Digital management creates overview and value for water utilities

21.12.2023

Improved monitoring of underground pipelines may be one way of protecting ourselves against flooding and overflow of untreated wastewater. An asset management system can secure the vital overview and ensure that piping and plants work as intended throughout their service lives.

The coming years will see massive investments in updating our wastewater system, and new EU sustainability regulation means an increase in requirements for optimisation and reporting, also in the water industry. Consequently, it will be crucial to make well-founded long-term decisions on the operation and maintenance of the entire hidden network of pipelines that keeps our society running.

An asset management system provides an overview of the pipe system and contains data that ensures that plants and pipelines are replaced when they are worn out – and no sooner.

"It's about keeping your assets operational throughout their service lives, preferably longer. Asset management lets you monitor, e.g., pipelines, and estimate when to replace them using artificial intelligence and empirical data. In many cases, small means can extend the service lives of assets, which avoids unnecessary new investments while minimising production and waste and, in turn, the impact on our world's resources," says Jette Fleng Christensen, Leading Specialist at COWI and an expert in asset management.

Data and decision support

An extended partnership between COWI and software company APX10 combines an advanced data solution, data|APX®, with tailored consulting services to make sure the entire utilities sector is equipped to make the right decisions.

”Prevention is far cheaper than the costs of the damage that can result from insufficient renovation of our sewer system. With that in mind, it makes sense to make it easier for everyone in the industry to understand and utilise the knowledge provided by monitoring data," says Jan Scheel, Vice President of Water and Climate Adaptation in COWI, and continues:

”Asset management can assist in a number of other decision-making processes, such as pricing and investment planning in priority areas such as sustainability, cloudburst planning or upgrade of the pipe system.”

CEO of APX10, Ulrich Borup Hansen, finds that customers are seeking advice on how to use advanced data analyses. And for that reason, he is pleased with the partnership with COWI where specialists in the water industry and asset management can help utilities become even more data-driven.

Ulrich Borup Hansen says:

"We are thrilled to see that our market-leading software platform is being used as a key part of COWI's unique digital data asset management concept. It will further strengthen the digitalisation effort of Scandinavian utilities, which requires competent use of data in order to navigate the challenges of the future."