Overview

As part of Hudson River Park Trust’s charter, they regularly collect data about the water in the Hudson, including key measures like temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen levels, salinity, and pH levels. Importantly, Hubson River Park Trust also tracks rainfall levels to help predict the likelihood of Combined Sewer Overflow events, or CSO’s. Such events typically arise from heavy rainfalls, when untreated sewer water is released into local waterways due to an aging sewer infrastructure that cannot accommodate greater volumes. CSO events, along with the tracked measures above, temporarily alter water quality, which can affect the activities of anglers, boaters, and swimmers alike.

Hudson River Park Trust approached Cantina with a specific goal: how can we educate park visitors on our efforts to track water quality and increase their engagement and enjoyment in and around the park? A Connected Human System (CHS) is a set of digital tools that help us perceive, make sense of, and act on the physical world. These tools allow us to gather data, extract insights and then affect change. Cantina’s work with the Hudson River Park Trust represents an excellent example of a Connected Human System (CHS) in action.

Cantina used research and a human-centered design approach to identify conceptual designs for a sensor and data visualization digital dashboard that measures, monitors, and reports water health. The dashboard can alert users when sewage events occur during wet weather in real-time, which is important information for environmental conservation, education programs, and recreational boating.