How digitalization is influencing the world of water

“Drinking water companies and water authorities are doing it, but many businesses in the water technology sector are more and more often using digitalization in their innovations too.”Together with Yede Van Der Kooij from Wetterskip Fryslân and Mateo Mayer from Aquacolor Sensors, Water Alliance’s Managing Director Hein Molenkamp explains the digital revolution in water to TopDutch in the latest article on their website.

Digitalization

Digitalization is rapidly taking over the world and it is also providing new possibilities for water technology. For example, sensors help monitor water quality and collect data, while robots make the work easier. Three WaterTech experts from the TopDutch region explain how digitalization is playing a growing role in various organizations.

Monitor and intervene remotely

All developments in the field of digitalization make it possible to do more things remotely. This creates new possibilities in, among others, the field of water purification. ‘People still do some of the inspections: for example, checking if the pumps are still working and taking samples to analyze in the lab.’ says Molenkamp. ‘Many of those activities can be done digitally. This is not always done because we have to know for sure that the equipment really works and doesn’t just go offline all of a sudden. But if it works well, it should be possible to analyze the data from various wastewater treatment installations at one location. This, of course, must be monitored by people who can intervene if the data shows that something is wrong, but this means not every treatment plant has to have someone on site with knowledge of the process. This makes more small water treatment installations possible. These are then monitored at a central location. In case of any issues, someone at the local level can be called in to fix the – often technical – problem.’ This can make processes at a local level more effective since they would require less manpower.

Read the full article via TopDutch