WET News

18 WET NEWS DECEMBER 2018 | wwtonline.co.uk Delivering innovation for PR19 F rom population growth, climate change, tightening environmental standards, leakage reduction and changing customer expectations, the challenges facing the UK water sector are both diverse and signi cant. The services that water asset owner companies provide are essential and, quite rightly, taken as a given. The water net- work infrastructure is generally hidden from view, o• en located under an increasingly saturated road network and in some cases, dates back over a century. Yet, and quite understandably, none of us want to endure the disrup- tion that o• en, and almost inev- itably, comes with the work required to maintain, repair or replace this essential infrastructure. The imperative to drive inno- vation and improvement is clear. Innovation is one of four key themes within Ofwat's Price Review 19 (PR19), which addresses the future challenges the water industry is facing. Ofwat is challenging companies to reduce leakage by 15 per cent as part of its PR19 methodology and earlier this year, the regula- tor's director of customer engagement and outcomes, Jon Ashley, stated that it expects the strong leakage reduction chal- lenges set in PR19 to promote greater innovation. Progressive, forward-think- ing utility service providers and supply chain partners clearly have an essential role to play in enabling the PR19 innovation agenda, supporting water com- pany clients as they manage their physical assets, whilst bal- ancing the demands of their customers and shareholders and of course, those of the regulator. Things move fast. As con- sumer expectations continue to ‰ INSIGHT INNOVATION Innovation will be the key to meeting many water sector goals after PR19, and many potential technological solutions are already out there, writes Andy Carter, director of IT, innovation & improvement at Morrison Utility Services rise, service providers and sup- ply chain partners need to work hard to seek new, innovative opportunities to trial, invest in and deploy across all aspects of their business. It's not enough to simply provide the support that merely adds scale to the service provided by the client. More needs to be brought to the table. Widening the net to look beyond the con nes of the water sector is essential. Whilst tech- nological progress and evolu- tion has driven up customer expectations, paradoxically it is also helping us meet and exceed these rising demands and expectations. Innovation can be delivered in many ways, from brand new technology such as exoskele- tons through to the application of a technology that has been successfully applied in diŒ erent sectors, such as augmented real- ity. Collaboration with aca- demia, research bodies and solution providers from other sectors can oŒ er fertile ground for innovation – providing new contexts and thinking around existing technologies, ways of working and processes that have been successfully applied elsewhere. CREATING AN INNOVATION CULTURE For a number of years now, Mor- rison Utility Services has imple- mented an 'Innovation Portfo- lio' approach, designed to deliver maximum bene t to individual clients at minimum cost and minimum risk but at maximum speed. Establishing and developing this 'Portfo- lio'-led approach has leveraged the scale, diversity and scope of innovation across not only Mor- rison Utility Services, but also those of our fellow M Group Ser- vices divisions who deliver essential infrastructure across a range of sectors including rail, aviation, highways, telecommu- nications and data. Over time, this Innovation Portfolio has been honed by our innovation team, led by Will Davies, to over 400 applicable and useable innovation projects – and continues to grow. How- ever, it's not just about the num- bers. Establishing the Innova- tion Portfolio represents a wide-ranging resource for our clients and recognises that inno- vation isn't always about brand new tools and technologies. The Portfolio approach focuses on the full spectrum of our own and our clients' opera- tional and back-o› ce activities and how we can manage the pri- orities across these areas for which we are jointly responsible. From customer service and stakeholder management through to health, safety and wellbeing, streetworks, car- bon management, risk reduc- tion and delivery process effi- ciency, the Portfolio approach is demonstrating that innova- tion can take many shapes and forms. SOFTWARE ROBOTICS: Human and robot collaboration Software robotics will be an essential team member for many workplaces in the future and is currently being used to carry out and complete repetitive, but often vital, tasks with precision, reliability and efficiency. Flexible and easily configurable, with little complex coding, robotic automation can be deployed across many operational areas to streamline processes and make them faster and more efficient. PREDICTIVE DATA & ANALYTICS: Using data to gain new insights Identifying the potential to use data sources, initially designed for other purposes, can deliver new levels of insight. Our work in data analytics has already been recognised by Innovate UK in the form of an Intelligent Data Insights Innovation Award. The award was presented for a 'big data' leakage management solution that o' ers huge potential as a vital resource for water companies and for establishing a wider, common measure of consumption by customers. SMART STREETWORKS DELIVERY: A new vision for planning street works operations Many avoidable costs in excavations begin in the planning stage – a result of the numerous variables that can a' ect the start and progress of works. The OmniViz solution o' ers clear, smart streetworks planning, providing data intelligence through a range of relevant data sources (Google Street Map, Ordinance Survey and satellite views, meteorological and environmental data, tra• c volume and flow information etc.) all of which is accessible via a single, intuitive interface. Currently being trialled on the MUS Yorkshire Water contract, key bene™ ts include fewer non-compliance issues and costly work aborts, more accurate risk assessment and reduced customer disruption and inconvenience. SIX INNOVATIONS AT A GLANCE

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