It is estimated that just 1% of the data available to a water utility is effectively used. Activating the data in your water distribution system and subjecting it to data analysis will give you a holistic view of your entire network infrastructure.

In this module, you will learn how Grundfos Utility Analytics software, helps you achieve this.

Our web-based software solution adds valuable information and analytics using your GIS data, SCADA data, work order data, other valuable network data and creates one common data landscape, permanently updated.

The data is analysed and, feeding off each other, provides insights, complex performance indicators and auditable reporting. You can then act to increase network efficiency and determine investments needed to drive specific predetermined metrics. The software solution is non-intrusive and cloud-based, meaning no installation is needed, nor is any system integration required. The data moves in one direction only, and you remain in complete control of your data at all times, providing a base for analysis with the highest level of data security. By implementing the web-based Grundfos Utility Analytics software, you open up for improvements and possibilities that significantly strengthen your utility’s ability to Monitor, Predict, Diagnose and Plan, with all this feeding into a City Overview.

Let us look more closely at these four modules:

MONITOR – to increase your operational efficiency in real-time.
You are effectively listening to your network and able to react in real-time to water losses and other events. The Monitor module connects events to network maintenece activities 24/7, all year round, ensuring you have a complete picture about your system and consumer behaviour.  You will also be able to quantify water loss and other important indicators in your distribution zones for prioritisation.

PREDICTION lets you learn from your system. Good planning relies on precise predictions, and this is necessary to keep one step ahead of events like leaks and pipe bursts. The Prediction module will keep your water losses under control and reduce the risk of no service.

DIAGNOSIS builds understanding as a basis for actions. While the Monitor module gives you a real-time overview, and the Predict module enables you to operate and plan proactively, the Diagnose module provides you with the all-important understanding about factors to improve network performance, water quality and reduce energy consumption.

PLAN helps you prioritise and plan your time, space and investments. The Planning module enables you to optimise short- and long-term prioritisations alike, hence improving the utility’s overall business. Strategic decisions and investment planning is then based on solid calculations, comparisons, predictions and diagnoses.
Each of these modules contains a number of tools to enhance your asset management. Let us now look at the example of leakage diagnostics, and how the Grundfos Utility Analytics software tool can be applied.

A high level of non-revenue water (NRW) is detrimental to a water utility’s financial, environmental and public image viability. However, deciding on the best course of action to reduce NRW is difficult.

To help alleviate leakage losses and increase pipe network maintenance, let us consider the effect on your utility’s long-term profitability if you were able to continuously read and act upon actual NRW levels – zone by zone.
Water Balance is a tool within the Diagnostics module and is a library-based, IWA-compliant water audit standard framework for rigorous, automated diagnosis, NRW reduction and asset management.

It provides a breakdown of the zone-based water balance, such as real losses, authorised billed consumption, apparent losses, unauthorised consumption and NRW, within a meaningful time frame compatible with your data.
Water Balance analytics will quickly show you which zones have higher NRW with a clear breakdown of how it all adds up: pipe leakage, unbilled consumption and consumer meter errors. This is extremely useful when prioritising various actions and investments such as repair and replacement.

Grundfos Utility Analytics software ensures benefits at the strategic, tactical and operational levels of your water utility, covering people, the network and zones. Let us look at how the data from the four modules described earlier feeds into a City Overview:

CITY OVERVIEW allows everyone to see and understand the big picture. Non-expert users can visualise and understand the water utility’s most important KPIs and indicators. Data quantities and outcomes from analytics of all four of the modules are shown in 3D maps for viewing zonal KPIs and metrics, performance and physical infrastructure of individual pipes within the network and consumption behaviours based on demographics and building infrastructure.

There are many tools available within the modules that help you achieve these benefits. To fully understand the possibilities when the data available in your network are effectively used, please contact Grundfos.
This same Grundfos Utility Analytics software is also applied to wastewater networks, using the same modules and tools.

Let’s recap what we have presented in this module:
How we activate the data in your system, displayed so you can see the added value of optimised operation.
How you get conclusions based on the data and can access detailed data for analytical purposes.
How you can monitor, predict, diagnose and plan based on data analytics.
How this can increase your operational efficiency in real-time, help you learn from your system and act on your data and plan your time and investments, for example to reduce leakage, improve water management and increase pipe network efficiency.
How everyone can visulalise and understand the WU performance and KPIs.