Our modern society is forced to recognize the worth of water in order to support life and our economies because it is a limited resource.
The water community must address worries about environmental quality and a growing population in the context of a changing climate, even while there is still more work to be done to guarantee that everyone, everywhere, has access to clean drinking water and sanitation.
There is hope for a more sustainable planet.
Even though people are the key to better water management, technology is available to aid in the creation of knowledge that will help with decision-making.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that digital technologies are being used more and more in water and wastewater systems all over the world.
The digital path forward
In a changing world where water availability is growing more variable and both long-standing problems like combined sewer overflows and emergent risks like new contaminants must be addressed, water sector enterprises are being pushed to do more with less.
In order to address urgent demands, such as protecting environmental quality, decarbonizing operations and maintaining service resilience in the face of climate change, utilities must improve their efficiency and effectiveness.
Digital technology provides a chance to do this.
Digital technology and increased water service efficiency are closely related.
We can track client water usage, find leaks and take action to cut down on non-revenue water.
When customers are given information on their water use, it can encourage them to save water while attempting to reduce their costs and make them aware of any problems.
Water utilities can increase revenue by turning digital by minimizing water losses due to leakage or fraud, automating procedures to cut expenses, managing assets remotely, doing predictive maintenance, and foreseeing changes in usage and extreme weather occurrences.
More sophisticated hydrological modeling makes it possible for utilities to plan ahead and improve their water and wastewater networks.
How do we know which digital technologies to invest in?
We are now submerged in a sea of data as a result of digitalization; it is time to harness that data to enhance operational and environmental performance.
Water companies must comprehend their needs and how the solutions offered can help them obtain the greatest results because there are so many different digital options.
IoT industrial platforms aggregate real-time data from sensors into a centralized system, empowering decision makers to solve complex challenges
The digital transformation of water management assets and processes is already a reality, and technologies like AMI, GIS, 5G, artificial intelligence, digital twins and smart asset management will help transform the sector.
Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
You can’t manage what you don’t measure.
This quote, sometimes attributed to statistician W. Edwards Deming, and other times to management consultant Peter Drucker, illustrates the importance of quality data.
Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is essential for producing data because it is one of the most valuable assets.
The development of water meters may have been the most significant development in water systems over the previous few decades.
AMI not only comprises data acquisition but also its integration and treatment using Big Data technology.
Cloud computing platforms keep an eye on both smart meters and other assets.
The purpose is to provide value when data are evaluated to enable more effective management of water resources; however, measuring is not a goal in and of itself.
AMI not only makes water billing easier, but also takes care of other requirements like fraud and leak detection, demand forecasting, increasing customer happiness, running simulations, and cutting carbon emissions.
We expect investments in AMI to grow in the upcoming years, as the stepping stone toward the full digitalization of the water cycle.
Electronic twins Virtual reproductions of a water and/or wastewater system, whether it includes the complete water cycle or just a portion of it, are called “digital twins.”
The idea of a digital twin was first introduced in the 1960s by NASA, which duplicated systems to match those in space.
Dr. Michael Grieves later applied the concept to product lifecycle management, which led to its development in the twenty-first century.
Recently, digital twins have been used in the water business for both the collection and distribution of wastewater.
The problem is to combine data sources, such as SCADA, GIS, CMMS systems, IoT devices, or AMI, into a single platform that can deliver relevant information.
As a first step toward the complete digitalization of the water cycle, we anticipate that investments in AMI will increase over the next few years.
The advantages of digital twins have recently gained a lot of attention.
They enable the improvement of water systems in terms of both present and future planning.
By adjusting pumping schedules to maximize energy efficiency while accounting for hourly energy prices.
They give utilities the ability to provide more accurate, real-time information to customers.
For instance, informing customers of service disruptions brought on by urgent or planned construction.
To find alternatives to ensure the water supply, it is also possible to pinpoint crucial consumers (such as hospitals).
Digital twins also strengthen utilities’ capacity to adjust to any situation, from anticipated spikes in demand to medical emergencies and severe weather disasters.
They can reduce dangers and operating expenses while averting accidents to provide a year-round supply of water.
Greater resilience is produced as a result of this ability to adapt and optimize water management and energy use water systems help create sustainable cities that can deal with a changing environment.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI), as it does in other industries, is rapidly incorporated into business operations in the water sector.
We produce a vast amount of data, and a computer processes it more naturally, rationally, and objectively than the human brain.
AI mimics human cognitive processes to aid in more effective process management.
Perhaps the most prevalent AI technology in the water sector is machine learning (ML).
From IT, OT, and IoT (sensor) data sources, ML algorithms provide knowledge that is more and more precise.
Detecting fraud and leaks, as well as predicting consumption and water quality, are just a few of the issues that machine learning models may help in water business.
They can be helpful in enhancing irrigation system performance as well as pump performance.
AI may be applied to wastewater to detect pathogen presence, detect sewer overflows, and even predict them.
Additionally, this technology can help with customer service by monitoring client responses on social media and in other forums.
In order to better assist clients, chatbots and Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology are also helpful.
5G: revolutionizing communications
The 5G network will adapt to the needs of business, thanks to guaranteed service quality, enabling remote control in real-time
Until now, 4G helped speed up communications, but 5G is projected to revolutionize communication by accelerating both the speed and the number of devices that can communicate, opening up new ideas and economic prospects.
The variety of use cases is expanding as nations roll out 5G networks.
In the next two to five years, we anticipate that 5G coverage will be comparable to that of 4G, making it simpler for the water industry to take advantage of this technology’s potential.
The ability to connect millions of devices in a condensed space, made possible by the Massive Internet of Things, is one of the key advances to keep in mind.
This is important since there will soon be 26 billion connected devices worldwide.
Another crucial factor is the battery life of sensors, which might be extended by up to 50% with the introduction of 5G.
The 5G network will also be more secure, with improved security protocols against cyber-attacks and uninterrupted coverage.
Thanks to virtual networks with guaranteed service quality that allows for remote control in real-time, the 5G network will, in fact, adapt to the needs of the business.
The adaptability of 5G opens up new avenues for the water sector, allowing, for example, increased automation at treatment facilities.
It is anticipated to democratize data, making it broadly available and meeting the desires of citizens who want to be informed about water quality or how much water is currently in reservoirs in real-time, in addition to how much they have drunk.
Supporting the water industry
As the water industry embraces digital technology, it is essential to have the right technology partner to support this transformation
Water system efficiency must be driven by digital solutions.
They make it possible to make the best decisions possible, which improves water management by lowering operational costs, foreseeing dangers, and streamlining resources.
It is crucial to have the right technology partner to facilitate this transformation as the water business adopts digital technology.
Grupo lava offers technological solutions that offer competitive value, enhance procedures, and lower costs.
They have 50 years of experience behind them.
The newest company in the group, MonoM, was established in 2016 to help clients handle the new challenges that are pushing sectors toward digital transformation.
Leading provider of cloud platforms for the AIoT (AI + IoT), MonoM leverages the expertise of its parent company and has a presence in numerous areas with targeted solutions, including the water sector.
Advanced data modeling services are combined with the most cutting-edge IoT technology on the market.
The use of AI, Big Data, Cloud, IoT, and Digital twins forms the foundation of its Deep Tech.
Source: Grupo Alava
