Two thousand eighteen saw a plethora of digital trends which were more expansive and gained enhanced traction than it was foreseen several months ago. One such pioneering direction was digital water technologies that are being incorporated within the commercial, industrial, residential, agricultural and utility sectors. Sectors like wastewater facilities or water facilities the adoption of digital water technologies is comparatively speedy. Indeed, the most prominent opportunity for digital water technology incorporation is within the water and wastewater management utility sector. Specifically, digital technologies offer tools to enhance water utility infrastructure execution, the efficiency, and effectiveness of infrastructure mending, and capital investments.
Utility sector can record their every asset within the GIS system via structured and unstructured data from various departments for actionable insights to minimize costs and risks. One instance of a tool that does just this is Redeye-they are also using satellite imaging applications, such as the type provided by Utilis, for cost-effective leak detection as well as smart remote sensing products, such as those offered by Kando, to give an early detection and prediction on wastewater conditions.
A growing number of asset management systems contains artificial intelligence applications to manage infrastructure assets, such as the technologies developed by emagin. Besides, virtual and augmented reality (AR) technologies can offer utility workforces with applications and dashboards to provide more cost-efficient asset management replacement and repair. One company that offers this sort of ability is Metawater Co., which includes water facility maintenance support using AR technology from Fujitsu.
Utility sector can also better understand resource availability via satellite imagery, through data and analytics of the NASA GRACE program; or they could enhance flood predictions with services provided by organizations such as Cloud to Street. These organizations also can connect with customers in a better way. In turn, those consumers have “smart home” solutions to manage their water use effectively. On the other hand, there are firms like dropcountr and WaterSmart which are offering utilities and customers with water use data, and Microlyze is concentrated on real-time water quality analysis at the tap. Other players, including Rachio and Hydropoint, offer smart residential irrigation and home water management solutions.
This year, industry organizations such as the International Water Association improved their focus on the digital transformation of water. The theme factored conspicuously during the World Water Congress and Exhibition in Tokyo with several sessions on digital water transformation. The World Economic Forum has encompassed digital water technology as part of its Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) initiative, and one of the most crucial signs that digital water technology is gaining traction is proved by merger and acquisition activity involving technology startups that offer these products and services. Hence, one can say that the digital transformation of water is seeing rapid change owing to these technologies along with the coming-up of digital offerings and services that have yet to be developed.
