A group of seven Utah State University Engineers Without Borders students left for the Puno region of Peru, just north of Lake Titicaca, to work toward eliminating high levels of arsenic found in groundwater.
Logan, UT – A group of seven Utah State University Engineers Without Borders students left for the Puno region of Peru, just north of Lake Titicaca, to work toward eliminating high levels of arsenic found in groundwater. Juniper Systems aided in their efforts by providing Archer 2 data collectors, offering the necessary data collection training and support, and post-processing data upon completion.
“Engineers Without Borders’ commitment to helping others through field data collection and technical expertise aligns well with the mission statement of Juniper Systems,” said Juniper Systems Business Development Manager Trevor Brown. “We’ve provided GIS mapping support to Engineers Without Borders humanitarian projects in South America for a while now and it’s amazing to see what they’re accomplishing.”
To determine the location where high levels of arsenic exist, student researchers collected samples and mapped locations using the Archer 2. The GPS accuracy of the Archer 2’s allowed the team to map water elevations in 3D space to better predict high arsenic concentrations and help direct future well-building to safer areas. Rather than solely identifying and reporting dangerous levels of arsenic, the students’ project also focused on extensive research on local clay manufacturing to determine if there is potential for the community to make clay arsenic filters locally as a long-term solution to this ongoing issue.
Upon return, the GPS data was post-processed by Brown and sent back to the student team for evaluation. Engineers Without Borders Assistant Team Lead Karl Christensen said, “The Juniper team has shown outstanding support of our project. With training on how to use the devices, in-country support after-hours when we had some software malfunction, and then post-processing when we got back. I hope to use Juniper data collection equipment as a student and into my professional career.”
Since the beginning, Juniper Systems has always been extremely passionate about working with organizations, student groups, and individuals on service projects in need of ultra-rugged, accurate data collectors. For inquiries about service projects with similar needs, reach out to the Juniper Systems team at 435-753-1881 or by email atsales@junipersys.com.
About Juniper Systems:
Based out of Logan, UT, USA and Birmingham, UK, Juniper Systems designs and manufactures ultra-rugged handheld computers and provides field data collection solutions for use in extreme environments. Since 1993, Juniper Systems has provided innovative mobile technology to natural resources, utilities and public services, geomatics, agriculture, industrial, and military markets. For more information on Juniper Systems products, please visit http://bit.ly/28UGS33.