Active Development · TWG Remote Water Quality

Sensor-based Water Quality Monitoring
Technology Development Roadmap

A collaborative, multi-stakeholder requirements development framework for in-situ chlorine and microbial monitoring sensors in low-resource settings — structured around NASA Systems Engineering lifecycle best practices.

Whitney N. Knopp Draft · August 2025 UN SDG 6 Aligned
Development Phase
Concept & Feasibility Pre-Phase A
Requirements Development Phase A
Preliminary Design Phase B
Final Design & Fabrication Phase C/D
System Test & Deployment Phase E
Closeout & Scale Phase F
Total Requirements
Validated
Baselined
Stakeholder Approved
Draft / Elicited

Stakeholder Working Groups

Requirements are developed collaboratively across four domain expert working groups (IPTs), following NASA's Integrated Product Team model. Each group owns specific requirement categories and must approve before baselining.

WG-1 · Technical Performance

Sensor Engineering & Performance

Owns all performance, detection, and measurement specifications. Responsible for lab validation protocols and signal processing requirements.

Sensor Engineers Electrochemists Optical Scientists Metrologists
Owns: Performance · Validation · Functional requirements
WG-2 · Regulatory & Standards

Standards, Compliance & Policy

Ensures alignment with WHO guidelines, ISO/IEC standards, UNICEF TPP requirements, and national regulatory frameworks across target deployment countries.

WHO Representatives Regulatory Affairs Standards Bodies Policy Analysts
Owns: Cost · Data · Compliance requirements
WG-3 · Field Operations

Deployment & Operations

Represents WASH practitioners and field implementers. Owns operational, maintenance, power, and environmental requirements based on real-world deployment contexts in LMICs.

WASH Practitioners Field Engineers NGO Partners Water Utility Staff
Owns: Environmental · Power · Maintenance requirements
WG-4 · End Users & Communities

Human Factors & Usability

Ensures requirements reflect the needs, literacy levels, and operational capacity of community operators and local decision-makers in target settings.

Community Representatives Local Operators Health Workers Human Factors Experts
Owns: Usability · Communication · Training requirements

Requirements Maturity Tracker

Each requirement progresses through a 7-stage maturity gate from initial elicitation through field validation. Working group members can update status, add traceability notes, and log comments.

0 · Elicited
1 · Drafted
2 · Peer Reviewed
3 · Stakeholder Approved
4 · Baselined
5 · Verified
6 · Validated
Chlorine Sensor
Microbial Sensor
ID Category Requirement Priority WG Owner Source Maturity Gate Discussion

Source & Verification Traceability Matrix

Each requirement is traced to its authoritative source and linked to a specific verification method — a core NASA SE practice ensuring every requirement has a "why" and a "how to prove it."

Req ID Requirement (summary) Source Authority Verification Method Acceptance Criteria

Formal Review Gates

Structured review events gate progression through development phases. Each review must confirm entry criteria are met and exit criteria are achieved before proceeding. Click a gate to expand.

Cost-Effectiveness Model

Demonstrates how sensor-based monitoring and operational efficiency reduce cost per safe liter delivered over a 10-year horizon.

Metric Program A · Baseline Program A · Enhanced Program B · Baseline Program B · Enhanced
Capital Expenses$1,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000
Annual Operating Expenses$100,000$100,000$100,000$100,000
Annual Monitoring Costs$50,000$100,000$50,000$1,000,000
Average Uptime50%90%1%99%
Microbial Pass Rate50%90%1%99%
10-Year Operating Cost$2,500,000$3,000,000$2,500,000$12,000,000
10-Year Safe Liters Delivered9,125,00029,565,0003,65035,773,650
Cost per Safe Liter $0.27 $0.10 $684.93 $0.34
Cost Reduction 63% ~100%