Page 10 - NYY Muscat Call 2022 April 24

shift is essential for humanity to achieve sustainability. Here we flag two applications in this
respect, both of which gained attention at the Muscat event: i) the Internet of Things (IoT),

and; ii) Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its links to Ethics.

i) IoT and utilities
The development and utilisation of IoT reckon among the most widely touted manifestations

of digitalization. With regard to water, IoT opens for enhanced effectiveness, efficiency, and

economy all along the smart water value chain:

 Consumption – detection & prevention of leakage on consumer property, monitoring
of consumption patterns, accurate billing based on actual consumption, easy data
collection via Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN).

● Utilities – simplification of the management of water distribution, smooth
management of water demand peaks, leak detection, tracking & measurement of the
water quality, stronger engagement, and direct communication with customers.

● Regulation – use of smart water meters and other sensors for enabling measurement
of the regulated Key Performance Indicators set by the local regulators and certain
regulated initiatives within the water market.

LPWAN can be designed to support sensors and data that enables smart water metering and

makes water networks secure, scalable, future-proof, and cost-effective. Smart Water
Management is under way in multiple cities as one of the top applications of IoT. By enabling

sensing and response in almost real time, IoT combined with Artificial Intelligence opens for

drastically improving customer engagement and reducing costs in operations and
maintenance.

Applications suited for some of the areas in greatest need are at hand, as demonstrated in

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collaborative work by W&H and entrepreneurs in South Africa since 2020. Inclusion is key,
however, who is reached and who becomes aware. Rather than Government and Business
becoming more aware, the focus should shift to enabling better informed user decisions, and

11 METSI Communication Portal”, Sigidi Solutions, South Africa, in Water and Humanity”, (2)2.

www.waterandhumanity.com 10