Global engineering and sustainable development consultancy Arup have started a strategic partnership with Norwegian digital analytics company InfoTiles.
Using cutting edge data and artificial intelligence, the collaboration will empower water and wastewater utilities to maximise the value and sustainability of crucial water infrastructure.
Together using combined engineering expertise, digital capabilities, and wrap around services, the partnership aims to empower water and wastewater utilities across the water value chain to make more informed decisions and drive innovation in digital asset management, data, and operational insight.
Through leveraging data in an insightful way, utilities can use Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) across asset operations, investment, and strategy.
Collaboration goals
By adopting a collaborative approach Arup and InfoTiles, both known for innovative uses of AI and ML in water and wastewater management, will co-create tailored solutions including data, proof of value exploration, and scale out support as well as address the challenge of how to use data and to create value driven impact and achieve operational outcomes and meaningful change.
Bretton Davis, smart water lead at Arup said, “We recognise the challenges the water industry is facing. Customers want and need affordable services, the environment needs to be protected and enhanced, and asset health and the resilience of services needs to be maintained, all within the context of a changing climate.
“Our partnership with InfoTiles will enable us to deploy our combined digital expertise with in-depth engineering and sector knowledge and support utilities to unlock barriers that keep them from harnessing innovative possibilities through data and insight.”
Solutions across the valuation chain that utilise innovative data could include:
- Event forecasting: predicting pumped asset failures.
- Anomaly detection: identifying trends, infiltration blockages, and network failures to reduce spills.
- Asset optimisation: enhancing water treatment operation efficiency including dosing and maintenance cycles, energy, and carbon.
- Effective performance management and forecasting operation optimisations in advance.
Johnny Gunneng, chief executive of InfoTiles said,
“Our partnership with Arup is an important milestone for InfoTiles. Teaming up with Arup is not just about expanding markets, it is about co-creating integrated solutions that seamlessly blend digital ability with engineering excellence to support utilities of tomorrow, by offering transformative solutions and creating resilient systems that not only withstand critical challenges, but also champion sustainability.”
Building on success
InfoTiles have already made significant progress in digitally transforming the water sector across Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, and the UK.
Through leveraging AI for advanced data correction and analytics, InfoTiles streamlines water and wastewater network management processes to deliver data analysis in minutes rather than months.
It is also well placed to take on challenges in the energy sector, as water and energy are inextricably linked via the water-energy nexus.
Arup is a digital leader in the built environment and is committed to innovative research addressing the challenge of a changing climate.
It previously adopted the use of digital tools and AI to support utilities such as Welsh Water by managing storm overflow using Arup’s Fuse web software. The custom-made centralised platform enables utilities to make sustainable investments decisions, efficient collection and management of asset data, performance monitoring, and knowledge sharing.