Water utilities face intensifying pressure to improve customer service, strengthen resilience and deliver security of supply. On top of this, they are expected to enhance customer experience, create greater public value, ensure citizen security, enable the workforce of the future, and deploy smart infrastructure. These must align with the 21st century mission against a backdrop of a fast-changing environment in which population growth, climate change, technology, and a heightened focus on equity and affordability are playing a more important role.
The question is how water utilities can leverage digital solutions to address these challenges and improve today’s service and tomorrow’s challenges? The answer - We need to continue to leverage digital solutions and build a connected utility.
What if a utility could:
- View performance of their assets in real-time
- Share that view across all operational, planning, customer service, and administrative functions
- Model their asset systems based on the impacts of actions
- Act on insights to improve performance and optimise systems
Being able to achieve these capabilities requires utilities to continue to leverage the Internet of Things (IoT). It is forecasted that IoT-connected devices will grow to 43 billion by 2023, transforming the way assets in the water industry are managed. They will be able to act faster and plan ahead with a shared awareness of “what is currently happening”, “what may happen”, and “what to do when something happens” within their systems.
How is IoT applied in water?
In the water industry, IoT consists of a fleet of devices connected to utility infrastructure. Data is collected from those assets and transmitted via radio networks — Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) or Global System for Monitoring Communications — to remote servers accessible over the Internet.
These devices help utilities perform a variety of tasks, including:
- Reducing non-revenue water through early identification of leaks
- Providing asset condition and performance status
- Optimising efficiency
- Improving operational decision-making through data insights
Popular IoT devices used to generate these outcomes include smart water meters, pump station and pipe sensors, drones performing remote area inspections, and augmented reality goggles connected to real-time data feeds. The insights can then be integrated with spatial information systems, digital twins of infrastructure and machinery, and linked to QR codes on machinery so operation managers can pull up real-time and historical data.
How IoT will revolutionise the water utility industry
A recent GHD article suggests that with the price of water rising and the cost of technology falling, the industry is at a turning point. Advances in water-loss management tools, including digital leak-detection technology, advanced network monitoring software and smart metering, now offer enhanced options for tackling non-revenue water.
Despite the challenges, consumer and industry uptake means the application of IoT is constantly evolving. Improved IoT capabilities will be the key driver for the water utilities embracing this technology and transitioning into Industry 4.0.
GHD’s global community of water professionals predicts that IoT will play a pivotal role in the evolution of the utility sector. Here are our six predictions for the next decade.
1. Augmented connectivity will provide real-time global access |
Advancements in high speed mobile internet, such as 5G, will provide instantaneous access for all people including those with remote and regional network connections. This will be facilitated through cost-effective satellite connectivity, which will overtake current systems dependent on high-powered transmitters or external antennas for IoT connection. These upgrades will be supported by high bandwidth radio networks with the capacity to oversee device deployment at a much greater scale. Recent extensions of LPWAN5 are already making substantial gains particularly in monitoring air quality, traffic, and parking systems as they need fewer sensors to cover more ground. The amount of machine-generated data continues to multiply significantly, and the new LPWAN technology offers aspects where others (WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G/4G networks) simply can’t compete. These include 10-year sensor battery life, 20 km data reach with just a single Gateway, with over 60,000 connections for a single network cell, minimal energy consumption, and extremely low cost. We are expecting to see this being leveraged in water asset management in the coming years. |
2. Instant delivery of big data will become the new standard |
Substantial amounts of data will be transmitted in real-time through high quality, low cost, and reliable devices, such as long-life batteries. The reliability of the speed and quality of data delivery will play a critical role in the effectiveness of future IoT fleets. IoT and data remain intrinsically linked. Big data means nothing without intelligent and actionable insights to inform decisions relating to the true condition of assets, network emergencies, being able to avert or report on service disruptions for better service delivery and client experience. |
3. Advanced analytics and data processing will be paramount |
Artificial intelligence and machine learning will be used to implement data processing hubs along with fully developed cleansing and screening software. This will provide assurance of data integrity, transmission speed and enhance its overall utility. Thanks to this, companies in the water sector will be able to leverage good quality data to drive the value chain for IoT. This will be done by understanding what data is needed on assets, operations, customer service, demands, safety, and much more. Real-time IoT solutions that can ingest plant sensor data from hundreds of sensors in real-time are being augmented with real-time analytics and monitoring to model, detect and forecast plant failure. By leveraging real-time data analytics and pattern recognition, algorithms can automatically detect abnormalities and signatures in data that signify imminent issues and equipment failures. |
4. A shift in procurement and service supply models |
IoT innovations will transform procurement and service supply models. The changes will see a greater reliance on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) for device deployment, ownership, and data transmission networks, with internal capability (technology and talent) delivering the value proposition. |
5. Focus on sustainability |
IoT technology supports environmental sustainability through intelligence and automation, which optimises the use of natural resources, minimises waste, supports renewable energy, and creates more sustainable cities. The ability to track early failures prevents the escalation of issues before they become a potential environmental disaster. All these factors underpin the transition to a circular economy. According to the World Economic Forum report on IoT guidelines for sustainable development, about 85 percent of IoT deployments are addressing sustainable development goals. IoT innovation is truly a game-changer for the advancement of a sustainable environment. |
6. Companies and individuals will demand responsible water use |
Communities on all levels — commerce, industry, and households — will be empowered by their newfound ability to pursue more responsible water use. For the first time, citizens will be able to access and review the consumption analytics of both themselves and other businesses. This will create a heightened awareness of water wastage, resulting in an engaged public that will demand more efficient and effective management. |
Making sure the future starts now
Everyone in the world depends on water, which is why IoT will be needed in the future to lubricate this inter-industry sector.
Recognising and respecting this fundamental need, we are using our state-of-the-art IoT capabilities to build the foundations to support the next generation of water utilities. Although these developments will not happen overnight, it is critical to have these conversations and start planning now, so our future can start today.
Meet the Author
A passionate outside-the-box thinker, Suzie’s enduring relationships and deep understanding of clients and markets is underpinned by her lifetime commitment - to make a positive difference to people and our planet, with a Doctorate in the Circular Economy under way. Her rich experience in market development and client strategy in the environmental and engineering consulting industry, spans water, transport, telco, energy, defence, the built environment and economic development, and began with the banking and legal sectors in her early career in the UK. A strong advocate and champion of Inclusion and Diversity, Suzie is a Women in GHD Digital (WING) global sponsor.
Suzie Batson
Market Leader Digital
GHD Digital
Suzie.Batson@ghd.com
T: +61 3 8687 8457