The deployment of fixed online water quality sensors in water distribution systems has
been recognized as one of the key components of contamination warning systems for
securing public health. This study proposes to explore how the inclusion of mobile sensors
for inline monitoring of various water quality parameters (e.g., residual chlorine, pH) can
enhance water distribution system security. Mobile sensors equipped with sampling,
sensing, data acquisition, wireless transmission and power generation systems are being
designed, fabricated, and tested, and prototypes are expected to be released in the very
near future. This study initiates the development of a theoretical framework for modeling
mobile sensor movement in water distribution systems and integrating the sensory data
collected from stationary and non-stationary sensor nodes to increase system security.
The methodology is applied and demonstrated on two benchmark networks. Performance
of different sensor network designs are compared for fixed and combined fixed and mobile
sensor networks. Results indicate that complementing online sensor networks with inline
monitoring can increase detection likelihood and decrease mean time to detection.