Intelligent

Water
Creating a human-centric future
with artificial intelligence and
predictive analytics

A research collaboration with

Contents
Foreword  3
Executive summary  4
The proposition for Intelligent Water  6
Affordability: Reframing challenges as opportunities  6
Resilience: Considering shocks and stressors equally  8
Intelligent Water investments are booming  11
Demystifying Intelligent Water  12
In the boardroom: Optimizing business intelligence  14
Operators and managers: Improving quality, efficiency, and compliance  15
Point-of-use: Engaging customers and building relationships  18
Industry perspectives  20
Self-awareness required: The Intelligent Water journey  22
Navigating current AI challenges  23
Becoming a fit-for-future utility  24
Three guiding tenets to help establish a fit-for-future organization  25
Looking ahead: Intelligent Water and Smart Cities  26
Demographic forces will shape the infrastructure landscape  26
Telecom heavyweights want a role in Smart Cities  26
Eyes in the sky on the horizon  27
Converging infrastructure and benefits to water utilities  27
One Water principles take root in the water sector  27
Beginning the human-centric evolution  28
Figures  30
Sources  31

2 ©2019 Arcadis
Foreword

Industries evolve over time, and instilling As you unpack our findings, the need for change becomes
fundamental changes can be a challenge. In apparent. Utility spend continues to increase. Water and
sewer rates continue to increase while water consumption
some cases, it takes bold steps – even if they’re continues to decrease.
incremental – to push a paradigm past a plateau.
The water sector tends to be risk-averse, and it can be tough
Look at the automotive industry. In the early 1900s, it was to consider a strategy change while competing with the
plagued by uncompetitive wages, nearly 400 percent immediate pressures of each day. I get that. But we also
employee turnover, and mediocre production rates of about must acknowledge that today’s troubling trends result from
one vehicle every 12 hours. Henry Ford, guided by research on decades of maintaining the status quo. The opportunity to
how to reverse these trends, introduced the first moving change is ours, the time to do it is now, and I believe that by
assembly line. The move revolutionized how cars were made. working together, all things are possible.
Assembly time shrank to a breezy 90 minutes while cutting
production costs in half. Worker salaries doubled, improving Intelligent Water is critical to Smart Cities – where vast
retention and recruiting efforts, and the cheaper assemblies interconnected networks communicate and collaborate to
made vehicles affordable for the masses.1 benefit entire regions. Utilities can leverage it to address
current problems as well. Venture capital investment in
Today, utilities (water, wastewater and stormwater) sit in a digital technologies for water is exploding, providing a
similar position: They’re achieving the best results they can venerable buffet of potential solutions to help utilities
using the limited resources at their disposal. But competing employ optimized, human-centric operating models.
pressures of customer expectations, a retiring workforce,
regulatory challenges, disrupting technologies, and spending I hope that this research provides insights you can use to
needs continue to build. A fundamental change is needed, but help revolutionize the ways water impacts communities. Try
what will it look like? to imagine the automotive industry without assembly lines
– it’s impossible. I expect very soon we’ll say the same about
The answer is Intelligent Water. Application of artificial the water sector, with Intelligent Water serving as the
intelligence (AI), machine learning and predictive analytics are means for a remarkable change. Embracing the evolution
within reach today. However, I believe Intelligent Water is less can create meaningful impact today while building the
about technology replacing our people and more about foundation for sustainable, smarter cities and regions.
technology empowering our people in new ways. It provides
skilled workers with tools to make the best decisions possible
in real time. The collective intelligence (CI) of people and
computers together is far greater than either is alone. This new
way of thinking, with a human-centric focus on Intelligent
Water, presents a far greater opportunity to positively impact
the water sector.

These are the ideas Arcadis and Bluefield Research explore.

We hoped to get a better idea of the what, why and how of Jim Cooper,
Intelligent Water by examining its potential for addressing two Intelligent Water Lead
of the biggest human-centric challenges facing the industry:
Affordability and resilience. From what we found, its ability to
meaningfully impact these areas is clear through the CI lens.

©2019 Arcadis 3
Executive summary
The water sector is, and always will be,
about people. It incorporates consumers
and working teams alike. If you work in the
water sector and are empowered by
technology, you are Intelligent Water.
Intelligent Water can – now and in the future – enable experts across the water sector to make optimal
decisions at opportune times.

Intelligent Water allows utilities to consistently check the pulse on communities’ relationships with their
water, giving insights into the micro- and macro-level effects of changing economic, environmental, social
and political conditions. But to realize human-centric outcomes from Intelligent Water, we need to be open
to different solutions. “The way we’ve always done it” will not suffice, and utilities must meet current fears
and skepticism regarding technology and change with curiosity and optimism.

The purpose of this research study is to prove that Intelligent Water can address two of the most complex
and critical human-centric challenges facing the water sector today: Affordability and resilience. This report
explains why we focused research on these challenges and demonstrates how people in the water sector can
address them in intelligent and sustainable ways.

Intelligent Water 101:

Key terms

Intelligent Water
The process of water systems embracing digital
technologies and ecosystems in front-line
operations and utility management with the
purpose of improving financial stability, customer
experience, and O&M key performance indicators,
fueled by a cultural shift toward innovation.

