Industry cloud is how SAP names its strategy to extend the intelligent suite product portfolio with innovative cloud solutions built by SAP and our partners providing specific industry capabilities. It is based on the adoption of SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) which provides a complete cloud based framework of services to model and extend business process and foster innovation and collaboration between our customers and partners as described in a whitepaper available in this link. The result is an open business and technology platform with specialized applications that address specific needs while working with your existing systems, resulting a cost-effective transformation and sustainable growth. In this blog entry available in this link it is explained how Industry Cloud program is a key part of how SAP is architecting an Integrated (or Intelligent) water management system, or IWMS, understood as a data platform which provides secure access to data with enough quality and consistency to be utilized effectively and generate actions, insights and address innovative, research driven, scenarios answering questions like:
Image 1: SAP IWP concept as presented at Water Track keynote of the International SAP for Utilities Conference, Basel april 2023
Water companies are in the process of developing AI capabilities to gain transformative outcomes in decisions and everyday action to become data driven organizations. Reducing water loss is one of these cases in the form of a digital solutions based on data-driven intelligence. The partnership between Lining and SAP to align AQUAVISIO DMA monitoring (find more details in this link) with the Business Technology Platform can enable water utilities to apply digital innovation by using technologies which ensure that they can continue to access, utilize and integrate their data improving performance and lowering costs, whilst ensuring water safety, affordability, and greater resilience.
Image 2: Network overview
The AQUAVISIO DMA solution is very easy to use. The icon inside the area tells you how the network works in relation to the forecast model. If the network works as predicted, the icon will be white, and if deviations have been detected in the network, the icon's color will change. In addition, touching the icon opens an info window where you can find out the situation in the area at a glance. By clicking on the icon, you can drill down into the area's water consumption graphs, nighttime consumption and leakage.
Image 3: prediction model in one area created by AQUAVISIO in yellow and the blue line shows the measured water consumption.
Globally, the average leakage rate in water supply networks is about 20%. This volume is significant as drinking water for 300 million people and a lot of energy is wasted transporting this clean water into the ditch. Leakages in the sewerage networks pose an even worse problem with potential aberrant material from industries leaking into the ground, potentially causing difficult to manage contaminations.
These leaks are usually not repaired on time because they are difficult to locate. Once found, the repair is both disruptive and time-consuming, hence it can be quite expensive, and the utilities do not have sufficient resources to bring it under control. The repair or renovation of a pipeline always causes some inconvenience to citizens, so although fixing a problem, it can also cause another temporary problem. Adding to this problem is that there is no requirement to keep the leakage rate at a given percentage rate of for example 2%, because it has not been possible to measure this loss very accurately. For this reason, some water utilities have leakage rates over 40%.
AQUAVISIO is an extension to the SAP offering for water utilities. AQUAVISIO is integrated with SAP BTP, therefore its implementation is easy, especially for water utilities that already use SAP.
AQUAVISIO is widely used in water utilities. For example, Helsinki Region Environmental Services (HSY) uses AQUAVISIO for daily water management for 1.25 million people. AQUAVISIO predicts the amount of water needed in Helsinki region and controls water production and pumping based on that. HSY estimates that with this smart pumping, it saves 5-10% of the energy needed for pumping.
To conserve water, energy and resources, it is important to get a good overview over the situation of the water network. This overview is provided by AQUAVISIO machine-learning algorithm integrated to SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). Measurement data is collected from various electronic measurement and automation systems and transferred into the AQUAVISIO. The machine learning algorithm can understand all data provided, regardless of manufacturer and creates a model of how water consumption should behave in the District Metered Area (DMA). Then after learning the network, a predictive model for normal behavior is forecasted. If the DMA’s water consumption deviates from the predictive model in the forecast, the AQUAVISIO system will alert the supervisor on the phone. Likewise in the sewerage network, if deviations in the volume occurs, something is either leaking in or out of the sewerage network.
With the AQUAVISIO integrated SAP BTP system, the water utility can simultaneously monitor both the water and sewerage network and this continuously in real time. Utilizing the water utility's existing infrastructure and measuring equipment, the implementation of AQUAVISIO is cost-effective and suitable for all water utilities around the world. The AQUAVISIO integrated SAP BTP system provides senior management with piece of mind in an operational maintenance management tool that can assist them in making better informed decisions. The primary function of the system is to provide an easy-to-use tool that will help them guide where to invest in renovation and where sufficient resources should be allocated for rapid remedy of the situation, all based on factual operational network information.
SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) has in its core a database structured for Big Data layers and with nested critical elements as, for example, spatial to offer natively an integrated spatial context for any data and process. Around this database, BTP brings and immense catalog of connectors and integration elements, from API libraries to synchronize master data and real time events handling to integrate multiple data sources as SCADA, Transactional systems (ERP), Geographical Information Systems (GIS), third party application files or smart meter data, as well as AI tools and services to work with the data. On top of these data services there is a list of available tools for analytics and business intelligence together with development and process automation services to create or integrate the applications required to consume the data for diverse cases.
Image 4: High level reference architecture
We hope that it does not take much time to confirm the enrollment of Lining AQUAVISIO in our Water Industry Cloud portfolio of specialized applications that address specific industry needs while working with your existing systems enabling cost-effective transformation and sustainable growth.
