Digital Water Network Surveillance System

We are developing an advanced well-water treatment and distribution system for a residential ranch property. Water will move from a private well through several filtration, treatment, conditioning, storage, and delivery stages before reaching the home. A separate water-treatment engineer is responsible for the plumbing and treatment design. We are seeking an experienced embedded systems and instrumentation engineer to lead the monitoring and data-acquisition portion of the project. The monitoring platform will measure water pressure and flow at multiple critical locations. The selected engineer will develop the complete solution, including sensor selection, plumbing and electrical interfaces, embedded hardware, communication architecture, firmware, testing, and documentation. This phase covers monitoring and data collection only. Automated operation of pumps, valves, or treatment equipment is outside the current scope, although the design should support possible future expansion. Core Measurements The system must collect: Water pressure Water flow rate The engineer will help determine the correct measurement locations, sensor ranges, sampling rates, and installation methods. Responsibilities The selected engineer will: Review the complete water-system design and define monitoring requirements. Identify appropriate pressure and flow measurement locations. Select reliable pressure transducers, flow meters, and supporting components. Specify sensor ports, fittings, mounting arrangements, cable routes, and installation requirements for the plumbing contractor. Design the embedded electronics needed to interface with the sensors. Develop a distributed data-acquisition architecture for multiple monitoring points. Define reliable power-distribution and communication methods. Create firmware for data collection, processing, diagnostics, and transmission. Provide practical tools for configuration, firmware updates, troubleshooting, and field maintenance. Coordinate closely with the client and water-treatment engineer. This is a collaborative engineering engagement rather than the implementation of a fully predetermined specification. Monitoring Hardware The proposed system may use compact acquisition nodes that support one or more: Pressure transducers Flow meters Related process sensors where beneficial Nodes should operate from a standardized power source and communicate reliably with a central receiver. Direct IP connectivity is not required for every node if a fieldbus, shared controller, or gateway-based design offers better reliability and maintainability. Communication Requirements The monitoring platform must operate independently of the household Wi-Fi network. Wireless access points may be switched off overnight, but monitoring and logging must continue normally. Communication priorities include: Wired communication wherever practical Evaluation of Ethernet and Power over Ethernet Different communication methods where installation environments require them Consideration of industrial fieldbus technologies LoRa or LoRaWAN where cabling is genuinely impractical Wi-Fi only when no reasonable wired or dedicated wireless option exists No critical function dependent on household Wi-Fi availability The final architecture may use Ethernet, an industrial wired bus, LoRa, or a hybrid approach. Recommendations should consider distance, installation cost, power availability, environmental conditions, reliability, and long-term serviceability. Standard protocols and readily available components are preferred over proprietary platforms. Central Data Interface Development of the production server, database, dashboards, analytics, and alerting platform is not included in the primary scope. However, the embedded system must expose a documented and testable interface suitable for integration with a central server. The engineer must provide a lightweight reference receiver, test utility, or demonstration server that can receive and log or display data from the monitoring nodes. The reference implementation should: Confirm end-to-end communication Demonstrate the message format and protocol Test configuration and error conditions Provide a known-good endpoint for firmware validation Serve as a foundation for the future production platform Each transmitted record should include, at minimum: Node or device identifier Sensor identifier or measurement location Pressure or flow value Engineering units Timestamp or adequate timing information Device condition, sensor status, and relevant faults The communication protocol must be documented clearly enough for another software engineer to build the production server without understanding the firmware internals. Python is preferred for the reference server, although other suitable technologies may be proposed. Configuration and Maintenance Simplicity and dependability are more important than consumer-style interfaces. Configuration may use: SSH Serial console Configuration files Command-line utilities Other straightforward engineering tools The project does not require: A mobile application An embedded web dashboard A cloud service A complex graphical configuration interface The system will be maintained by technically capable users. Engineering Priorities This solution must be suitable for continuous, unattended field operation—not merely laboratory demonstration. Important design considerations include: Measurement accuracy and repeatability Correct sensor ranges Calibration and verification procedures Electrical noise and signal integrity Sensor cable distances Power distribution Surge and transient protection Communication loss and automatic recovery Watchdog and restart behavior Environmental protection Component replacement and availability Diagnostic accessibility Long-term maintainability Minimal dependence on proprietary products Industrial-grade or well-established components are preferred where they improve reliability, even if they are not the lowest-cost option. Sampling and Reporting Sampling and reporting frequencies have not yet been finalized. The engineer should recommend suitable rates based on system dynamics and the diagnostic value of the collected information. The platform should support both long-term trend analysis and the capture of useful transient events, including: Pump cycling Sudden pressure changes Flow starting or stopping Unexpected or abnormal system behavior Required Deliverables 1. System Architecture Complete monitoring and data-acquisition architecture Recommended measurement locations Monitoring-node definitions Power and communication topology 2. Sensor Selection Recommended pressure transducers Recommended flow meters Required fittings, connectors, and interface components Datasheets and purchasing information Technical justification for major selections 3. Plumbing Integration Requirements Sensor-port specifications Flow-meter installation requirements Pipe size and straight-run requirements Fitting and orientation requirements Accessibility and maintenance provisions Instructions suitable for inclusion in the plumbing plans 4. Embedded Electronics Complete schematics PCB layout and source files Gerber and manufacturing files Bill of materials with manufacturer part numbers Assembly information Connector and wiring definitions Enclosure recommendations 5. Firmware Complete source code Sensor acquisition and processing Calibration and scaling Communication protocol implementation Configuration and diagnostic functions Error and status reporting Watchdog and fault-recovery behavior Build, programming, and deployment instructions 6. Prototype System Functional prototype acquisition boards or monitoring nodes Integration with representative pressure and flow sensors Demonstration of reliable data transmission 7. Documentation System architecture documentation Installation and wiring instructions Communication and data-protocol specification Configuration procedures Firmware build and deployment guide Maintenance and reproduction information All firmware, schematics, PCB source files, manufacturing outputs, BOMs, documentation, and related engineering materials must be included in the final delivery. Development Philosophy Technical recommendations and constructive engineering discussion are strongly encouraged. The objective is to determine the most appropriate solution instead of forcing the project into a predetermined architecture. For example, we are open to discussing: Ethernet/PoE versus other wired solutions Industrial 4–20 mA transducers versus voltage-output sensors Distributed nodes versus centralized acquisition controllers Fieldbus gateways versus direct network connectivity Wired communication versus dedicated low-power wireless links The final system should be technically sound, understandable, maintainable, expandable, and reliable. Preferred Experience Ideal candidates will have experience in several of the following areas: Embedded system architecture PCB and electronic hardware design Industrial instrumentation Pressure and flow measurement Analog and digital sensor acquisition 4–20 mA, 0–10 V, pulse, and frequency-based interfaces STM32, ESP32, or comparable embedded platforms Ethernet, PoE, and industrial wired networking MQTT or similar telemetry protocols Power-supply and protection design Field-installed sensors and industrial wiring Embedded C or C++ firmware development Long-term unattended equipment operation Experience with wells, pumps, water treatment, industrial automation, process instrumentation, SCADA, or distributed data-acquisition systems would be especially valuable. Completion Criteria The project will be considered successfully demonstrated when: Representative pressure and flow sensors operate with the prototype hardware. Measurements are collected accurately and consistently. Data is transmitted through the selected architecture to the reference receiver. The system recovers correctly from communication loss, server downtime, restart, and power cycling. All design files, source code, manufacturing materials, and documentation are delivered. The final package must allow another qualified engineer to manufacture, program, configure, install, operate, and maintain the system independently.