Regarding the infrastructure, there has not been a complete digitalization in this sector, neither at the user level nor at the administration level, and, as a consequence, in the midst of the knowledge society, complete information on water use is not available, as well as on water losses that occur in distribution networks due to leaks, breaks, or filtrations.

Availability of Services.

The owners of public water and wastewater services aim to prevent or reduce downtime, with optimized workflows to maintain a safe and reliable water service for their customers. The lack of adequate data analysis and visualization often leads to unexpected equipment or process failures that cause service interruptions.

Improved service reliability could be achieved with adequate data management and improved systems for water and wastewater facility operations.

Complexity.

The lack of integration of the multitude of third-party systems and homegrown systems, in use today, hinders operations and efficient decision-making in water service organizations.

In addition, as applications become more specialized and specific in plants, information silos can continue to form, especially as facilities age and new designs are implemented over time.

Cost of Non-Integration.

The lack of a clear view of data for management and projections leads to ineffective planning and monitoring of operating costs in real time. This increases operating costs and the waste of consumables, creating a negative environmental impact.

Labor costs are also a major concern. Water organizations must deal with the difficulty of finding qualified candidates for vacant positions, and strive to improve the skills of workers and avoid the increasing training costs related to employee turnover due to the aging workforce.

Sustainability.

A lapse in the reliability of services and the efficiency of processes translates into a problem for sustainability. Consistency in the quality of services through advanced systems is ideal for developing and implementing sustainable models.

These advanced processes reduce operating and energy costs while optimizing employee, asset, and operational performance

Cybersecurity.

Water operators are embracing the digital revolution at an ever-increasing pace. Industrial software vendors are developing new and/or optimizing their existing offerings to help their customers meet the challenges of the digital journey.

Based on the incidents that have occurred in recent years, governments around the world have renewed guidelines and requirements to protect critical infrastructure and their citizens.

Unfortunately, in the same way that innovative technology serves the common good, there are many bad actors who use technology to try to inflict catastrophic damage to infrastructure, cyber systems, and, ultimately, the citizenry.