WaterPal

== README

WaterPal is created on Rail localhost; and it is implemented with many functions to make water bill system more modern. Please review the documents from the GitHub links. Also, we can demonstrate in person on our laptop as you wanted @ quan 6268009618

== Summary

WaterPal SUMMARY: WaterPal is an online tool for you to estimate, review, and pay your water bills. It will connect to your account on the water supplier’s database, so that you can monitor your own water usage to prevent water leakage, late fees, and water shaming.

CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT: The current water bill system is archaic. It can be improved by reorganizing, converting texts into figures, ands providing smarter software applications. For example, most people do not understand the concept of breaking points and tiers, they do not know how the bill is calculated, and do not know how to save money while they can save water. In addition, the water bill system lacks immediate data feedback. For example, if a household has a leak in the tank or pipelines, the owner will not know until the next water bill, which can be up to two months later. By switching to WaterPal, customers can avoid water waste and the associated cost within one hour of the leak incident. In addition, they can pay their bill anytime and anywhere with their smart phone.
By opening WaterPal, users will be welcomed by the log in page. Once they log in, they will view the summary of their current or most recent water bill by the total charges, the visualization, and a link to detail explanation. When the users click on the total charge, they will link to a separate page of the water bill summary, which includes the historical data and account information. They can also further explore bill calculations and meter data. Similarly, users can click on visualization and other links after they log in, with more details available to them.

CORE FUNCTIONS:

Online Payment: Users will register with credit card or bank account and pay for the bill online.
Review of water usages and recommendation for water saving: New devices - including AMI and AMR - allow users to receive hourly data of water meters and monitor water usage behaviors.
Visualizations to summarize the water bill: Many users are not familiar with numbers and equations - WaterPal can explain it easily by figures, charts, and simulations.
Simulation of future charges: WaterPal can calculate the future bill based on time, address, and household size.

PROS:

Smarter and more efficient method of water bill payment.
Bill estimation, real time data, and cutting-edge visualizations.
Encourages and educates the public on water consumption and water saving.

CONS:

More expensive, extra equipment or devices will be needed to ensure the data accuracy.
Finance of new devices.
Culture shift from traditional payment to software application.