Oliver Grievson, Deputy Chairman of the Sensors for Water Interest Group (SWIG) and Technical Lead for the Water Industry at Z Tech Control Systems Ltd, flags up the importance of data for the water sector ahead of SWIG's biennial conference.

Oliver Grievson: When most people think of data nowadays within the Water Industry the phrases “Big Data” and “Data Analytics” and even “Digital Transformation” are not far behind. There is a huge value in these concepts within the water industry.

We must not forget the ultimate aim of these concepts in terms of what they will give to the water industry, namely situational awareness. It is through situational awareness that the industry can leverage data to use it to inform decision making by a person or by a machine.

The quality of data and how we maintain the data sources, mostly through online instrumentation in the field, holds the key to the success of data and data analytics within the water industry. In reality this approach is in its infancy and it is through collaboration of water companies, supply chain and universities that the industry as a whole can hope to capitalise on this concept. It is a case of going back to basics and ensuring that the instrumentation that we utilise in the industry is recording and transmitting a true reflection of what is happening within the water and wastewater systems.

This in turn will allow the water industry to use this data to increase operational efficiencies and use data to inform they way that we work. At Sensing in Water this year we will discuss these issues and others on 26 September 2019 - visit www.swig.org.uk for further details.