An efficient wastewater collection model for groundwater resource protection in smart cities

Abstract

Efficient wastewater collection is a critical concern in the development of smart cities, where sustainable urban infrastructure is paramount. In the context of smart city wastewater optimization, this study highlights the need for a comprehensive approach that considers both surface water and groundwater dynamics. Existing methods often fall short in addressing groundwater-related concerns, with limitations in accounting for potential contamination and aquifer vulnerability. The proposed method integrates a nuanced understanding of groundwater aspects, providing a more robust and sustainable solution for urban water resource management. This research introduces a new approach that harnesses the power of Divide-And-Conquer (DAC) and Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS) to optimize wastewater collection systems in smart cities. The DAC strategy divides the city into manageable zones, simplifying the optimization problem for parallel processing in large-scale urban environments. VNS fine-tunes wastewater collection networks within each zone by exploring diverse neighborhood solutions. The DAC and VNS offers several benefits, including improved efficiency in wastewater transport, reduced energy consumption, and minimized environmental impact. Zoning the urban landscape is a strategic approach to optimize wastewater collection in smart cities. It involves dividing the city into manageable zones based on specific criteria such as geographical features, population density, and infrastructure layout. Each zone is treated as an independent unit for focused analysis and optimization. The optimization process employs a scoring function that combines weighted criteria, yielding a composite score for each geographical location. Applying a threshold or clustering algorithm group's locations into zones, facilitating tailored wastewater management strategies. By optimizing collection routes and infrastructure design, this approach assists smart cities in achieving sustainability goals while efficiently managing wastewater. The study showcases the potential of DAC and VNS as a robust and adaptable solution for wastewater collection in smart cities, contributing to the development of greener, more resource-efficient urban areas.