4 ©2019 Arcadis
Key research findings and
recommendations
Utilities need to innovate around resilience and affordability While utilities will exceedingly face management decisions in
U.S. municipal utilities manage a total of $1.25 trillion worth this rapidly evolving digital water ecosystem, the majority
of water, wastewater and stormwater assets, and five of the recognize Intelligent Water will be a long-term evolution – not
top 10 issues ranked by water utilities in the American Water an overnight revolution.
Works Association 2018 State of the Industry report relate to
resilience needs. The remaining five relate to funding sources, Recommendation: Utilities must assess their self-
the public’s understanding of water’s value and their willingness awareness and identify their positions and maturities on
to pay. Clearly utilities are at a difficult crossroads – realizing the Intelligent Water journey to inform their plans and build
more must be done, but unsure where the funds will come from toward a true Intelligent Water network.
or if they will come at all.
The evolution begins by building a fit-for-future utility, one
Recommendation: Asset lifecycles could be extended that is better prepared for an accelerating pace of change by
with more robust insights into asset conditions. Using using today’s asset (human, digital, physical, etc.) investments
advanced asset management solutions that incorporate AI to create sustainable long-term resilience plans.
and predictive analytics, U.S. water utilities could save $17.6
billion through 2027. Recommendation: Embrace the three guiding tenets of
fit-for-future utilities:
Affordability is wavering, with rate increases outpacing 1. Empowering innovation to incorporate new opportunities
income growth substantially since 2012. At current trends, as they arise.
projections see 36 percent of households potentially unable to 2. Being driven by customer needs and not technology.
afford water in the next five years. Maintenance spending
3. Focusing on collective intelligence (CI), where skilled
reached an all-time high of $50.2 billion above capital in 2017,
workers make optimal decisions supported by data-driven
indicating a more reactive and unsustainable service model.
analytics and a widening application of AI.
Only 21 percent of utilities feel they are currently able to fully
cover costs of service.
Intelligent Water and Smart Cities are related
Recommendation: Intelligent Water can make water There is no escaping the interconnected world. According to
more affordable for all. The first step toward Cisco, there will be more than 500 billion connected mobile
affordability is to save money, and Intelligent Water can devices across the globe by 2030, and North America is
optimize spending plans and unleash new operational projected to have the fastest growth rate for new devices at
efficiencies that allow utilities to meet increasing spending 16 percent annually. Smart Cities and Intelligent Water are
needs and moderate rate changes. Utilities can use advanced expected to evolve in-step with each other and capitalize on the
tools to monitor asset health and right-size their maintenance advantages of interconnectedness together.
with less costly predictive and preventive techniques, thereby
freeing up precious dollars to invest in needed capital Recommendation: The water sector must evaluate
improvements. how it can leverage the Internet of Things to enhance
not only operations but livability and affordability for entire
Intelligent Water is at the tipping point – communities. By fostering cultures of innovation where staff
the time to act is now are encouraged to explore new ideas, utilities might uncover
value-added solutions that would not have been considered
As of 2018, approximately 17 percent of utilities report
under the current paradigm. When strategically aligned,
having adopted advanced data-mining and analytics. This
Intelligent Water can be the catalyst to a Smart City
group represents the innovators and early adopters while the
implementation.
majority continue to consider the proposition. One thing is for
certain: Market investment continues to grow. Over 350
companies currently offer digital solutions in the water sector
with over 65 new launches since 2015. Intelligent Water now
touches all aspects of a utility, including the boardroom, daily
operations and customer engagement.

©2019 Arcadis 5
The proposition for
Intelligent Water

Affordability: Reframing challenges as opportunities

The water affordability crisis looms large. If rate trends of the past several years continue, thirty-six percent of
households won’t be able to afford water within the next five years.2 Consumers aren’t the only ones
concerned; only 21 percent of utilities feel they are currently able to fully cover costs and services (Figure 1).1

Are utilities equipped to cover costs? Consumer rates’ year-to-year climb

30 28.7% 120
27.3% 3.60%
1.53%
5.26%
2.03%
25 100 3.98%
6.24%
21.0% 21.3% 5.4%
Total Monthly Bill (US$)

19.2% 19.7%
Respondents (%)

20
17.2% 80
15.8 %
15
60
11.1%

10 8.4%
Not at all able
40
Slightly able
5 Moderately able
Very able 20
Fully able
0 Sewer
Current Future
Water
0
Figure 1 – Assessment of a utility’s ability to cover the full cost of providing 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
service currently and in the future. Source: American Water Works Association.. Figure 2 – Water and Wastewater Monthly Bills for Largest U.S. Cities by
Population Served, 2012-2019. Source: Bluefield Research.

To meet scaling financial obligations, many organizations Volume-based revenue model falling short
have turned to rate increases. Rates rose nearly 30 percent U.S. population continues to climb, growing from 150 million in
from 2012 to 2018, more than triple what the real median 1950 to 325 million in 2015 with a projected 100 million
household income grew since 2013.3, 4 additional people by 2050.4 Meanwhile, conservation and
efficiency measures are driving publicly supplied water
Putting certain cities under a microscope reveals how volumes into negative growth territory, undermining
affordability impacts people’s day-to-day lives. Economically traditional, volume-based utility revenue models. The U.S.
vulnerable residents in the Detroit metropolitan area, for Geological Survey has reported total U.S. volumetric declines
example, spend an average of 10 percent of household of 12 percent since 2005, while population has increased 8
income on water and sewer bills, with 84 percent cutting back percent during the same period (Figure 3).
on other expenses in order to afford water and sewer service.5
In Philadelphia, unpaid water bills exceed $170 million, When you couple the ongoing reduction in demand with
coupled with 40 percent of customers falling behind on increased spend, rates would need to be substantially higher
payments at any given time.3 than what they are today. Clearly, rate increases aren’t the
answer for most utilities. The key will be leveraging innovation
to do more with less. Insight-driven solutions can help utilities
optimize spending plans and create new operational
efficiencies while moderating rate changes.

6 ©2019 Arcadis
 U.S. population rising, water consumption dropping
50
350

325
313
300 301
285

Public Water Supply Volume, BGD

40
267
250
U.S. Population (millions)

242 252
230
216
200 206
194 30
179
164
150 151

100 20

50

10
0 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Figure 3 – U.S. Population vs. Water Usage, 1950-2015.

Source: Bluefield Research using U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Census Bureau data..

Reality check:
Cashflow

95% $50.2 billion $67 billion 50% 4%

Amount of public Divergence in Shortfall between EPA Utilities that feel “less The average
infrastructure spending Capital and O&M requests and awards for than very able to fully annual increase of
generated from local spending in 2017, funding water and cover costs of providing water and sewer
and state governments. a historical high. wastewater infrastructure continued service.”1 rates, which
projects, signaling outpaces inflation.3
upcoming financial
challenges for system
owners.6

Spending and rate figures make it clear: Utilities must

rethink their approaches to address affordability.

©2019 Arcadis 7
 Resilience: Considering shocks and stressors equally
The danger of maintaining status quo only grows when you consider resilience. Resilience is the ability
to adapt to and bounce from acute shocks (e.g., climate events) and chronic stresses (e.g., workforce
attrition, aging assets) that consistently put the $1.25 trillion worth of U.S. utility assets at risk.3 Acute
shocks like climate events typically garner the most attention. The U.S. experienced 241 weather and
climate disasters exceeding $1 billion since 1980, at a total cost of more than $1.6 trillion (Figure 4).7

The costs of acute shocks

18 $1,800

16 Severe storm $1,600

Hurricane
Wildfire
14 Freeze $1,400
Flooding
Drought
12 $1,200
Number of events

Cost (US$, billions)

10 $1,000

8 $800

6 $600

4 $400

2 $200

0 $0
82

84

86

88

90

92

94

96

98
80

00

02

04

06

08

10

12

14

16

18
19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19
19

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20
Figure 4 – Billion-Dollar Disasters: Number and Cost of U.S. Weather-Related Disasters, 1980-2018.
Source: National Centers for Environmental Information.

