DATA IS THE gold of the 21st century. Like gold, data is a precious commodity that is mined feverishly today, utilized for its many attributes, and treasured for its inherent value.
To obtain value from both resources, the ore must be transformed into an object of value—minted into coins or analyzed to reveal actionable information. Like gold, raw data must be manipulated to reveal its greatest benefit: insight.
An estimated 2.1 trillion gallons of clean, treated water are lost every year to leaks in water infrastructure across the US. In an effort to mitigate these losses, many utilities are adopting technologies such as cellular-enabled sensor systems, pressure regulators, and advanced metering infrastructure to help manage assets, accurately predict weather events, and monitor distribution patterns and resource levels. They are utilizing data to create a glimmering coin cache of enhanced efficiencies, heightened resource conservation, customer satisfaction, and increased revenues for their organizations.
It’s increasingly apparent within the water industry that the effective use of data supports integrated water management goals by enabling informed decision-making and providing rapid feedback on the effectiveness of management actions.
Today, utilities can track assets and workflows within a GIS system from across departments for insights to help reduce both costs and risks. Organizations also can better understand water resource availability, hydrologic patterns, and weather events through satellite imagery and analytics. By addressing traditional problems in creative ways—using technologies that offer precise, real-time information—municipalities are minimizing water loss while effectively turning data into dollars.
In this issue of Water Efficiency, we take an up-close look at the technological advancements in sensors, software, analytics platforms, and the Internet of Things that have produced this data Gold Rush. We see first-hand that the insights these technologies provide are enabling smarter, more efficient use of water in homes, agricultural fields, and cities around the world.
In “Turning Data into Dollars” we share case studies that reveal innovative ways in which three municipalities turned metering data into revenue with AMI systems that helped them reduce non-revenue water loss, better manage assets and labor costs, improve billing accuracy, and enhance system performance.
In “High-Tech Leak Detection” we explore the technologies that are making it easier and more efficient to detect non-revenue water loss. From mobile acoustic tools for leak detection to more permanent installations of correlating sensors and satellite monitoring systems, there is a wide array of solutions available to identify points of water loss and manage distribution system assets.
Along with the increasing connectivity of infrastructure and management systems comes the increased risk for cybercrime. In “Protecting Data” we offer a number of solutions for companies, utilities, and individuals to adopt as potential barriers against cybercrime, from separating IT networks from operational technologies to conducting cybersecurity policy audits.
In “Proof through Pilot Testing” we share a side-by-side comparison of two leak detection technologies that use data insights to identify non-revenue water loss. We observe the results of a traditional manual acoustic logging method as well as satellite leak detection. While the traditional field inspection discovered 18 leaks in 27 days, the satellite spectral imaging and GIS analysis identified 72 leaks in 10 days, demonstrating the value of satellite data.
As with gold, the quality of the raw data is reflected in the final product. Collecting and evaluating accurate data is fundamental to producing reliable hydrologic models and making informed organizational decisions. We’re pleased to highlight the technological advancements that support informed decision-making by converting accurate water data into pure insight.
