Impact of Smart Technology on Sustainability Monitoring of Water Quality in Palestine رسالة ماجستير

Abstract

This thesis studies the impact of the use of smart technology on the sustainability of monitoring water quality in Palestine. The study includes the five main domains identified, providing real time data, decreasing the cost, decreasing time consuming for decision maker, and improving accuracy and efficiency. A qualitative and descriptive analytical method is adapted to study the degree of impact benefiting of using smart technology for water quality monitoring on the direct beneficiaries. These were implemented based on the opinions of the direct beneficiaries of the institutions that monitor water in Palestine. These are the government sector represented by the Ministry of Health, Palestinian Water Authority, and semi governmental institutions representing 21 semi-governmental institutions or service providers (Municipalities, joint services councils, village councils and associations, and water undertaking). 1,475,152 beneficiaries of these institutions make up the population size in the study, equivalent to 46.24% of the West Bank population. Out of these, 55 representative sample were selected and are assumed to represent the population. The data were collected through structured interviews and subjected to analytical methods by understanding and interpreting the experiences, opinions, and beliefs of the participants, as well as comparing their opinions with literatures and studies. The study concluded a set of results; the most important of which is that a high degree of positive impact of the use of smart technology on the sustainability of water quality monitoring in Palestine, especially in terms of providing real-time data and reducing the time spent by decision makers in meeting decision. However, cost reduction and improved accuracy and efficiency are not a high positive impact. On the contrary, the introduction of such technologies was considered too expensive due to the lack of VI specialized technicians to deal with this technology, the increased reliability of traditional methods of analysis to give accurate results, and due to the scarcity of applications for this technology to achieve these goals. The study set recommendations to the policy maker; the most important of which is that investing in smart technology may lead to additional cost savings overall. Establish legal regulations and legislation on the safe and responsible use of smart technology in water quality monitoring and ensure the protection of privacy and data security related to water and the environment are also recommended. Companies and organizations working in this field should clarify the benefits of investing in smart technology, provide technical support, and provide the necessary training for users and workers in this field. Encourage local and international cooperation and partnerships to exchange knowledge, experiences and technologies related to water quality monitoring is often and always recommended.