Asset health plays an essential role in delivering safe and resilient water services. Looking forward to the next 25 years and more, the water sector faces challenges from population growth, climate change, tightening environmental standards and changing customer expectations. Many of these challenges are not new and require significant change in the way that water companies operate today. Balance this with the adapting regulatory and consumer pressures it becomes imperative for the water industry to adapt.
In this outline, in the context of risk to serve and investment planning, we share our views on the way that asset health is currently understood. We have reviewed the existing data use and data management and the importance of a network-wide view of good data insights. We believe, whilst there are few immediately serious issues of asset health on service, there are longer term concerns which require ongoing scrutiny. Good quality integrated data is a vitally important factor to better measurement and management of asset health.
This outline gave us an opportunity to explore the examples of good practice and areas where water companies explore new ideas and innovation. It became apparent that, the water industry is relatively experienced in terms of technology pilots and innovative trials.
Further cross-industry collaboration and awareness of the work going in other sectors will be beneficial to raise the bar. By working with partners, other water companies, other industries, and start-ups and by collaborating with regulators and academia, water industry will be able to intelligently operate, provide decision support information and react in real time; adapt for the future we are facing.
Jean Crisp
Danuela Sullivan
Global Water Sector Lead, Atos UK&I
Per Edoff
Asset management and Value Based Maintenance, Atos