Utilities have much to worry about beyond storms. Chronic Cybersecurity made the most dramatic shift in concerns for
stressors can lead to headline-drawing incidents or worsen utilities, jumping from 26th in 2017 to 13th in the American
the impacts of incidents like climate events. Equally Water Works Association (AWWA) 2018 State of the Water
weighting them in resilience plans strengthens a utility’s Industry report. Aging networks are being exploited in
ability to adapt and rebound from threats of all types. ransomware attacks and leaks of private information.
Intelligent Water could provide more security, and the newly
Workforce attrition is a growing stressor, with around enacted America’s Water Infrastructure Act requires utilities
30 percent of 1.7 million water utility workers expected to to prepare. This is another indicator of how important and
retire in the next decade.8 Leaders are anxious about the holistic resilience has become to the industry, because it
amount of institutional knowledge and experience that will mandates a comprehensive assessment to all water utilities,
walk out the door. At the same time, they must reconsider across multiple asset classes and threats.
the education and skills needed to run the utilities of today
and tomorrow, while reimagining recruitment and retention
approaches to align with changing workforce expectations.

8 ©2019 Arcadis
 Reality check:
Emerging stressor

Intelligent Water can bolster utility resilience against

rising threats to water quality, such as:

CyanoHABs
With over 140 million people served by surface water
in the U.S., concerns around CyanoHABs are on the
rise. Increased nutrient pollution and water
temperatures are driving proliferation of CyanoHABs
that could impact over half of U.S. lakes and reservoirs
by 2022. Costs to monitor and treat the toxins they
produce may exceed $110 million.3

Intelligent water quality monitoring systems apply

machine-learning algorithms to real-time water
supply and distribution network sensor data, alerting
utilities to anomalies and identifying potential
pollutants. In Lake Erie, sensors throughout the lake
are deployed to provide real-time data ranging from
weather and wave conditions to advanced water
quality parameters. Enabling data access is one
aspect of developing a “smart lake,” where the
general public can communicate with the buoys via
text message and smart phones.

Anticipating these events through machine-learned

trend analysis enables utilities to proactively address
concerns in place of costly reactive measures (e.g.,
mobile treatment, boil advisories).

©2019 Arcadis 9
Top concerns center on resilience
According to the AWWA 2018 State of the Water Industry
report, five of the top 10 issues currently facing the water
industry relate to resilience.
1. Renewal and replacement of aging water and
wastewater infrastructure.
2. Financing for capital improvements.
3. Public understanding of the value of water systems and
services.
4. Long-term water supply availability.
5. Public understanding of the value of water.
6. Watershed/source water protection.
7. Aging workforce/anticipated retirements.
8. Public acceptance of future water and wastewater rate
increases.
9. Emergency preparedness.
10. (tied) Governing board acceptance of future water and
wastewater rate increases.
10. (tied) Cost recovery (pricing water to accurately reflect
its true cost)

10 ©2019 Arcadis
 Intelligent Water investments are booming
Since 2009, more than $150 million in venture capital has been allocated to digital water solution providers
(Figure 5).3 The burgeoning demand for asset management, data acquisition and advanced analytics will
continue to drive venture funding and investment, supported by projected (if not existing) needs.

$60

$50
Total Investment (US$ millions)

$40

$30 Asset Management

Network Management
Metering
$20 Network Monitoring
Other
Network Modelling
$10 Customer Management
Water Quality
Communications
$0
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Technology
Figure 5 – Digital Solutions Attract Venture Capital Interest. Source: Bluefield Research.

The water sector’s supply chain and service provider landscape is experiencing its own transformation. Of
more than 350 companies offering digital solutions, 64 percent have been founded since 2000. In 2015
alone, there were 28 digitally focused company launches targeting the water sector (Figure 6). This boils
down to the reality that all utilities will exceedingly be faced with management decisions in a rapidly
evolving digital ecosystem.3

Digital water companies are flooding the market

30 The scaling digital era

25
Number of companies

20

15

10

0
36

57

85

09

45

53

63

70

75

79

84

92

96

00

04

08

12

16
0

8
18

18

18

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20

20

Figure 6 – Digital Water Companies by Year of Founding.

Source: Bluefield Research
©2019 Arcadis 11
Demystifying Intelligent Water
Complex challenges AI technology such as machine learning, predictive analytics
and the Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to revolutionize

such as affordability and

business the same way the Internet did.
What does it all mean?

resilience will endure, Some might assume that technology will make all segments of
the workforce obsolete, putting their jobs at risk. This couldn’t

but Intelligent Water can be further from the truth. The goal is establishing collective
intelligence (CI), where humans leverage digital solutions to

transform utilities’ improve resilience and affordability. It’s about working smarter,
not harder. Intelligent systems will enhance staff capabilities

abilities to address them.

and automate tedious, time-consuming or dangerous tasks.

Collective intelligence hierarchy: Evolving with a human-centric approach

Abilities Examples
nce
tellige Human intelligence Resolve bias,
n capabilities connecting broad
veI ial Intelligence
c ti rtific
A
spectrum of expertise
lle
Analytics T Sense, reason, engage Machine learning,
Co

ech
niq and learn computer vision, natural
ue language processing,
Com s
pu robotics
t
at

T Learn and solve specific Supervised learning,

ion

problems unsupervised learning,

oo

al M
ls a

reinforcement learning
ethods
nd Technol

Reason and pattern Neural networks, support

recognition vector machines,
og

regression, decision trees

es
i

Physical enablement Platforms, UX, APIs,

and measurement sensors, meters

Figure 7 – Collective Intelligence Hierarchy. Source: Arcadis.

12 ©2019 Arcadis
A group of subject matter experts brainstorming together can
accomplish great things. So too can powerful computers
working together in the cloud. With CI, the two groups combine
to unlock significant value that would be inaccessible to either
group on its own. This allows a utility to deploy human-centric
improvements and data-driven solutions around business
decisions, customer relationships, operational efficiency and
asset planning.

