Water: the most precious resource to protect
Water is one of the most vital resources for life on Earth. Not only is it essential for human survival, but it is also fundamental for ecosystems and energy production, such as hydroelectricity. However, in recent years, Italy has been facing a series of challenges linked to the availability of water. In a world where climate change and rising energy costs are putting increasing pressure on the sustainable management of water resources, investing in smart solutions is more necessary than ever. Water is a precious resource and protecting it is everyone’s responsibility.
For example, in 2022, Italy had 24% less rainfall than average over the past thirty years. Furthermore, the amount of water available was 52% lower than average over the last seventy years (BLUEBOOK 2024). Another major challenge can be added to these problems: water loss. In 2022, 42.4% of the water introduced into Italy’s distribution networks was lost due to old and deteriorating infrastructures. This means that nearly half of the water that should reach our homes is lost along the way and never makes it to our taps. The amount of water lost could have supplied an additional 43.4 million people for an entire year! (REPORT ISTAT 2024).
Challenges in the water sector
Water management experts face numerous challenges in making waterworks that will adequately meet the needs of communities in terms of both the quantity and quality of water supplied, while at the same time making them more efficient and resilient to the impacts of climate change and ensuring sustainable management from both an economic-financial and an environmental perspective. It is a compelling challenge and not an easy one to overcome: Italy’s water networks are often old and deteriorated, making them more susceptible to leaks. Furthermore, climate change is making rainfall increasingly unpredictable, while energy costs continue to rise. Consumption patterns are also changing: we use water differently than we did in the past and this requires new solutions.
Advanced digital technologies such as sensors, big data, intelligent data-driven systems to support decisions, IoT, artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms and numerical simulators are, and will increasingly be, fundamental tools for overcoming water-related challenges.
The digitisation of the integrated water service will lead to the transformation of data into knowledge and knowledge into the definition and prioritisation of concrete actions to be taken. This will make it possible to improve the efficiency of waterworks and their management, ensure a continuous and adequate water supply, reduce water loss, protect water sources from contamination and encourage adaptation to climate change.
Innovation serving water
Idrostudi operates in Trieste, within Area Science Park, a research institution and Italy’s main scientific and technological park where scientific and technological development projects emerge. Idrostudi is a company engaged in the fields of applied research and consultancy for the management and digital transformation of the water cycle and the protection of the territory from hydraulic risks, thanks to a team of 80 professionals, including engineers and data scientists, with an average age of under 40. These experts work on advanced solutions to tackle water-related challenges, both in Italy and abroad, using cutting-edge technologies such as numerical modelling, digital twins and artificial intelligence.
Technology serving the waterworks
Francesca Zanello, Head of R&D at Idrostudi, explains: “Effectively managing a water network requires ‘listening’ to it and analyse it carefully before making a diagnosis and defining any necessary treatment – just like a doctor would do with a patient. This means constantly monitoring the water network to detect any leaks, manage water pressure, carry out timely repairs and plan structured interventions to improve the resilience of the infrastructures.
We want to help give the right value to water and protect it. That’s why we have developed a software platform called iWG, which uses advanced technologies to characterise and understand water networks in real time, create a digital twin – that is, a precise and highly accurate digital representation of the water networks – and support operators in choosing and planning interventions to optimise the entire water distribution system.
After identifying specific points in the network that allow us to divide it into numerous smaller segments, or water districts, we install advanced sensors in these locations, allowing us to monitor flow rate and pressure”.
Figure 1 – iWG map of measurement stations
Figure 2 – The water districts
The data collected is sent by the sensors to iWG and then analysed automatically using artificial intelligence algorithms integrated into the platform”.
iWG enables operators to gain a deeper understanding of how the waterworks behaves, identify the districts affected by a leakage and, thanks to real-time pressure monitoring, makes it possible to effectively plan pressure management in the pipelines based on the analysis of real data. This leads to a reduction in water volumes lost, greater energy efficiency and improved network operations, as well as an optimal level of service for end users.
Figure 3 – District balance time series chart
The digital twin integrated into iWG is a dynamic, constantly updated system. It combines numerical models with data collected by sensors in real time, making it possible to simulate the behaviour of the network, understand the effects of potential critical situations – such as a broken pipeline or contamination – before they actually occur and simulate management scenarios for such critical incidents, including pressure regulation, thereby supporting the optimisation of the entire system.
Understanding the waterworks through the analysis of data collected in real time and the use of the digital twin helps to define a concrete strategy for system renewal, which is defined thanks to a sophisticated algorithm within iWG that takes numerous criteria into account, such as the age of the pipelines, their location, risk of breakage and financial constraints, striking a balance between the need for immediate maintenance and long-term sustainability goals.
The application of the iWG platform leads to a paradigm shift: instead of reacting to problems after they occur within the network, the waterworks are characterised in advance and strategies are developed to reduce water loss and improve the entire system, thus optimising investments and preventing critical issues from causing negative consequences for both users and the environment.
The case of Trieste: a success story
The Trieste water supply system, managed by AcegasApsAmga, is a concrete example of how these technologies can make a difference. Trieste is a city with a particularly complex territory from an orographic point of view, that is its geographical and altimetric conformation. This complexity is also reflected in the management of the water network, which involves numerous reservoirs, pumping stations and the need to regulate pressure throughout the network. Managing such a complex system is no easy task, but in recent years the water utility has made great strides in modernising and digitising the entire infrastructure.
Trieste’s water network extends over 840 kilometres and is divided into 100 districts, like pieces of a puzzle. To monitor this vast network, about 300 sensors have been installed in 160 different sites around the city. These sensors collect data in real time, allowing us to understand exactly what is happening in each district. Thanks to this technology, it is possible to quickly identify water leaks, carry out targeted repairs and estimate how much water is recovered.