Water in the cloud: two new developments

Several companies are looking to disrupt the market and help the water and energy sectors fully utilise the cloud. We look at two new developments.

Amazon enter the fray

Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), Ecopetrol SA, and Accenture have announced a solution for water intelligence and management.

Their solution will be housed on an open platform and will address the entire water lifecycle, covering access to treatment, recycling, reuse and disposal.

The aim of the cloud-based solution is to help organisations seek water neutrality alongside that of the net-zero carbon emissions for a sustainable future.

Accenture, working closely with Ecopetrol and AWS developed the cloud-based water management solution.

“Like other sustainability initiatives, water conservation is a big data problem.”

The industry platform creates a single source of data, connecting existing ad hoc information to water volume and quality analyses, as well as cost optimisation across the value chain to support decision-making.

Users will be able to apply advanced analytics to optimise their water management and enhance integrated water efficiency management.

It will also allow them to build an ecosystem where participants can share data and promote water reuse within and between industries.

“Our vision is for the energy industry to lead on technological solutions to achieve water neutrality,” said Felipe Bayón, CEO at Ecopetrol.

“Collaboration is needed to truly ignite change because companies cannot solve environmental challenges alone. We will use this platform to accelerate our TESG (technology, environmental, social and governance) strategy, including our goals of reducing 66 per cent of freshwater captured and zero discharges to surface water by 2045, improving the environment for the communities where we operate.”

The cloud-based solution will make use of Accenture industry insights and the cloud capabilities from AWS, providing them with high-performance computing, storage, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

"The conservation and sustainable management of water is a priority for communities and companies around the world, and through leveraging the breadth and depth of AWS, Ecopetrol and Accenture are tackling this challenge at scale,” said Adam Selipsky, CEO at AWS.

“Like other sustainability initiatives, water conservation is a big data problem. By combining data from previously disparate sources across Ecopetrol’s operations, and using AWS cloud-based machine learning and artificial intelligence services, this technology will enable companies across the energy industry to achieve water neutrality.”

This is not the first time AWS has entered into the world of water. In March 2020, Veolia Water Technologies joined forces with AWS to create a prototype system to predict membrane ageing and anticipate maintenance.

Cloud-based water monitoring

Meanwhile, laboratory instrumentation and automation supplier, Endress+Hauser, has launched a new cloud-based water monitoring solution, Netilion Water Network Insights (NWNI).

NWNI will allow water networks a holistic view of their water by providing constant monitoring of flow, pressure, temperature, level, water quality and other measurements.

“Users can access the system from a laptop, tablet in the field or smartphone.”

The cloud-based software service connects all levels of water supply systems and will allow service providers and water associations to manage multiple data sources through a single interface.

Data sources such as field devices, industrial controllers, data transfer components, data recording and archiving devices, analysis and forecasting tools.

Using the cloud, Endress+Hauser say the NWNI will provide access to all measurement data gathered in a water network. Whether its users are accessing the system from a control room computer, a laptop at home, on a tablet in the field, or even on a smartphone.