Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to manage wastewater catchments better

A pioneering project is underway to create a wastewater catchment blueprint – an area where wastewater is affected by the same conditions and contaminants – and use new technologies to manage it better.

The idea of this project is to use new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), to drive catchment management to be more efficient, cost-effective and sustainable. 

Working in partnership across the water sector
We have partnered with Severn Trent, South West Water, BT, Rockwell Automation, 8power, Blackburn Starling, Thames Water and University of Exeter, to pioneer the application of AI and IoT for an entirely autonomous waste catchment. The project will create a blueprint that will be tested and validated, to be scalable across the sector. The technology enables monitoring of large amounts of data collected from sensors and other sources, to identify patterns in the data and allow for more accurate predictions of adverse weather events or the potential for contamination. Anomalies or changes in data behaviour can be detected promptly, alerting us to potential problems and informing the system and the operators to take insightful decisions.

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT)
Artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) have already been used by individual water companies to improve performance. Examples include using sensors that can collect real time data about the state of assets (monitor water levels, flows and quality), as well as data about the systems and processes to detect operational issues, malfunctions, blockages and leaks.

An Ofwat funded initiative using emerging technology
This Ofwat funded innovation initiative aims to share the data, technologies, knowledge and best practices to build trust and drive real change in catchment management across the sector. Such new ways of working with emerging technology embedded in engineering and operations, allow the automated optimisation of intelligent interconnected networks. Using technology like this will help us deliver the best service for our customers.

If you’d like to learn more about the AIoT project or share an idea for a new product or process, please drop us an email: bluewave@southernwater.co.uk