Stage Is Set For Smart Water Future

A new collaborative initiative led by the American Water Works Association should be a springboard for the adoption of smart technology, writes Chris Moore, associate product line manager, Ovarro.

The launch of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Water 2050 initiative is a bold and exciting step for the US sector, offering an effective route to meeting some of the major environmental and infrastructural challenges it is facing.

The multi-year exploration, launched at the ACE22 conference on 13 June 2022, will include a programme of cross-sector think tank discussions to take a long-term view of the future of water and “chart a course for sustainability and success”.

Technology has been identified as one of the initiative’s five critical drivers by the AWWA, which says advances in data, analytics, the internet of things (IoT), machine learning and artificial intelligence will “increasingly empower consumers and influence water system operations”.

As an innovation-led company and AWWA member, we look forward to engaging in Water 2050 discussions over the next two years and offering insights into how technology can transform the sector in a cost effective and sustainable way.

Investment programs in USA are expanding and water utilities and municipalities are building their resilience, at the same time as deploying more innovative technologies for smarter networks. It is a viable time to ramp up smart management and accelerate the roll-out of new technology.

Right now, the internet of things (IoT) presents a massive opportunity for the water sector to strengthen its relationship with smart technology, providing robust solutions to current and future challenges. Scalable and robust, the technology transforms existing data into actionable insight, while increasing real-time and predictive capabilities.

For the water industry, low-cost monitoring devices are making the capturing of real-time operational data, such as pressure, levels, water quality, pump status, battery voltage and temperature much easier. Through IoT, users can interconnect sensors to see the complete picture across the entire sewer and water distribution networks. 

This allows control rooms and operators to make quicker, more informed decisions based on real-time data, making it possible to run a more intuitive management system. These advances are supported by cloud computing technology, which enables IoT devices to capture, analyse and store data on a huge scale.

The water sector has historically been conservative when it comes to the adoption of data-led solutions, with many utilities finding themselves data-rich, information poor, lacking the tools to bring network data together and look at the big picture. The last few years, however, have seen the sector start to embed IoT into their systems – a trend that is expected to accelerate as the full potential of the technology is realised, while solutions become more widely available and lower in cost. 

With AWWA’s Water 2050 putting an even brighter spotlight on the capabilities of IoT and smart networks, we are ready to support the sector in building a sustainable water future.

About Ovarro

Ovarro is the new name for Servelec Technologies and Primayer. Ovarro's technology is used throughout the world to monitor, control and manage critical and national infrastructure.

Our connected technology is always there, always on. Secure, proven, trusted; integrating seamlessly with our clients’ assets. Collecting and communicating data from some of the most remote locations and harshest environments on the planet. Enabling businesses to work smarter and more effectively. 

Ovarro works with customers across water, oil & gas, broadcast and transportation to help monitor, control and manage their assets.