Why IoT is crucial for tackling water scarcity

Digitalization and the Internet of Things (IoT) have become synonymous with business benefits such as operational efficiency and employee productivity. But IoT is also a crucial tool for tackling some of the major issues facing society, including water scarcity. For water utilities, the technology has the potential to ensure unequaled efficiency while helping them to shape a more sustainable future. To capitalize on these opportunities, they need the right connectivity standard – and mioty® has been designed for this very purpose.

Water scarcity is one of the most pressing issues facing our planet. By 2025, it is estimated that around two-thirds of the world’s population may be facing water shortages. Furthermore, the impact of climate change is set to make droughts more common and longer-lasting. That means local authorities and water utilities will increasingly be expected to take preventative action to maintain the water supply.

Today, IoT has become a key technology for managing water shortages. By connecting a wealth of meters, valves and other sensors, IoT allows utilities to benefit from a constant flow of accurate data about their network, and to monitor and analyze its performance in real time. With the right meter data management software, they can then identify the underlying causes of inefficiencies in their network, whether it be leaks, Non-Revenue Water (NRW) or pressures issues. And that means they can take action to keep the network at its most efficient – and thereby save water.

Water conservation and energy savings

In the face of droughts, conserving water is a crucial way to provide populations with continued access to water. But water conservation also offers wider benefits in terms of sustainability, because it enables energy savings. When water is lost, utilities must compensate for this loss by pumping groundwater, transporting surface water supplies, purifying raw water to drinkable standards, and delivering it to customers. All these activities are energy-intensive. In addition, consumers use energy to heat, cool, and pressurize water, while wastewater treatment plants need energy to treat wastewater before it is discharged.

Water conservation therefore provides multiple benefits for society. It allows utilities to save water, energy and costs. And it helps communities and consumers to reduce their bills and cut costs for sewage, while ensuring continued access to water.

mioty for Metering: rapid, reliable and secure

This win-win situation is facilitated by the data-driven insights powered by the Internet of Things. But the performance of IoT depends on the connectivity standard used by the water network. To be fully efficient, utilities need a connectivity standard that is rapid, reliable and secure. One protocol that has been developed specifically for this purpose is mioty for Metering. This subset of the overall

mioty® standard features unique characteristics that are adapted to a multi-connected metering network, and could prove to be a powerful tool to address water shortages in the future.

To find out more about how water utilities can benefit from IoT and mioty for Metering, consult our white paper about next-generation connectivity for the metering world.