International Water Association announces Digital Water Summit

Co-organized by the International Water Association, Consorcio de Aguas Bilbao Bizkaia water utility and AEAS, the IWA Governing Member in Spain, the first IWA Digital Water Summit will be held in Bilbao, Spain, 27-30 April 2020. 

“Digital water is already here” is the clear message after interviewing utility executives and leading experts from around the globe. From big data solutions to advanced management of the distribution network to digital customer engagement programs, nearly all utilities we talked to are using these tools within their digital transformation journey. While the transformation is not always easy, with ageing infrastructure, inadequate investment, changing climate and demographics, digitalization of the water sector is now seen not as an ‘option’ but as an ‘imperative.’

 The IWA Digital Water Summit is designed to be the reference in digitalisation for the global water sector. Targeting all stakeholders involved in the water sector digitalisation, the Summit has a focus on business and industry. Water technology providers and water utilities are the main participants that will discuss and shape the agenda of this first edition.

“To assess and value the different solutions for their challenges, water utilities have to talk to different vendors, solutions providers, and this can take awhile to ensure that any solution is the right thing to investigate. In Bilbao, we are trying to bring them all together at once, in a single space, in the way that things that will take months will happen within a week” says Enrique Cabrera, IWA Vice President and Professor at Valencia University.

 There is the necessity of water utilities to embrace digital solutions (smart and resilient water systems across the water value chain. This extends from ‘upstream’ supply (basins, aquifers, potable reuse, desalination, or moisture capture) to ‘downstream’ utility operations and customers. For example, proactive remote monitoring within a watershed across multiple parameters (temperature, flow, pH, nitrates, etc.) at multiple depth levels; to optimising process during treatment through quality sensors combined with which can reduce capital & operational costs; to transforming the customer interaction model across web, mobile, social, connected home, and in-person.  

  ‘Digital technology is transforming the water businesses in new and exciting ways. Up until recently most utilities have been investigating options to embrace the technology across their organisations. A few are now commencing implementation of large scale implementation of IoT devices. This conference is about learning about the opportunities, pitfalls and help optimise outcomes for customers.’ – said Greg Ryan, Director Business Excellence at the Water Services Association of Australia

 Dragan Savic, CEO of KWR is leading the Digital Water Summit programme committee of renowned experts developing a leading edge programme with plenary sessions, interactive discussions, side events, exhibition, technical visits, and social events. While the summit has a strong focus on the water sector, the engagement and commitment of incumbents, start-ups and entrants from other sectors is needed for the success of digital water technology adoption. Water professionals often lack information technology skill sets and the perspective to appreciate what is possible, while technology entrepreneurs may not understand the nuances of complex water systems affected by multiple factors. Dragan emphasized the importance of engaging beyond the water sector to maximize the potential of digital tools.

“Collaboration between sectors will mean more effective application of new technologies for better management within and beyond our cities, which is the ultimate goal. 

Kala Vairavamoorthy, IWA Executive Director reflected that “IWA has an opportunity to leverage our worldwide member expertise, to guide a new generation of water and wastewater utilities during their uptake of digital technologies and integration into water services.” This Summit is part of a wider initiative to provide a platform that helps utilities recognize emerging digital technologies and solutions, how they can be integrated across the utility value chain, help them learn from it, and help them adapt and embrace change to create value.

 “Thanks to digital technologies and a growing global consciousness about sustainability, we have the opportunity of a lifetime to solve the world’s water challenges. The IWA Digital Water Summit – the inaugural IWA conference to focus solely on the topic – will be a big step forward in further embedding digital at the core of the water profession.” – says Randolf Webb, Director, Global Branding and Partnerships at Xylem 

 More info on IWA Digital Water Summit: https://iwa-network.org/programs/digital-water/

Join group on IWA-Connect: https://iwa-connect.org/group/digital-water/about

Join IWA membership for discounted registration: https://iwa-network.org/join

 About the Summit:

The Digital Water Summit will be taking place between 27th -30th April in Bilbao, Spain at the, Euskalduna Conference Centre. The programme is currently being formed by some of the leading global experts in the Digital Transformation of the Water Industry and is being led by Dragan Savic of the Dutch Water Reseach Institute KWR. The programme committee includes:

• Professor Dragan Savic - KWR
• Professor Enrique Cabrera - Universitat Politècnica de València
• Santos Paunero - Consorcio de Aguas Bilbao Bizkaia
• Professor Branko Kerkez - University of Michigan
• Biju George - DC Water
• Oliver Grievson - Z-Tech Control Systems
• Randolf Webb, Xylem
•  Cecilia Wennberg - DHI
• Professor Zoran Kapelan - Delft University of Technology
• Dr Ing Maryna Feierabend - Hamburg Water
• Javier Garcia del Rio - Canal de Isabel II
• Professor Shuming Liu - University of Tsinghua
• Dr Greg Ryan - Water Services Association of Australia

More details are available on the event website which can be reached by clicking here