Intelligent Water will be a long-term evolution, but there are

ways to leverage CI like this today. It all begins with the familiar
tools and technologies (such as sensors and meters) used to
monitor and control, except now they’re all connected in the
IoT. Computational methods and analysis techniques that have
been part of the data-intensive utility management programs
incorporate more real-time data and use algorithms to learn,
improve and predict. AI, via machine learning, brings all these
analyses together to create actionable insights for staff at the
controls (Figure 7).

The water sector can use these tools to empower staff

throughout their organizations and establish a foundation for a
truly intelligent, human-centric future in the water sector.

Intelligent Water 101:

Key terms

Collective intelligence (CI) Artificial intelligence (AI) Machine learning Predictive analytics
Ability of humans and Ability of machines to sense, Ability to improve processing Application of advanced
machines to collectively reason, engage and learn in results from experience for a data processing
present far greater a manner that seems specific need. techniques to predict
intelligence than either intelligent. future conditions.
element could on its own.
©2019 Arcadis 13
In the boardroom: Optimizing business intelligence
Executive decision-makers must meet customer expectations for reliable, affordable
and resilient service using limited physical, financial and human capital. Strategies
must identify cost-effective solutions for assessing asset conditions, targeting high-
impact capital improvement and replacement projects, and maximizing the service
lives of remaining assets.

Asset management
Advanced asset management tools, including those powered
by AI and predictive analytics, have the potential to save U.S. Optimized CAPEX creates $17.6B in value
water utilities a total of $17.6 billion in capital expenditure $3,500
between 2018 and 2027, according to Bluefield Research
forecasts (Figure 8).3
$3,000
The truth is that while many assets are at or near the ends of
their expected lives on paper, most utilities lack insight on the

Savings Potential (US$ millions)

$2,500
health and performance of their assets in practice. Utilities can
optimize their approaches by moving away from relying on
industry standard data to algorithms using utility-specific $2,000
data, which doesn’t need to be perfect, to continuously learn
and improve asset decisions.
$1,500
Algorithms trained on large historical asset failure datasets
and data on individual assets (e.g., age, performance, $1,000
condition, geospatial context) can calculate both the
likelihood and the cost of failure. Other algorithms trained on
historical maintenance and real-time operational data then $500
inform the best decisions for overall maintenance approach,
rehabilitation or replacement interventions. $0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027
This technology can also support long-term capital planning Figure 8 – Potential U.S. CAPEX Savings from Advanced Asset Management, 2018-2027.
by identifying the highest-impact projects that fit specified Source: Bluefield Research.
parameters such as budgetary limits, performance targets,
future planning scenarios or high-priority geographic areas.

14 ©2019 Arcadis
 Operators and managers:
Improving quality, efficiency,
and compliance
Preserving the quality, quantity and reliability of
potable water resources comes with a host of
challenges. Operators and managers can use AI
and predictive analytics to optimize how their
utilities distribute, collect and treat water to
bolster community resilience and maintain
service affordability.

Maintenance
The rising operations and maintenance spend
(Figure 9) presents an opportunity to stretch the
value of the dollar. The majority of utility
maintenance spend is on corrective maintenance
supplemented with preventive maintenance.
Intelligent Water enables utilities to focus
primarily on preventive and predictive
maintenance. The cost of preventive and
predictive maintenance is much less than
corrective maintenance, freeing up money to be
spent on capital improvements.

100

Get ahead of rising maintenance costs

80
Public Spening, (US$ billions)

US$50 billion
Operations and Maintenance
60 Capital

40

20

0
62

66

70

74

78
58

60

64

82
68

86
72

90
56

76

94
80

98
84

88

92

96

00

02

04

06

08

10

12

14

16
19

19

19

19

19
19

19

19

19
19

19
19

19
19

19

19
19

19
19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

Figure 9 – Public spending on Capital and O&M Investments, 1956-2016.

Source: Bluefield Research using U.S. Congressional Budget Office data.

©2019 Arcadis 15
Regulatory compliance
Heightened regulatory pressure might call for costly transformations – but the investments in digital
upgrades could be less than the cost of waiting. For example, consider wet weather. The EPA issued 91
consent decrees between 1998 and 2018 for violations of the Clean Water Act, with total civil penalties
of $48.2 million and total estimated compliance costs of $51.6 billion (Figure 10).10

The value of avoiding consent decrees

Honolulu (HI)
St. Louis (MO)
City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County (OH)
Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (OH)
Kansas City (MO)
City of Indianapolis (IN)
MWRD of Greater Chicago (IL)
PRASA '06 (PR)
Miami-Dade County (FL)
PRASA '15 (PR)
East Bay Municipal Utility District (CA
Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (PA)
City of Atlanta (GA)
SD No. 1 of Northern Kentucky (KY)
San Antonio Water System (TX)
Baltimore County (MD)
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (MD)
Boston Water and Sewer Commission (MA)
City of Akron (OH)
Louisville and Jefferson County (KY)
Columbia (SC)
King County (WA) Other
DeKalb County (GA) CSS & SSS
City of Seattle (WA) SSS only
CSS only
Knoxville Utilities Board (TN)
City of South Bend (IN)
City of Evansville (IN)
City of Toledo (OH)
MG of Nashville and Davidson County (TN)
PRASA '03 (PR)

0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0

Estimated
Figure 10 – Outstanding Costs for Top 30 Consent Decrees. Note: Combined Stormwater System Compliance
(CSS); Sanitary Costs(SSS).
Sewer System (US$, billions)
Sources: EPA, Bluefield Research.

Wet weather optimization

Intelligent wet weather management systems combine The potential savings multiply when you factor in how these
meteorological forecast data with real-time information on systems help organizations avoid regulatory fines associated
levels, flow, and storage capacity across stormwater and with wet weather incidents. A data-centric focus toward
combined sewer collection networks, helping optimize capacity stormwater has proven valuable for cities such as Pittsburgh,
during wet weather events to reduce flooding and overflows. Columbus and Los Angeles.

