The rugged terrain of Donegal may attract thousands of tourists each year, but for local authorities, trying to monitor a water supply system in inaccessible and remote areas can be a logistical nightmare.

A satellite orbiting 500 miles above Earth may not be the first place most people would look for a solution to such problems, but a Northern Irish company, Andronics, is using space technology, solar power and smart devices to overcome such obstacles.

According to Mr Hugh Doherty, a senior supervisor at Donegal County Council, the council faced problems in trying to measure the water depth data in the Carndonagh reservoir and in monitoring treatment and supply processes.

No communication was possible between the Carndonagh reservoir on one side of the mountain and the pump controlling the flow to the reservoir on the other.

With no electricity supply and inadequate radio communications coverage, the council looked to Andronics for a solution.

Mr Shaun Kelly, a software engineer with Derry-based Andronics, said the company developed a float switch for the reservoir, which would send a signal to the pump when levels were too low. The signal, generated by the switch, is sent to a low Earth satellite. This relays it to a base station (Gateway Earth station) in Italy, which in turn sends an e-mail to a server to switch the pump on or off.

Andronics has signed a contract worth £1 million sterling over two years with Donegal County Council to use advanced technology to improve water supply systems.

The company uses the ORBCOMM constellation of 35 satellites, one of which orbits the area every 12 hours.

Andronics installed a satellite communicator with antenna at the Carndonagh reservoir, which receives the signal from the water level sensors and float switch and sends it to the satellite.

To overcome the lack of a power supply, the company fitted a solar panel with a rechargeable battery to ensure a constant supply of electricity.

The times of the requests to activate the pumps and of the actual activation are logged and transmitted to a customised and secure password-protected website, available to the water authority's manager.

Mr Doherty said the fact that the system was satellite-based, could be installed anywhere and supplied critical information frequently on a desktop computer, would lower operating costs.

Andronics also installed a similar system at the council's Redcastle treatment plant to monitor water flow at various stages of the treatment process, plus reservoir and chlorine levels as well as the status of pumps.

The company, which was set up in 1996, is also working with Northern Irish Water Utility. It says a number of councils from the Republic have shown an interest in the technology.

Andronics was originally set up in 1996 to target the market for wide-area vehicle location and tracking.