# US 11,029,300 B2 · Detecting contamination sources in liquid distribution systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,029,300 B2 - Document ID: US11029300B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/008,303 - Filed: 2018-06-14 - Published: 2019-12-19 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-14 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Jaione T. Azpiroz; Michael Engel; Ademir Ferreira Da Silva; Ricardo L. Ohta; Andre De Oliveira Botelho; Mathias B. Steiner - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11029300B2 ## CPC - G01N 33/18: Water - G01N 21/251: {Colorimeters; Construction thereof} - G01N 21/645: {Specially adapted constructive features of fluorimeters} - G06F 16/29: Geographical information databases - G06N 3/0464: Convolutional networks [CNN, ConvNet] - G06N 3/08: Learning methods - G06N 7/01: Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks - G08B 21/12: responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06N: COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS ## Abstract A method and system for receiving, at a sampling location recommendation module, conventional and complementary information regarding a liquid distribution system, wherein the complementary information includes at least one of a social media post or a consumer report; processing the complementary information and a database of the liquid distribution system in the sampling location recommendation module, using computational and artificial intelligence algorithms, to generate a list of locations for sampling the liquid distribution system; displaying the list of locations; receiving a geo-tagged test record indicative of a sampled contaminant concentration value of at least one location of the list of locations; processing the geo-tagged test record, at a contamination source mapping module, to estimate a location and risk of a contamination source in the liquid distribution system; and displaying the estimated location and risk of the contamination source by modifying a map of the liquid distribution system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: receiving, at a sampling location recommendation module, conventional and complementary information regarding a liquid distribution system, wherein the complementary information includes at least one of a social media post or a consumer report; processing the complementary information and a database of the liquid distribution system in the sampling location recommendation module, using computational and artificial intelligence algorithms, to generate a list of locations for sampling the liquid distribution system; displaying the list of locations; receiving a geo-tagged test record indicative of a sampled contaminant concentration value of at least one location of the list of locations; processing the geo-tagged test record, at a contamination source mapping module, to estimate a location and risk of a contamination source in the liquid distribution system; and displaying the estimated location and risk of the contamination source by modifying a map of the liquid distribution system, wherein processing the geo-tagged test record includes: locating the sampled contaminant concentration value on the map of the liquid distribution system by parsing sample coordinates from the geo-tagged test record; identifying sampled sections of the liquid distribution system based on a shortest path from a section nearest the sample coordinates; and determining a probability that the source of contamination is in the sampled sections using hydraulic modeling of the sampled sections and statistical methods. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising producing the geo-tagged test record by operation of a microfluidic device capable of performing rapid chemical tests. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the microfluidic device is a paper-based analytical device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising obtaining a result from the microfluidic device via a colorimetric output. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising: generating the geo-tagged test record by capturing and interpreting the colorimetric output from the microfluidic device via a mobile device application; and transferring the geo-tagged test record to a cloud application via the mobile device application. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising obtaining a result from the microfluidic device via an ultraviolet excitation signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising: generating the geo-tagged test record by capturing and interpreting a fluorescent signal output produced by the microfluidic device in response to the ultraviolet excitation signal, using a mobile device application; and transferring the geo-tagged test record to a cloud application via the mobile device application. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the microfluidic device carries out chemical tests including an assay for at least one of pH, aluminum, nickel, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, lead, mercury, or antimony. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the computational and artificial intelligence algorithms include at least one of natural language processing, image and video processing, crowdsensing data processing, computational fluid dynamics, optimization routines and statistics. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: activating an audible, visible, or electronic alert to bring attention to the risk of the contamination source; issuing a paper or electronic communication recommending further testing locations; and issuing a paper or electronic communication recommending suspension of water distribution to a section suspected of contamination. ### Claim 11 A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to facilitate: receiving, at a sampling location recommendation module, conventional and complementary information regarding a liquid distribution system, wherein the complementary information includes at least one of a social media post or a consumer report; processing the complementary information and a map of the liquid distribution system in the sampling location recommendation module, using computational and artificial intelligence algorithms, to generate a list of locations for sampling the liquid distribution system; displaying the list of locations; receiving a geo-tagged test record indicative of a sampled contaminant concentration value of at least one location of the list of locations; processing the geo-tagged test record, at a contamination source mapping module, by locating the sampled contaminant concentration value on the map of the liquid distribution system by parsing sample coordinates from the geo-tagged test record, identifying sampled sections of the liquid distribution system based on a shortest path from a section nearest the sample coordinates, and using hydraulic modeling of the liquid distribution system and statistical methods to estimate a location and a risk of a contamination source in the liquid distribution system; and displaying the estimated location and risk of the contamination source by modifying a map of the liquid distribution system. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer executable instructions include additional instructions for causing the computer to facilitate: generating the geo-tagged test record by capturing and interpreting a colorimetric output from a microfluidic device via a mobile device application; and transferring the geo-tagged test record to a cloud application via the mobile device application. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer executable instructions include additional instructions for causing the computer to facilitate: generating the geo-tagged test record by capturing and interpreting a fluorescence signal output from a microfluidic device, via a mobile device application; and transferring the geo-tagged test record to a cloud application via the mobile device application. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer executable instructions include additional instructions for causing the computer to facilitate: activating an audible, visible, or electronic alert to bring attention to the risk of the contamination source; issuing a paper or electronic communication recommending further testing locations; and issuing a paper or electronic communication recommending suspension of water distribution to a section suspected of contamination. ### Claim 15 An apparatus comprising: a memory embodying computer executable instructions; and at least one processor, coupled to the memory, and operative by the computer executable instructions to facilitate: receiving, at a sampling location recommendation module, conventional and complementary information regarding a liquid distribution system, wherein the complementary information includes at least one of a social media post or a consumer report; processing the complementary information and a map of the liquid distribution system in the sampling location recommendation module, using computational and artificial intelligence algorithms, to generate a list of locations for sampling the liquid distribution system; displaying the list of locations; receiving a geo-tagged test record indicative of a sampled contaminant concentration value of at least one location of the list of locations; processing the geo-tagged test record, at a contamination source mapping module, by locating the sampled contaminant concentration value on the map of the liquid distribution system by parsing sample coordinates from the geo-tagged test record, identifying sampled sections of the liquid distribution system based on a shortest path from a section nearest the sample coordinates, and using hydraulic modeling of the liquid distribution system and statistical methods to estimate a location and a risk of a contamination source in the liquid distribution system; and displaying the estimated location and risk of the contamination source by modifying a map of the liquid distribution system. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the computer executable instructions include additional instructions for causing the processor to facilitate: activating an audible, visible, or electronic alert to bring attention to the risk of the contamination source; issuing a paper or electronic communication recommending further testing locations; and issuing a paper or electronic communication recommending suspension of water distribution to a section suspected of contamination. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the computer executable instructions include additional instructions for causing the processor to facilitate: generating the geo-tagged test record by capturing and interpreting a fluorescence signal output from a microfluidic device, via a mobile device application; and transferring the geo-tagged test record to a cloud application via the mobile device application. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the computer executable instructions include additional instructions for causing the processor to facilitate: generating the geo-tagged test record by capturing and interpreting a colorimetric output from a microfluidic device via a mobile device application; and transferring the geo-tagged test record to a cloud application via the mobile device application. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising: a microfluidic device capable of carrying out a rapid chemical test and displaying an output based on a result of the test; and a mobile device with an input interface for detecting the output of the microfluidic device, the mobile device being configured to implement a mobile application that generates the geo-tagged test record by capturing and interpreting the output of the microfluidic device and combining the output of the microfluidic device with a location of the mobile device.