That optimization comes with real savings. For example, in

Cincinnati, the estimated cost was $1.00 per gallon to treat
stormwater and $0.40 per gallon to store stormwater using
traditional methods. But in reality, it only cost $0.01 per gallon
to meet a regulatory consent decree using intelligent network
optimization solutions.10

16 ©2019 Arcadis
Distribution network intelligence
U.S. utilities lose nearly two trillion gallons of water – or 15 percent of the total drinking water treated
nationwide – to leaks each year (Figure 11). Non-revenue water (NRW) rates climb as high as 43 percent in
major U.S. cities and exceeds 85 percent in some smaller rural communities. In addition, the nation sees
roughly 240,000 water main bursts per year (more than 650 per day), exacerbating the stress on limited
utility budgets and scarce community water supplies.3

Across the nation, NRW is rising

Wilmington, DE
Philadelphia, PA
Griffin, GA
Kansas City, MO
Birmingham, AL
Ellijay Gilmer City, GA
DC Water
Asheville, NC
Halifax, NS
Greater Cincinnati, OH
Wilson City, TN
Powdersville, SC
Macon, GA
Murfreesboro, TN
Augusta, GA
Wauwatosa, WI
Austin, TX
San Antonio, TX
Johnson County, KS
Rio Rancho, NM
Louisville, KY
Cherokee City, GA
Cobb County, GA U.S. Average
Orange County, FL
Las Vegas Valley, NV
Albuquerque City, NM

0 10 20 30 40 50
Non-Revenue Water (%)
Figure 11 – Non-Revenue Water (NRW) Rates in Select U.S. Cities.
Source: Bluefield Research using American Water Works Association data.

AI-enabled event management platforms aggregate and analyze real-time distribution network data from
across a variety of departmental silos – remote monitoring instruments, control room SCADA systems,
customer service call centers, etc. – to help utility managers proactively address leaks, bursts, pressure
events and other network incidents.

©2019 Arcadis 17
Point-of-use: Engaging customers and building
relationships
The proliferation of smartphones, IoT technology and social media has transformed the relationship
between utilities and their customers, enabling an unprecedented degree of two-way communication.

Staff can inform homeowners of anomalies or engage them via social media with water conservation tips.
Customers can act as utilities’ eyes and ears on the ground, alerting staff to leaks, pressure changes or
water quality issues that may indicate bigger problems in the network.

Smart home/facility water management

Water damage accounted for more than 31 percent of total annual losses incurred by insured
homeowners, on average, between 2013 and 2017 (Figure 12).11 And the average commercial facility leak
goes undetected for 45 days, with an average volume of five gallons lost per minute.

AI-enabled leakage detection systems detect anomalies that are consistent with leaks and automatically
shut off a water supply in order to prevent further water loss and property damage.

Water leads in homeowner insurance losses

2.1% .2%
3.4%

5.7%

31.4%

Wind/hail
Fire/lightning
26.8% Other property damage
Bodily injury
Theft
Medical payments/other
Water damage/freezing

30.4%

Figure 12 – Homeowners Insurance Losses by Cause, 2013-2017 (Average Annual %).

Sources: Insurance Information Institute, Bluefield Research.

Customer management
Natural language processing helps utilities to identify patterns in the written feedback
that their customers provide to them, giving a clearer view into how customers feel
about their service providers, as well as the topics (conservation, billing, utility policies,
etc.) they care about most.

AI platforms also help customers make sense of their real-time smart meter
consumption data and can suggest targeted water conservation measures based on
individual household usage patterns. Alongside improved customer satisfaction, this
engagement can reduce the number of service calls that can cost around $200 per call.3

18 ©2019 Arcadis
 Reality check:
Customer expectations

Real-time data access

A primary tenet of Intelligent Water is improving the
customer experience. Consumers are asking for more
transparency regarding water; they want to know
about its quality, their consumption, and the role they
play in improving both.

Companies outside of the water sector are providing

in-home water quality and quantity monitors
customers can attach to their service connection
outside of the purview of the utility. Utilities must be
the ones informing customers about their water.
Intelligent Water can provide the same access with
the added benefit of providing actionable insights
beyond monitoring data.

Armed with real-time access to data on individual

account usage, potential leaks, and other concerns,
customers and their utilities can spot anomalies
before they become costly. Instead of calling to
express discontent over a high water bill after the fact,
customers become part of the preventative action
and receive a better experience overall.

©2019 Arcadis 19
Industry
perspectives

Owning and enhancing water’s role in a community

An interview with Nicole Pasch
Acting Assistant Environmental Services Manager
City of Grand Rapids

Woven throughout intelligent water’s dashboards, Intelligent sensors and predictive analytics helped the utility
sensors and analytics programs is a desire to test creative maintain affordability while taking advantage of low
solutions. “You have to roll your wins into tries,” explains municipal bond rates to complete the CSO project. Fringe
Acting Assistant Environmental Services Manager Nicole economic and quality of life impacts, such as beautification
Pasch, describing how organizations can leverage associated with work (e.g., repaved roads, urban landscape
momentum from an Intelligent Water achievement into design), entered the conversation for the first time.
the next great idea.
By isolating the most impactful areas of work, a potential
For Grand Rapids, a 30-year combined sewer overflow $1 billion investment in a hydraulic model system was
(CSO) project eliminating 12.6 billion gallons of raw whittled to a more affordable $30 million plan.
sewage from flowing into the Grand River in 1969 to zero
in 2014 sparked additional improvements and community Success breeds success
engagement using intelligent tools. The CSO project opened citizens’ eyes to improved water
quality, paving the way for a future river revitalization
People-driven affordability project. Even the media saw the utility in a new light,
“Looking into affordability accelerated our Intelligent addressing a recent mechanical issue that caused the release
Water journey,” Pasch says. When the global financial of partially treated waste from the system with better
crisis hit in the late 2000s, diverging household incomes technical understanding than the doom-and-gloom
and a surging poverty rate inspired the City of Grand headlines of days past.
Rapids to reconsider investment equity. Instead of the
traditional household median income lens, they used The strengthened community presence also enhanced
poverty-level income to measure the effects of capital collaboration with the community. “Breaking down barriers
investments and operational costs on users. and allowing everyone a little input creates great results,”
Pasch says. A local brewery, for example, teamed with the
“Our goal became utility to manage its pollutant discharge, which allowed for a
$4 million investment in a pipe for high pollutants rather

doing the right work, than a $130 million expansion of secondary treatment
capacity.

at the right time, Looking ahead, the organization is exploring how predictive
analytics might expand pollutant capacity, as well as ways to
under the right share real-time and predictive water quality data with
citizens. Pasch predicts the path ahead will lead to more
conditions and for the notable wins and, by extension, more creative tries.

right reasons.”

20 ©2019 Arcadis
Creating value as demand drops
An interview with: Thomas Ginn
Planning and Technical Services Manager
Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority

The decreased demand for water is forcing many utilities Like most of the industry, workforce attrition is a
to pivot their plans. In Georgia, The Cobb County-Marietta concern as the utility’s experienced operator team
Water Authority (CCMWA) expanded its network for nears retirement age. According to Ginn, the workforce
decades to brace for an increase in demand that has not of the future will demand intelligent water solutions as
come yet. Now, with the prospects of further reduction in the norm.
demands, CCMWA is dealing with infrastructure with
capacities greater than current demands, according to
Planning and Technical Services Manager Thomas Ginn.
“They’re going to ask:
‘Why can’t I just run the
Ginn hopes Intelligent Water can create value to offset
the projected revenue that was lost when demand dipped.

