New Global SWAN Technical Working Group Aims To Revolutionize The Water Sector With Interoperability And Asset Data Standardization

The Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN) is excited to announce the formation of a new technical working group, Future Utility Group, comprising nine global utilities. This timely initiative aims to collaboratively develop a digital ecosystem, with reference architecture and data structures, to support interoperable applications and consistent asset data structures for water utilities worldwide.

The group's vision is to simplify digital solution adoption and procurement for water utilities, ensuring efficient solutions to benefit global citizens and nature. Initial focus has been directed across two key areas: asset data structure and interoperability reference architecture.

The initial nine utilities participating include SWAN Members Anglian Water (represented by Darren Coleman), Greater Western Water (represented by Jennifer Rebeiro), VCS Denmark (represented by Agnethe Pedersen), NEOM (represented by João Pedro Pitta), PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency (represented by Ridzuan Ismail), Houston Water (represented by Fazle Rabbi and Satish Tripathi), Global Omnium/Aguas de Valencia (represented by César Gómez Ferrer), NYCDEP (represented by Reginal Joseph), and Sydney Water (represented by Brendan Creek). The group's steering committee includes Andy Smith from Anglian Water, Agnethe Pedersen from VCS Denmark, Jennifer Rebeiro from Greater Western Water, and SWAN Ambassador Gigi Karmous-Edwards from Karmous Edwards Consulting (KEC).

The Future Utility Group aims to address several challenges currently faced by the water sector, including the lack of plug-and-play capabilities, high start-up costs, and the need for costly data integration efforts. By developing best practices and a reference architecture for simplified data exchange, the group hopes to increase flexibility, ensure interoperability, and foster innovation and efficiency in the water sector.

To accelerate the development and adoption of best practices, this global group is inviting other SWAN utility members to join the initiative and collaborate on this groundbreaking project. The group plans to conduct multiple proof of concepts (PoCs) on key cloud services like AWS and Azure, using the learnings to refine their best practices and ensure that the water sector's digitisation is unlocked effectively. The group welcomes input from other SWAN Forum groups and member companies as we start horizon scanning to kick start our focus on POC development.

For more information, visit dedicated group page.

About SWAN:
The Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN) is the leading global hub for the smart water sector, accelerating the awareness and adoption of data-driven technologies across drinking water, wastewater and stormwater networks worldwide. SWAN connects key players in the water sector to advance the use of smart systems and leverage data for more resilient, efficient, and sustainable water management.