GULF SHORES — Residents learned how University of South Alabama researchers plan to transform Gulf Shores' Little Lagoon into a "smart lagoon" by using low-cost, real-time sensors at a community meeting Thursday.

At the Little Lagoon Preservation Society's quarterly meeting, researchers described a two-year project to develop a hydrodynamic model that will track how water circulates and flushes through the local waterway.

Nigel Temple, a research assistant professor and project lead, said the goal is to use mapping data and water quality sensors to help find ways to improve the health of the lagoon. The team is currently using drones and a 23-foot skiff to map the lagoon's depth and geography.

"We'll be using all that information to explore methods to improve flushing and/or improve the water quality," Temple said.

While the project uses high-end commercial equipment, Ph.D. student Ian Adkins introduced a prototype for a low-cost, "open source" water quality sensor. Built from PVC pipe and parts available at local hardware stores, the device measures pH, temperature, turbidity and dissolved oxygen.

The prototype costs approximately $1,500, a reduction from the $30,000 required for individual commercial units currently in the water. Adkins said the lower cost allows for high resolution data because the society can now afford to deploy more sensors across the lagoon.

The devices use long-range radio waves, known as LoRaWAN, to broadcast data to land-based gateways connected to the internet. From there, residents can view a real-time dashboard on their phones to check lagoon conditions.

In order to succeed, the researchers say they need the community's help to maintain the "smart" network. Adkins requested that homeowners near the water allow the installation of two or three small gateways, which require roughly the same power as a nightlight.

He also proposed a "if you see it, clean it" program, where recreationists use QR codes on the buoys to receive instructions on how to brush off algae growth and mark when it is cleaned.

Dennis Hatfield, president of the Little Lagoon Preservation Society, emphasized that the data will be integrated into the society's existing database, which dates back to 2007.

According to the Little Lagoon Preservation Society website, the organization was founded in 1991 and currently represents more than 250 families dedicated to the long-term protection of the lagoon and its surrounding wetlands.

The researchers expect the hydrodynamic modeling to be complete in about two years. For Hatfield, who said he has been waiting a "long time" for this level of technical insight, the data will finally provide answers to the society's most pressing questions about the lagoon's long-term viability.

"Is the circulation flushing in the lagoon that we get adequate? What's the right amount?" Hatfield said. "This model will help us corner the empirical truth about it."