“Because of demand decrease, we’re looking to leverage

smart networks to utilize new technology to operate our
system from my phone?
additional infrastructure as cost-efficiently as possible,”
Ginn says. For example, enhanced leak detection using
Why can’t I run what if
transient monitoring allows the utility to detect large
leaks over its expansive network more quickly and scenarios?’ I think over
the next 10 years our
optimize field crew time.

industry must adopt

Ginn believes intelligent water can leverage the excess
infrastructure to meet its goal of 100 percent up-time and
optimized energy use. “Our operators have saved us a
tremendous amount of money [over the years] by being
able to minimize pumping in peak hours. What we would
the tools available to
like to do is use technology to stretch the system even
further,” Ginn says. attract and keep the
Intelligent resilience planning interests of the best
Still, some stressors remain. Over the past 25 years,
$250 million in infrastructure investments improved the
system by replacing older infrastructure assets, but “as
and brightest.”
these newer assets age, they’re all going to require much
more attention than the assets of a generation ago,”
Ginn notes. He sees potential for intelligent tools to
provide better insights into potential problems and
cost-effective solutions.

©2019 Arcadis 21
Self-awareness required:
The Intelligent Water journey

Assessing organizational maturity, especially

capacity for innovation and change, is an
important first step along the journey to
Intelligent Water.
Advanced solutions play critical roles in three key decision-making phases: Core, tactical and strategic.
Advanced analytical insights such as predictive analytics can only be achieved once a utility has effectively
integrated disparate data sets together, clearing the hurdle of utility mistrust of previously collected data.

Consider a cross-industry representation of the diffusion of innovation (Figure 13). It’s the innovators and
early adopters that are already receiving the benefits of Intelligent Water. Evaluating where a utility sits
along the adoption curve can inform preparations for change.

The Tipping
Point
THE CHASM

2.5% 13.5% 34% 34% 16%

Early Early
Adoption Profile Innovators Late Majority Late Mass
Adopters Majority

Figure 13 – The Theory of Diffusion of Innovation.

Sources: Rogers, Everett and Gladwell, Malcom.

While assessing technology adoption is a key component of self-awareness, assessing maturity as an organization is
critical to self-awareness as well (Figure 14). A utility can assess its maturity by mapping intelligence across each
strategy. Take asset management: Most plans begin by establishing a core asset management layer, marking the
representation of assets within geo-spatial models and a first step towards situational awareness. Tactical solutions
follow, generating asset-centric operations and maintenance data to better understand performance in real-time
and inform reliability-centered maintenance practices. The tactical solutions work together to form an overall
intelligent strategy that maximizes an organization’s strengths.

22 ©2019 Arcadis
 Increasing maturity
Utility Situational Data Integration/ Diagnostic Predictive, Prescriptive
data silos Awareness Descriptive Analytics Analytics Analytics and Management

Geospatial &
Management

Hydraulic Models
Core Asset

Establish data feeds through improved

Instrumentation/ network monitoring to facilitate
Sectorization management.
Smart Metering

SCADA Integration
Tactical Asset
Management

Event Unify data feeds on common platform to

Management enhance management activities.
Work Order
Management
Management

Network Multi-siloed analysis enabled by data

Strategic

Management
integration, correlation. Marks a shift towards
Asset

Strategic Asset predictive and prescriptive analytics, proactive

Management and reliability-centered maintenance regimes.

Figure 14 – Example application of Situational Awareness applied to asset management.

Source: Bluefield Research.

Five questions to frame CI implementation • Today's AI is task-specific whereas future AI will be

You might discover that your organization is ready to enterprise-wide. At this stage, AI is limited to narrowly
implement intelligent solutions that leverage CI. Each potential focused, project-specific tasks that operate at levels less than
application poses a different set of requirements. Keep these human intelligence. Through a combination of experiential
five questions in mind when mapping and implementing any CI learning, refinement of solutions, and technology
technology: proliferation, the future of AI is expected to transition toward
greater machine reasoning and ultimately artificial super
1. Does the technology provide a better result, outcome or
intelligence exceeding human intelligence levels.
business impact than your current process?
2. Where is your organizational maturity relative to innovation • Positive outcomes from AI and predictive analytics are not
and change? always guaranteed. We are early in the intelligence
revolution. One of the larger benefits of AI is to reduce
3. Is the tool less complex to implement than other tools with a
resource demands and errors in data collection and curation,
similar output?
but these new tools must be managed by experienced
4. Can the technology (and the data it collects) be made professionals capable of identifying anomalies within the
transparent across the organization? specific environments.
5. Can the new tool be easily adopted by the workforce?
• The social impacts of AI are evolving. Today, many large
technology firms are still operating in uncertain
Navigating current AI challenges environments tested by a lack of visibility into ethics
Even if an organization is ready to adopt AI, using it won’t concerns surrounding AI. Deep learning presents a unique
always be obstacle-free. Uses for AI are still evolving, and challenge, as machines could potentially develop bias that
introducing it to your organization means addressing these impacts their predictions.
common challenges:
• Data is required, but perfect data is not. Utilities that wait for
a complete and perfect dataset to adopt advanced
technologies will miss untapped value today. However,
incorrect conclusions can be reached by machines with
insufficient data, so a healthy data input is necessary.

