A Two-Layer Water Demand Prediction System in Urban Areas Based on Micro-Services and LSTM Neural Networks

In recent years, scarce water resources became one of the main problems that endanger human species existence and the advancement of any nation. In this research, smart water meters were implemented, distributed, and installed in a regional area in Cairo while data were collected at uniform intervals then sent to the cloud instantly. The solution paradigm uses an Internet of Things (IoT) based on micro-services and containers. The design incorporates real-time streaming and infrastructure performance optimization to store data. A second layer to analyze the acquired data was used to model water consumption using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). The designed LSTM is validated and tested to be utilized in the forecast of future water demand. Moreover, two alternative machine learning methods, namely Support Vector Regression and Random Forest commonly utilized in time series forecasting applications, were used for a comparative analysis of which LSTM has proven to be superior. The proper integration of the system elements is the key to the proposed system success. Based on the success of the designed system, it can be applicable on a national scale. That can enable the optimal management of consumers’ demand and improve water infrastructure utilization. The proposed paradigm presents a testbed for various scenarios that can be used in water resources management.