IBM Dives Deep Into Smart-Water Management
News — on September 8, 2009 at 1:00 am | 12 CommentsIn today’s modern world, billion and billions of dollars are spent on upgrading the electricity–grids; however the delivery of fresh water to our homes also requires an equal and much required upgrade.
IBM has looked into the matter with their smart-water management plans. They have put together a team of researchers to study how information and technology can sniff out a new improved manner of delivering fresh water.
The main objective is to plot a technique to maximize the efficiency of the 1% of fresh water that is available on earth.
Even in developed countries like the U.S. the pipelines carrying water are seriously outdated, some of them are even made of wood. This results in a loss of at least 25-40 percent of water, which is a huge margin, when nearly half the water goes down the drain during delivery itself.
This means that most of the municipalities will not avail of hi-tech sensors that keep a tab on water quality because of their financial issues.
On their website IBM has stated, “There is already enough water on the planet to serve humanity’s needs. In fact, there are 2 trillion liters of fresh water for every man, woman and child on Earth. And each of us only needs less than three liters a day. Therefore, what we have is not a shortage of fresh water. What we have is a management problem, one that requires us all to get smarter about how water is used; individuals, governments, and industry.”
Updating the water utility infrastructure is similar to the hundreds of smart-grid technologies that are currently being tested for more efficiency and for the use of more renewable energy.
Collecting and processing the information on the status of delivery gives water agencies a better way of managing their operations. Williams explained, “If a water authority can use meters or sensors to locate problems, such as leaks or sewage overflows, they can cut their maintenance costs.”
IBM already has a number of water-related contracts. In a joint venture with the Nature Conservancy, it is collecting data on the various environmental factors to keep tabs on the health of river ecosystems. IBM is also involved in the design of levies to understand potential breaking points in a system.In such cases, IBM is coming up with the software and networks to manage data coming from the sensors and to provide tools to allow people analyze the information. There also are tests on smart water meters that would give more precise figures on the consumption of water and alert the customer in case there is a problem, such as a leak. New sensors are alsobeing developed to check the pathogen-levels or the chemical contaminants that come from the use of pharmaceuticals.
Still, most of the water authority executives don’t consider information and technology options beyond basic SCADA control systems. Williams said. “They are where (electricity) utilities were five or 10 years ago.”
IBM is plunging into water because the trends on water point to the need for greater conservation for social and economic reasons. Williams also stated,”It’s something like greenhouse gases. Ten years ago in this country, few people were talking about them but now they are. The same will happen with water.” Already there have been draughts ranging from urban places like Australia and western U.S to the less developed nations like Africa.
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12 Comments
I believe IBM is one of companies that has a good future sense & I think, with IBM’s research around issue, it could be just an issue of right management & it can be solved with a professional working on it.
I guess, though it’s not prominent & threatening right now, IBM has taken a good step in advance for a better future than the obvious one, which is kinda scary & suffering.
I really appreciate efforts like this by IBM….possibly it could lend a hand in the US while road departments allow broken sprinkler heads to waste hundreds or thousands of gallons of water for weeks while they intimidate to fine me for watering my yard so it doesn’t die.
We need a few more social programs started by big websites like IBM. There is a need to upgrade our infrastructure and look for new ways. Your article is great….!! I am happy that IBM is thinking over water management plans and planning to do something in this context.
Just like the rest of the US infrastructure this is something that is needed. Electricity is definitely a major issue which needs to be resolved but IBM is concentrating on water conservation and it will really make our future bright. Keep it up.
Great info, Ricky. Good that you have highlighted this news. We need more techniques and tools for stopping water wastage. If we calculate, that 20-30 percent of water is wasted on a daily basis then how much we are going to suffer in our near future?
Nice article. This is badly needed. It is one major issue though water is not the only thing underground that is falling apart. Oil and gas lines and even electricity are facing the same problem. I think a lot of it has to do with our fast need for expansion and it doesn’t leave much room to go back and fix things.
Today, there are a number of opportunities available for smart technologies in water, and electricity. Many of these systems run on decades old technology and are rather unproductive in terms of time inefficiencies. Thanks for letting us know, what IBM is doing for water conservation..!!
Good to know that some big technology brands like IBM are spending up on Research & Development in the water industry. It looks like we are going to see some great products coming out of this investment. Keep posting some more details on this issue.
Wow… Interesting that IBM is playing a big role in this. Are they just looking into the matter of smart-water management plans or doing something regarding this? Can you post something else on your blog related to this issue? I would like to read more on this.
Big companies like IBM stand to make a lot of money by building these smart networks and use of technologies. They will easily get customers if customers can save money by using their technology or tools. It is definitely a win for IBM, the customers, and the planet as well.
IBM – the company I always think of first for assistance with managing publicly owned water resources. Only these companies have the power to do something for the country as well as for public. I appreciate your writing. Looking forward to read more.