©2019 Arcadis 23
Becoming a
fit-for-future utility

Some organizations might be further along

the Intelligent Water journey than others,
but most organizations are in the nascent
stages of evolution.
Digital transformation remains a significant challenge for utilities, even amidst the overwhelming evidence
in support for change:

27% 36% 40% Only 20% 17%

of utilities have neither have neither adopted, have neither adopted, nor of utilities leverage big data use big data to better
adopted, nor begun to nor begun to implement, begun to implement, cyber tools and techniques to understand customers and
implement, maintenance customer information intrusion safeguards glean insights about their system O&M1
management tools systems water and wastewater
systems

Percentage of utilities that have adopted or are in the process of adopting technology

SCADA
GIS
Hydraulic Models
Billing Services
Treatment Plant
Meter Reading
Maintenance Mgmt System
Data Management
Productivity (email, file sharing)
Mobile-based Applications
Customer Information System
Distribution/Collection Optimization
AMR
Cyber Intrusion
Enterprise Management Software
Cloud-based Applications
* Only includes utilities in the process of
AMI implementing systems. Utilities
considering systems were not included.
Data Mining Techniques*
0 20 40 60 80 100
Figure 15 – Utilities that have adopted or are adopting intelligent technology solutions (%).
Source: American Water Works Association 2018 State of the Water Industry report.
24 ©2019 Arcadis
Utility leaders must begin to adopt more innovative 3. Focus on the customer experience
management approaches embracing and leveraging Customer needs should drive the prioritization of areas to be
Intelligent Water’s potential. Doing so will result in a more addressed by Intelligent Water. The water sector is people-
empowered utility workforce capable of optimizing driven, enabled by data. Let customer needs drive the
performance, controlling cost and delivering improved conversation, not the technology itself. Connecting
services to customers. customers to their infrastructure environment will create
value over time. Customers (domestic, commercial, and
Three guiding tenets to help establish a industrial) are rarely presented with insights into their water
and wastewater supply. The interaction typically stops at
fit-for-future organization: paying the monthly bill. For them water is out of sight, out of
1. Empower digital innovation: mind.
Set a vision with a perspective towards resilience.
Conditions are constantly in flux, whether they be large But as demonstrated in the power and telecommunication
storm events inundating stormwater systems or asset industries, customers can appreciate the value of more
failures resulting in overflows. But water system enhanced utility offerings delivered though transparent
management from supply to disposal has historically mechanisms. Utilities can no longer operate in a bubble,
remained the same. Transitioning to a more sustainable and proactive customer engagement is paramount to making
operating model requires embracing innovation and digital this change.
technology to address resilience and affordability. Every
utility is driven by different priorities and the availability of Utilities can become more customer-focused by delivering
data is equally variable. But recognizing the potential for personalized presentations of water consumption, peer
data management, real-time analytics and planning tools comparisons and network disruptions impacting water
can propel an organization toward adopting more availability and quality.
intelligent tools.
The pace of change will accelerate as more organizations realize
2. Target CI the value of adoption. Fit-for-future organizations are better
prepared to handle changes and incorporate new opportunities
Technology doesn’t solve problems; technology helps
as they arise, giving them the chance to drive the market rather
humans solve problems. The adoption of AI technologies
than be driven by it.
aims to strengthen, not replace, an organization’s human
assets. By merging human institutional knowledge with
available Intelligent Water technology, utility leaders can
arrive at informed, data-driven decisions. Reality check:
Central to any transition is workforce buy-in. Fueled by Interconnectedness
futuristic movies and sci-fi literature, the threat of robots
and machines taking over is overstated. AI does not Utilities cannot escape the reality of an increasingly connected world.
operate in a vacuum and requires management to
efficiently identify risks, incidents, and opportunities for 500 billion 16% 200%
improvement across a network. A systematic focus on Mobile devices that Compound annual Year-to-year growth
applying data analytics will reduce the risks of workforce will be connected growth rate for rate for the IoT.12
volatility. Collectively, the new workforce and application by 2030. mobile devices in
of AI technology will provide greater value for utility North America from
leaders and stakeholders. 2017 to 2022, the
highest rate among
global regions.

©2019 Arcadis 25
Looking ahead: Intelligent
Water and Smart Cities

Intelligent Water will serve as a foundational building block Demographic forces will shape the
for Smart Cities. They’ll provide an opportunity to leverage
the vast sensor and communication networks of water infrastructure landscape
systems to benefit the cities, even in areas that don’t typically The U.S. population is expected to grow by more than
incorporate water or utilities. 100 million people from 2010 to 2050, a majority of which will
reside in metropolitan areas.4 The surge in demand on critical
infrastructure , including and beyond water, will compel utility
The truth is, a Smart leaders to better capture and leverage insights across all assets.

City lacking Intelligent Telecom heavyweights want a role in

Smart Cities
Water won’t be very Telecom companies’ continued expansion within the water IoT

smart at all.
market is expected to put pressure on more specialized
metering providers and potentially alter which communication
networks and protocols are best suited for water, gas, and
The sector already represents one of the strongest business electric Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) customers.
cases for Smart City communication and data deployments.
At the same time, demand-side factors, including These larger, well capitalized firms are already aiming to
affordability, urbanization and a convergence of displace established, specialized water sector players by
infrastructure management will play a role. leveraging expansive communications network infrastructure
(including 5G networks), brand recognition, and the
interoperability of their low-power wide-area network offerings
across a range of municipal IoT devices and applications. This
will be a key consideration for municipalities looking to use AMI
investments as anchor points for Smart City platforms.
26 ©2019 Arcadis
 Intelligent Water 101:
Key terms

Smart Cities
Smart Cities are urban environments focused on using
the IoT to optimize utility, mobility and living. Building
intelligence into a city’s One Water approach is critical
to any Smart City initiative.

Eyes in the sky on the horizon The U.S. is transforming how it’s powered, with wind, solar
and natural gas on the rise while coal use declines. The change
The role of satellite-based leak detection could prove critical
will put stress on electricity grids, and potentially create value
in more quickly assessing underground assets across the U.S.
for water and wastewater systems via improved onsite power
Satellites are poised to more readily and efficiently identify
management and power purchase agreements with electric
sources of NRW, reducing errors and the need for field
utilities.
personnel.

Closer to ground, visual inspection of network assets and One Water principles take root in the
reservoirs will increasingly be performed by drones. This will utility sector
bolster workforce safety, particularly in more dangerous
A parallel convergence is also taking place within the U.S. water
environments.
industry, as utility leaders look to harmonize management
practices across the water cycle, from source water extraction
Converging infrastructure and benefits and distribution, to wastewater and stormwater collection,
to water utilities disposal, and reuse.
To date, the water and power sector verticals have mostly
Intelligent Water platforms can help utilities to collect, process,
coexisted as customers of one another, rather than as
and share data and insights across departmental silos, thereby
partners in managing energy and water flows within city
enabling a more holistic, collaborative approach to water
networks. That’s changing, and water utilities can help
resource management.
lead the paradigm shift rather than leaving it all to the
power sector.

