WATER DIGITAL TWIN
Digital twins in the water industry
Digital twins in the water industry
Learn how digital twins for water and wastewater networks and treatment plants help utilities simulate events, optimize performance, and help streamline regulatory reporting.
What are digital twins for water utilities?
What are digital twins for water utilities?
Digital twins for water utilities are virtual representations of physical water system assets that integrate data, models, and analytics to run simulations using hydraulic models, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.
How digital twins work in water utility management
How digital twins work in water utility management
Digital twins work by integrating sensor data and hydraulic models of water and wastewater systems to simulate and predict performance under changing conditions, improving the management of facilities and water assets.
How digital twins aid decision making
Planning for the future
Planning for the future
The type of data you put into your digital twin for water-based simulation will determine whether it’s best suited for long-term, short-term, or immediate decision making—or even all three.
Predicting behavior
Predicting behavior
By creating a virtual model of the system, you can take steps to predict the behavior of components within that system, and your infrastructure as a whole.
Monitoring
Monitoring
Cloud-based monitoring helps you keep track of what’s happening right now, while digital twin water simulations can give you the intel you need to plan ahead.
Software for water utility digital twins
Info360 Insight
InfoWorks ICM
InfoWorks WS Pro
Benefits of water utility digital twins
Real-time monitoring
Real-time monitoring
Monitor and analyze water assets with cloud-based monitoring.
Predictive maintenance
Predictive maintenance
Use water infrastructure digital twins to run simulations and analysis for asset repairs to reduce costs.
Operations optimization
Operations optimization
Manage procedures for faster resolution of operational incidents in water management.
Compliance reporting
Compliance reporting
Visualize network data to meet regulatory requirements for reporting.
What are the first steps toward making a digital twin?
Digital twins in the water industry are useful for many reasons, but it’s important to set priorities specific to your operation when creating one.
Decide your goals
Begin by identifying what your goals are, and make sure they’re actionable.
Make a plan
Figure out what data and metrics you require to meet your goals, and how these can be put in place.
Implement your plan
Once you understand these priorities, you can move forward with your implementation of a water digital twin. Your specialists and data scientists can better approach the task using software such as Autodesk Info360 Insight.
How a digital twin can help water utilities plan ahead
How a digital twin can help water utilities plan ahead
Many water utilities have a large amount of data about their operations and they don’t even know it, let alone have the capability to leverage it for decision making and planning. Well-planned digital twins for water utilities can bring all that data together from different sensors, teams, and reports into one central hub accessible by all who need it within the organization. Autodesk’s hydraulic modeling software will also help create powerful in-depth simulations so you can make decisions with actionable foresight.
How are water digital twins being used?
SCOTTISH CANALS
Engineering “Europe’s First Smart Canal”
Engineering “Europe’s First Smart Canal”
Learn how a Glasgow government body used a digital twin to regulate water-storage capacity for flood mitigation.
SES TASMANIA
Inside a government-led flood-mapping project
Inside a government-led flood-mapping project
Discover how Tasmania State Emergency Service created a digital twin to model flood events and better prepare for emergencies.
TRKIYE TATUS
Establishing a national flood warning system
Establishing a national flood warning system
Autodesk InfoWorks ICM and ICM Live models provide early warnings about catastrophic flooding.
STANTEC
Pump optimization
Pump optimization
Learn how one New Zealand firm used Autodesk Info360 Insight to improve pump maintenance and service in its capital city of Wellington.
Digital twins in the water industry and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
Digital twins in the water industry and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
In an increasingly connected world, every piece of hardware can be a data point. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)—the networking of sensors, actuators, and other components—means that data can be effortlessly brought into your water utility’s digital twin to create a computerized representation of the infrastructure and equipment. This real-time data, combined with powerful hydraulic modeling techniques, gives you the power to see what’s really going on across systems at all times, from wherever you are.
Water utility digital twin resources
Learn more about digital twins for water utilities and how they can benefit workflows and projects with these resources from Autodesk.
Autodesk digital water solutions are helping teams manage the water systems of today while building the water infrastructure for tomorrow.
Read our e-book The six stages of treatment plant intelligence to learn what digitalized operations can do and how every plant can benefit.
Digital twins have broad use cases that integrate real-time data from a built asset with its digital representation to create value and insights across the project lifecycle.
Technology solutions can help improve the water resilience of infrastructure in response to floods, hurricanes, droughts, and other weather events caused by climate change.
This webinar outlines how water utilities can create impactful change by implementing digital twin technology.
Autodesk experts and customers prepare Australian water infrastructure for the 2032 Olympics with digital twin solutions for stormwater networks.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about water utility digital twins
Water digitalization describes the use of digital technologies to improve water management and operations. It can help utilities become more resilient, innovative, efficient, and sustainable. This includes the use of technologies such as sensor and data analytics, artificial intelligence simulations, digital twins for water management, smart meters, and mobile apps.
Digital twins solve various problems for water industry professionals, such as:
Improving system performance and reliability by monitoring and optimizing network operations
Enhancing system resilience and adaptability by simulating and testing scenarios
Reducing costs and risks by identifying and preventing potential water asset failures and disruptions
Increasing customer satisfaction and engagement by providing real-time feedback and transparency with robust reporting
Water digital twins can improve productivity by:
Delivering real-time information, analysis, and insights on infrastructure performance
Enabling operational efficiency and accuracy using simulations to make data-backed decisions
Reducing operational costs and risks by preventing asset failures and disruptions
Improving customer service by providing transparency and maximizing uptime
See more FAQ
See less FAQ
⌄
Other emerging technologies in the water utility sector that aid in the digital transformation include:
Smart meters and sensors that collect and transmit real-time data on water quality, consumption, pressure, and leakage
Cloud computing and big data analytics that store and process large volumes of data
Artificial intelligence and machine learning that enable predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, demand forecasting, and customer service
Some considerations when adopting digital twins in water utility management are:
The data quality and integration of sources and formats across various water infrastructure assets
The scalability and flexibility of the digital twin platform to handle complex and dynamic water systems
The security and privacy of sensitive data and information
The cost-benefit analysis and ROI of investing in water digital twin technology versus traditional methods of operational management