Global engineering and sustainable development consultancy Arup has entered a strategic partnership with Norwegian digital analytics company, InfoTiles, to empower water and wastewater utilities maximise the value and sustainability of crucial water infrastructure, using cutting edge data and artificial intelligence.
Together using their combined engineering expertise, digital capabilities and wrap around services, the partnership aims to empower water and wastewater utilities across the water value chain make better informed decisions and drive innovation in digital asset management, data and operational insight.
Through leveraging data in an insightful way, water companies can make better informed decisions using Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) across asset operations, investment and strategy.
By adopting a collaborative approach, Arup and InfoTiles, known for its innovative use of AI and ML in water and wastewater management, will co-create tailored solutions including data and proof of value exploration; scale out support and addressing the challenge of how to use data and achieve new operational outcomes to create value driven impact and meaningful change.
Solutions across the valuation chain utilising 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.
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, 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 unlocking barriers keeping them from harnessing innovative possibilities through data and insight.”
Arup is a digital leader in the built environment and are committed to innovative research addressing the challenge of climate change.
The firm 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.
InfoTiles has already made significant progress in digitally transforming the water sector across Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, and the UK. Leveraging AI for advanced data correction and analytics, they streamline water and wastewater network management processes to deliver data analysis in minutes rather than months and are well placed to take on challenges in the energy sector as water and energy are inextricably linked via the water-energy nexus.
Johnny Alexander Gunneng, Chief Executive and founder of InfoTiles, said:
“Our partnership with Arup is an important milestone for InfoTiles. Teaming up with Arup isn’t just about expanding markets; it’s 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.”