- Water balance: how the supply network works
- Non-Revenue Water: where are the main leakages
- Energy efficiency: which is the most effective usage of energy in the network
- Water quality: what is the real time view of the quality of your network
- Proactive asset management: health status and failure risk mitigation of the network assets
Image 1: SAP IWP concept as presented at Water Track keynote of the International SAP for Utilities Conference, Basel april 2023
Why exploring a partnership with Lining Aquavisio
Water companies are in the process of developing AI capabilities to gain transformative outcomes in decisions and everyday action to become data driven organizations. Reducing water loss is one of these cases in the form of a digital solutions based on data-driven intelligence. The partnership between Lining and SAP to align AQUAVISIO DMA monitoring (find more details in this link) with the Business Technology Platform can enable water utilities to apply digital innovation by using technologies which ensure that they can continue to access, utilize and integrate their data improving performance and lowering costs, whilst ensuring water safety, affordability, and greater resilience.
Image 2: Network overview
The AQUAVISIO DMA solution is very easy to use. The icon inside the area tells you how the network works in relation to the forecast model. If the network works as predicted, the icon will be white, and if deviations have been detected in the network, the icon's color will change. In addition, touching the icon opens an info window where you can find out the situation in the area at a glance. By clicking on the icon, you can drill down into the area's water consumption graphs, nighttime consumption and leakage.
Image 3: prediction model in one area created by AQUAVISIO in yellow and the blue line shows the measured water consumption.
Business value and impact
Globally, the average leakage rate in water supply networks is about 20%. This volume is significant as drinking water for 300 million people and a lot of energy is wasted transporting this clean water into the ditch. Leakages in the sewerage networks pose an even worse problem with potential aberrant material from industries leaking into the ground, potentially causing difficult to manage contaminations.
These leaks are usually not repaired on time because they are difficult to locate. Once found, the repair is both disruptive and time-consuming, hence it can be quite expensive, and the utilities do not have sufficient resources to bring it under control. The repair or renovation of a pipeline always causes some inconvenience to citizens, so although fixing a problem, it can also cause another temporary problem. Adding to this problem is that there is no requirement to keep the leakage rate at a given percentage rate of for example 2%, because it has not been possible to measure this loss very accurately. For this reason, some water utilities have leakage rates over 40%.
AQUAVISIO is an extension to the SAP offering for water utilities. AQUAVISIO is integrated with SAP BTP, therefore its implementation is easy, especially for water utilities that already use SAP.
Who’s using it
AQUAVISIO is widely used in water utilities. For example, Helsinki Region Environmental Services (HSY) uses AQUAVISIO for daily water management for 1.25 million people. AQUAVISIO predicts the amount of water needed in Helsinki region and controls water production and pumping based on that. HSY estimates that with this smart pumping, it saves 5-10% of the energy needed for pumping.
Capabilities
To conserve water, energy and resources, it is important to get a good overview over the situation of the water network. This overview is provided by AQUAVISIO machine-learning algorithm integrated to SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). Measurement data is collected from various electronic measurement and automation systems and transferred into the AQUAVISIO. The machine learning algorithm can understand all data provided, regardless of manufacturer and creates a model of how water consumption should behave in the District Metered Area (DMA). Then after learning the network, a predictive model for normal behavior is forecasted. If the DMA’s water consumption deviates from the predictive model in the forecast, the AQUAVISIO system will alert the supervisor on the phone. Likewise in the sewerage network, if deviations in the volume occurs, something is either leaking in or out of the sewerage network.
With the AQUAVISIO integrated SAP BTP system, the water utility can simultaneously monitor both the water and sewerage network and this continuously in real time. Utilizing the water utility's existing infrastructure and measuring equipment, the implementation of AQUAVISIO is cost-effective and suitable for all water utilities around the world. The AQUAVISIO integrated SAP BTP system provides senior management with piece of mind in an operational maintenance management tool that can assist them in making better informed decisions. The primary function of the system is to provide an easy-to-use tool that will help them guide where to invest in renovation and where sufficient resources should be allocated for rapid remedy of the situation, all based on factual operational network information.
SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) has in its core a database structured for Big Data layers and with nested critical elements as, for example, spatial to offer natively an integrated spatial context for any data and process. Around this database, BTP brings and immense catalog of connectors and integration elements, from API libraries to synchronize master data and real time events handling to integrate multiple data sources as SCADA, Transactional systems (ERP), Geographical Information Systems (GIS), third party application files or smart meter data, as well as AI tools and services to work with the data. On top of these data services there is a list of available tools for analytics and business intelligence together with development and process automation services to create or integrate the applications required to consume the data for diverse cases.
Image 4: High level reference architecture
We hope that it does not take much time to confirm the enrollment of Lining AQUAVISIO in our Water Industry Cloud portfolio of specialized applications that address specific industry needs while working with your existing systems enabling cost-effective transformation and sustainable growth.
Where to get more info:
- Lining AQUAVISIO: https://aquavisio.fi/
- SAP BTP: https://www.sap.com/products/technology-platform.html
- Partnership program: https://partneredge.sap.com/en.html#
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