Speaker
Description
Water scarcity and non-revenue water remain pressing issues in South Africa, exacerbated by environmental changes. The CSIR's Smart Water and Waste Water Institute (SWWWI), in collaboration with Spectrum Access and Management Innovation (SAMI), proposes an innovative Smart Water Network Management solution to address these challenges. The solution integrates a Dynamic Hydraulic Model (DHM) program with a real-time smart dashboard, leveraging expertise from telecommunications, civil, and software engineering. This enables proactive remote monitoring and control of distributed water networks, optimizing network performance, reducing water loss, and enhancing operational efficiency.
The DHM simulates various network scenarios, enabling predictive maintenance, pressure management, and optimized control valve scheduling. The smart dashboard provides a unified interface for operators to monitor and control the network, facilitating swift response to anomalies and informed decision-making. Testing and validation are underway on the CSIR's Pretoria campus water network, with collaborative support from Magalies Water. Ongoing research and development focus on refining the solution, incorporating advanced analytics, machine learning, and IoT technologies. The Smart Water Network Management System has the potential to revolutionize water management practices in South Africa and reduce non-revenue water through conservative measures and relevant technological capabilities.
