Swimming fun in Lerum with IoT-connected lakes
Municipalities are facing a data-driven shift. Lerum has taken the first step by connecting its swimming lakes. Now they're collecting temperature data using mobile connectivity through Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT). Everything is collected and managed in Telia's IoT Platform.
In 2022, Lerum Municipality connected sensors at its ten public swimming spots. Now the lakes themselves tell residents how warm the water is. They do so every hour, with historical data going back five days – all displayed clearly on the municipality's website. It's a small step for Lerum residents, but a potentially big step for Lerum Municipality. It's easy to get stuck in all the possibilities of digitalization and never move forward. That's why starting with something concrete is usually best – a pilot project that takes you from theory to practice. The snowball that starts rolling.
This is something all municipalities face. We want to become data-driven, work with data to improve efficiency and deliver better service. Digitalization like Internet of Things doesn't just unlock these opportunities – it can also reduce costs and support sustainability by enabling smarter operations. Being able to display water temperatures this way is a service in itself that Lerum residents appreciate. It frees up resources since we don't need to measure manually, but more importantly, it's an easy way for us to get started with IoT that directly benefits our residents.
IoT Monitoring – a scalable platform that delivers insight from day one
Telia delivers an integrated package: a wireless IoT device with sensor and pre-installed SIM card, plus an IoT platform. In other words, a plug-and-play setup with hardware, software, and connectivity. The service is called Telia IoT Monitoring, and it's exactly that snowball – easy to get rolling. It's a packaged offering on Telia's IoT platform, tailored to the specific need. This means it can deliver insight and impact from day one. In Lerum's case, they only needed to connect the API to their website to display the temperatures.
IoT is typically used to collect data for greater efficiency. It's not always as visible as in this case. We in Lerum are far from the first to display lake temperatures, but given that our municipality has abundant nature with many lakes, it was an easy choice to create this value for our residents and visitors.
Support, guidance, and expertise for the entire IoT function are available through a single contact at Telia. You don't need one vendor for connectivity, another for hardware, and a third for your data. You simply don't get stuck in all the possibilities of digitalization. Plus, you have the full power of Telia's IoT Platform under the hood – a platform that can scale up and handle any IoT technology you want to add going forward. Intuitive and without complicated code.
Internet of Things is a way to capture data from your operations – for example, from your assets and facilities. Swimming spots are a concrete way to start with IoT. As you grow and add functions like water and sewage systems, traffic lights, or smart water meters, you want to collect and manage your data in one place. Then you can easily scale up within the same system to get a complete overview in a simple and efficient way. That's how you get the real insights you need from your data.
Energy-efficient and stable with NB-IoT
You can be as digitally innovative as you want, but without a stable infrastructure, it won't work. This is especially true for Internet of Things and choosing the right connectivity technology. NB-IoT is a mobile connection with high coverage and penetration. By transmitting small amounts of data at a time, it draws less power from devices. They can therefore operate for several years in the field without needing new batteries. With many IoT devices, this makes things simpler and saves both time and money.
About Telia IoT Monitoring & Telia IoT Platform
IoT Monitoring is a plug-and-play service that simplifies the management of IT infrastructure in your IoT deployments. It combines IoT devices, reliable connectivity, an IoT platform, and APIs – so you can focus on your core business and create value from your collected data. Scale your deployment easily on Telia's intuitive IoT Platform with digital tools that let you build custom applications using your data, and AI features that drive efficiency and business value. Learn more about Telia IoT Monitoring and Telia IoT Platform.