PHYCON Strategic innovation
Managing the readings
This project presented several complex problems. First, the meters' boxes are not internet-connected or machine-identifiable. Second, about half of the meters' users do not have a mobile phone, so the solution should work both mobile and desktop.
Identifying clients and meters
An app and a website
In order to submit a reading through the phone, we built an app that recognizes the meter (and hence the owner of the meter) and lets the user send a photo of the meter to the controlling organization. In order to solve the issue with identifying the meter, we suggested using QR stickers on each box, which is a cost-effective method for making meters machine-identifiable. The photo then went through an image recognition process, which read the numbers of the meter and sent the report to the controlling organization.
To cater to the desktop-using audience, we built a website that let the users login and enter the readings manually.
Finally, the controlling organization was given their own administration panel to see the statistics and produce reports for every single meter and its usage, categorized by the owner of the meter.
