Smart Networks Smoothing Supply Of Water

By Keith Hilson, i2O Water

With increasing and urbanizing population, extreme weather events happening with greater frequency, aging infrastructure and work forces, more demanding customers, and significant revenue constraints, it is becoming increasingly difficult for water utilities to ensure that supply consistently meets demand.

The most forward-thinking water utilities are taking a holistic view of their challenges and turning to technology to make their networks smarter and more responsive. Recent advances in low power devices, data analytics, and cloud computing make it possible for utilities to deploy sensing and measurement technologies across their networks and introduce sophisticated network control tools for optimizing and automating water pressure and flow quickly.

Many have already deployed loggers across their networks to provide a constant, reliable feed of data and show precisely what is happening under their feet. Intelligent software then turns this data into actionable insight and automatically optimizes network pressures to ensure supply consistently matches demand and that all changes happen smoothly.

The move to smart water networks is accelerating in the water industry because it allows utilities to confront their major challenges, extend asset life in the network, reduce operating costs and deliver better customer service without the high cost of building new supply infrastructure.

In this short video, Rik Thijssen of Vitens, David Robinson at Veolia, Aurélie Chazerain from Suez Environnement, and Joel Hagan, the CEO of i2O, discuss the challenges facing water utilities and how the industry is turning to smart networks to boost customer service and ensure supply meets demand.