Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
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22 | DECEMBER 2019 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk The Knowledge: Digital technology er network are operational. Teams can identify incidents like contamination or burst pipes, to enable maintenance and repairs to take place more quickly – and consequently reduce leakage. In the longer term, water companies can gather enough data to understand the signals that precede incidents like leaks; for example, the system might say "the level of pres- sure in this pipe will lead to damage, therefore rebalance the network flow." Prescrip- tive analytics, as this is called, can help the organisation to optimise its processes, extend asset life and even inform in- frastructure planning – all key competencies for strengthen- ing resilience in the round. A smart network can also improve water companies' customer relationships, creat- ing more positive dynamics and keeping bills fair. With smart meters, it's possible to empower customers with accurate information about their water usage, to support accurate billing and to make them a partner in reducing their consumption and helping to preserve water resources. At the top level, accurate data will help companies to demonstrate their achieve- ment of AMP7 deliverables. And finally, in the long term, there's the potential for water companies to use data to create new revenue streams, such as partnering with insur- ance companies to offer smart leakage detection discounts or broader smart home manage- ment. The next stage in the smart journey The benefits of a smarter network may seem clear, but it's not so straightforward for water companies to work out the most beneficial next steps on the journey. A plethora of digital projects may have been undertaken over many years, with mixed success rates, creating a complex IT landscape. In addition, water utilities have to deal with extensive physical, complex infrastructure, sometimes built over hundreds of years and covering thousands of miles. With this in mind, it's best to take a balanced approach to smart projects. To ensure that investments aren't wasted, all initiatives must reflect the overall business strategy, and particularly the key ODIs for AMP7. At the same time, it's important to acknowledge that no one size fits all and it isn't always possible to know how initiatives will work in practice. Taking an iterative approach, where projects are prototyped, piloted and re- viewed, enables organisations to identify and then scale the most impactful initiatives. A smarter technology strategy Of course, the actual tech- nologies chosen will be critical to ensuring the success of each new smart initiative. Given that creating a smarter network is a gradual process of development, it's important that each project involves hardware and soŠware that's both robust in the long-term and adaptable for the new initiatives that follow. Choosing smart compo- nents designed specifically for the water industry, rather than generic Internet of Things devices, can assure their long- term robustness in the water environment – and that they improve, rather than compro- mise, the network's resilience. Equally, selecting components with a longer life will create greater return on investment over time, delivering value for customers and shareholders. It's also important that smart components offer highly accurate water monitoring ca- pabilities. For example, in the case of smart meters, devices that offer accurate, consistent data even at low consumption levels will enable water com- panies to identify and respond quickly to unusual usage or burst pipes. Finally, the communica- tion standards used by smart components are important. Components that offer multi- ple wireless standards – and even wired options – can more easily be integrated into the existing network and remain operational as the smart network evolves further in the future. It's also important that data transmissions are secure and encrypted, to ensure that the network remains resilient to vandalism or malicious cyber-attacks in the years to come. A truly smart network Every water company's journey to a smarter network will be different. By tak- ing an iterative approach to smart projects, and choosing components that are robust and adaptable, water compa- nies can begin to realise the benefits of a smarter network – one that meets the needs of AMP7 and beyond. Caption