©2019 Arcadis 27
Beginning the
human-centric
evolution
AI and interconnected Intelligent Water represents a long-term evolution for most
utilities, but there are ways to install a solid foundation today

systems can help utilities

that your organization can build its intelligent network upon.
Understanding your maturity and capacity for innovation and
change can inform your strategy so that AI is a true game-
and communities improve changer.

water affordability and Maintaining the status quo will be insufficient. Many utilities
need to innovate to effectively address known challenges

resilience. regarding climate, workforce, and aging infrastructure. What

about the unknown that lies ahead? Equipping your
organization to take a proactive stance toward disruptions
The changes will be disruptive, but the reverberations will using AI and predictive analytics is a surefire way to put up
strengthen your organization’s capabilities. your best defense against whatever comes next.

28 ©2019 Arcadis
©2019 Arcadis 29
Figures
Figure 1 – Assessment of a utility’s ability to cover the full cost of providing service currently and in the
future. Source: American Water Works Association
Figure 2 – Water and Wastewater Monthly Bills for Largest U.S. Cities by Population Served, 2012-2019.
Source: Bluefield Research
Figure 3 – U.S. Population vs. Water Usage, 1950-2015. Source: Bluefield Research using U.S. Geological
Survey and U.S. Census Bureau data
Figure 4 – Billion-Dollar Disasters: Number and Cost of U.S. Weather-Related Disasters. Source: National
Centers for Environmental Information
Figure 5 – Digital Solutions Attract Venture Capital Interest. Source: Bluefield Research
Figure 6 – Digital Water Companies by Year of Founding. Source: Bluefield Research
Figure 7 – Collective intelligence hierarchy. Source: Arcadis
Figure 8 – Potential U.S. CAPEX Savings from Advanced Asset Management, 2018-2027. Source:
Bluefield Research
Figure 9 – Public spending on Capital and O&M Investments, 1956-2016. Source: Bluefield Research
using U.S. Congressional Budget Office data
Figure 10 – Outstanding Costs for Top 30 Consent Decrees. Note: Combined Stormwater System (CSS);
Sanitary Sewer System (SSS). Source: EPA, Bluefield Research
Figure 11 – Non-Revenue Water (NRW) Rates in Select U.S. Cities, Source: Bluefield Research using
American Water Works Association data
Figure 12 – Homeowners Insurance Losses by Cause, 2013-2017 (Average Annual %). Sources: Insurance
Information Institute, Bluefield Research
Figure 13 – The Theory of Diffusion of Innovation. Sources: Rogers, Everett and Gladwell, Malcom
Figure 14 – Example application of Situational Awareness applied to asset management. Source:
Bluefield Research
Figure 15 – Utilities that have adopted or are adopting intelligent technology solutions (%). Source:
American Water Works Association 2018 State of the Water Industry report

30 ©2019 Arcadis
Sources
1. American Water Works Association 2018 State of the Water Industry report - AWWA 2018 State of the
Water Industry report (Rep.). (2018). Retrieved May 1, 2019, from https://www.awwa.org/Portals/0/AWWA/
Development/Managers/2018_SOTWI_Report_Final_v3.pdf
2. Michigan State University and National Science Foundation study - Mack EA, Wrase S (2017) A Burgeoning
Crisis? A Nationwide Assessment of the Geography of Water Affordability in the United States. PLoS ONE
12(1): e0169488. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0169488
3. Bluefield Research, various reports. https://www.bluefieldresearch.com/
4. U.S. Census Bureau. “Income Data Tables.” May 19, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2019 from https://www.census.
gov/topics/income-poverty/income/data/tables.All.html.
5. University of Michigan Study - Allard, S. W., Wathen, M. V., Shaefer, H. L., & Danziger, S. K. (2017).
Neighborhood Food Infrastructure and Food Security in Metropolitan Detroit. Journal of Consumer Affairs,
51(3), 566-597. doi:10.1111/joca.12153
6. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF).” April 15, 2019.
Retrieved May 1, 2019, from https://www.epa.gov/cwsrf
7. Smith, A. B. “2018’s Billion Dollar Disasters in Context.” February 7, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019, from
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/beyond-data/2018s-billion-dollar-disasters-context
8. Brookings Institution. “Renewing the Water Workforce.” June 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2019 from https://
www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Brookings-Metro-Renewing-the-Water-Workforce-
June-2018-Executive-Summary.pdf
9. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Civil Cases and Settlements by Statute.” Retrieved May 1, 2019
from https://cfpub.epa.gov/enforcement/cases/index.cfm?templatePage=12&ID=3
10. Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati
11. Insurance Information Institute. “Facts & Statistics: Homeowners and Renters Insurance.” Retrieved May 1,
2019 from https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-homeowners-and-renters-insurance
12. Cisco Technology Solutions – Internet of Things At-a-Glance. Retrieved May 1, 2019 from Cisco website:
https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/products/collateral/se/internet-of-things/at-a-glance-c45-731471.pdf

©2019 Arcadis 31
 Contact
Related Content

Jim Cooper
Resilience Intelligent Water Lead
reimagined T 330 515 5709
E [email protected]
Building a
fit-for-future mindset

Greg Osthues
©2019 Arcadis 1

Executive Director of Water

Resilience reimagined: Building T 813 353 5726
a fit-for-future mindset E [email protected]

About Arcadis
Arcadis is the leading global design and consultancy firm for natural and built assets.
Digitally enabled Applying our deep market sector insights and collective design, consultancy,
innovation
engineering, project and management services we work in partnership with our clients
The power lies
with people to deliver exceptional and sustainable outcomes throughout the lifecycle of their
natural and built assets. We are 27,000 people, active in over 70 countries that
generate $3.5 billion in revenues.

Arcadis.
Digitally enabled innovation:
Improving quality of life.
The power lies with people

Arcadis North America

Arcadis North America

THE DIGITAL WAVE

STORMWATER @ARCADIS_US
MANAGEMENT’S
DATA-CENTRIC
FUTURE

Eric Bindler
The digital wave: Stormwater Research Director, Digital Water,
management’s data-centric future Bluefield Research

About Bluefield Research

Companies approaching water as a business are often challenged by a lack of high
quality, reliable intelligence. Bluefield bridges this gap with actionable, data-backed
BEING A DIGITAL WATER UTILITY:
LOOKING BEYOND analysis supported by a transparent research methodology and ongoing access to our
TECHNOLOGY
global water experts. As an independent insight firm focused exclusively on water
markets, executives rely on our suite of research services to validate their assumptions,
address critical questions, and strengthen strategic planning processes. Learn more at
www.bluefieldresearch.com.

Being a digital water utility:

Looking beyond technology

32 ©2019 Arcadis ©2018 Arcadis 32