas and even individual households.

"The monitoring starts in catchment areas, such as dams and reservoirs, where we place meters and sensors, which transmit information in real-time. Consumption monitoring helps to detect and narrow down problem areas and leaks," says Senona.

The Water Telemetry System, which consists of IOT devices, can also be used for pressure maintenance, preventing burst pipes before they happen.

In suburban areas, the system can be used for zonal metering, as well as for automatic meter readings for individual households.

"We can aggregate consumption and identify problem areas. All connection points are metered, giving us information about consumption trends, flow rates and pressure. This means we can detect where there is unmetered consumption, abnormal consumption and anomalies in the pipe infrastructure to prevent unnecessary breakdown and disruptions in the supply line," Senona adds.

The information is stored in the cloud, allowing the company to perform analytics on the data, to establish residential zone and household water usage trends.

The NDP 2030 Hackathon called on participants to create innovative and functioning solutions to solve socioeconomic challenges, as defined in the National Development Plan.

Participants built software solutions, mobile applications, data-centric systems and IOT devices across three main categories: Code Jam, Data-centric and Internet of Things.

Securing second place in the IOT category means that Tsalano will now take the Water Telemetry System to market, in partnership with SITA. The agency will provide financial and technical support to further enhance the solution.

"Tsalano has been in a fruitful partnership with Software AG for years and that has added the necessary impetus to their business. Software AG's Cumulocity IOT platform has proven to be a key ingredient in how their solution has been received in the market," says Software AG Partner Director Tandy Bamrah.

"Tsalano prides itself in innovative quality solutions that respond to challenges faced by the South African economy and society at large. Winning second price at the hackathon further proves that Tsalano, in partnership with Software AG, is a force to be reckoned with and that their solutions drive our economy in the right direction in this fourth industrial revolution era."

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Editorial contacts

S'thembile Duma
Software AG
sthembile.duma@mslgroup.com