2024年10月16日

Testing the quality of your water just got easier 和 less expensive thanks to a first-of-its-kind application. 免费的, 易于使用的应用程序, 叫Turbidivision, can measure the turbidity, 或云, of water through user-uploaded images.

The app was developed by recent Susquehanna graduate Ian Rudy ’24 under the guidance of 马特·威尔逊, director of Susquehanna University’s Center for Environmental Education 和 Research. 

“In fields ranging from environmental science to public health, assessing water quality is vital,威尔逊说. “These tests often begin with measuring turbidity, which can impact water clarity 和 drinkability.”

Estimated by the scattering of light by particles suspended in water, turbidity is an optical measure of water clarity, 威尔逊解释说. 在自然界中, many of these particles are agitated sediment, such as clays 和 soils or suspended organic matter, 和 largely depend on surrounding l和 use. Pollutants contained in industrial 和 agricultural runoff can also be linked to turbidity.

Wilson 和 Rudy, who graduated from Susquehanna with dual degrees in 计算机科学 和 通信, used a two-step process for their application. First, they trained an image classification model using photos 和 turbidity measurements. Then, they used a statistical method to estimate turbidity levels from these images.

To create a strong model, they collected images from both field sites 和 lab experiments under various water conditions 和 grouped them into 11 categories based on turbidity levels.

“Our classification model is very accurate, with 100% of predictions being close to the true category 和 84% being spot-on,威尔逊说. “Current methods for determining turbidity can be costly 和 time-consuming. Our app could make it easier to analyze old image data 和 provide a simpler way to asses turbidity, especially for educational 和 citizen science projects where high accuracy isn’t always necessary.”

The application developed as part of this research project is the first photo-based turbidity-measuring tool accessible to the public. To make the model widely accessible, Wilson 和 Rudy implemented it as a free, user-friendly 网络 application. The app is compatible with a wide range of devices 和 has a simple user interface, allowing anyone to easily benefit from the results of this research.

Wilson 和 Rudy wrote an article on their app development project, which was just published in the journal PeerJ. The app is available on the 网络 从 谷歌玩.