Over three days, Spain Smart Water Summit 2023 will analyse in depth the challenges of the present and will be the perfect forum for the presentation of the latest innovations and success stories that are guiding the digital transformation of the water sector. The programme which is provisional and subject to possible modifications, will be structured in two simultaneous rooms where the following topics will be discussed:
Where we are at
- Digitalisation initiatives by Spanish public administrations
- Digitalisation initiatives by regional and local water service providers in Spain
- Worldwide digitalisation initiatives
Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
- IoT & Connectivity
- Remote Metering
- Monitoring
Data Analysis
- Big Data Analytics
- Edge Computing
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
- Platforms
Asset Management
- Digital Twins
- Building Information Modeling (BIM)
- Cybersecurity
Tuesday, 19 September 2023
For three days, Spain Smart Water Summit 2023 will be the epicentre of the digitalisation of the water cycle.
2023 is a key year for the deployment of the PERTE for the Digitalisation of the Water Cycle in Spain. The project promises to transform the activity of managers and administrations and has turned Spain into a pole of attraction for large international investments.
Spain's Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan is an ambitious programme of reforms and public investment projects within the framework of the European Union's Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, which provides funding to EU Member States for economic recovery and sustainable transformation.
Among its lines of action is the PERTE for the digitalisation of the water cycle, which will finance aid programmes to promote the digitalisation of the various users and the administration of the urban water cycle. In addition, significant investments will be earmarked for the digitalisation of irrigation and for programmes to monitor and control discharges. The plan is expected to generate a solid and lasting impact in Spain, and to function as a benchmark in the European and global context.
Framed in the Spanish Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), the PERTE for the digitalisation of the water cycle promotes the use of new information technologies in the integral water cycle, which will improve its management, increase its efficiency, reduce losses in the supply networks and advance in the fulfilment of the environmental objectives set by the hydrological planning and international regulations.
The Deputy Director General for Water Protection and Risk Management of the MITECO will explain the progress of the calls for proposals that have been launched.
Advances in technological development play a fundamental role in decision-making in the planning of water resource management and the mitigation of water-related risks, allowing greater precision in obtaining and interpreting data that help to optimise the management of water administrations.
In a world where the sustainable management of water resources is increasingly critical, decisive and strategic technological advances are emerging in the management of the urban water cycle. Likewise, regulations must adapt to the irruption of these advances and new concepts in water management.
PhD in Chemical Sciences, Deputy Assistant Director of the General Subdirectorate of Water Protection and Risk Management of the General Directorate of Water of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge.
Puig is responsible for coordinating actions for the protection of water against pollution, the control of wastewater discharges, as well as the monitoring of surface and groundwater quality.
Last 31st of August, the Spanish Official Gazette (BOE) announced the modification of the Public Water Domain Regulations, a necessary update aimed at administrative simplification, improvement in groundwater regulations, prevention of diffuse pollution and flood risk planning.
This modernisation benefits both management authorities and citizens and water users, contributing to responsible and equitable water use.
Water infrastructure management, dam safety and BIM technology, which enables accurate three-dimensional visualisation of projects, are undergoing significant advances that promise to improve efficiency, safety and sustainability in the management of water and related infrastructure.
These advances are essential to meet current and future challenges in managing water resources and protecting communities from floods and water-related hazards.
Smart water network management is a cornerstone in the quest for a more efficient and sustainable water supply. In this age of advanced technology, innovative solutions are transforming the way water distribution is monitored, controlled and optimised.
Under the concept of "Connected Waters", technologies such as the implementation of smart sensors, enhanced automation systems, advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence, applied across the entire water infrastructure, enable continuous monitoring of water quality and quantity.
“Connected Waters” management offers a vision of a future in which water is managed more accurately, sustainably and equitably, ensuring an essential resource for future generations.
Advanced sensorisation, telecontrol and process automation are revolutionising water management worldwide. Enabling smarter demand management, these technologies can also anticipate usage patterns and adjust water distribution accordingly, reducing waste and ensuring a consistent supply.
As these solutions continue to evolve, we can look forward to smarter and more efficient water management around the world.
Corbalán has a Business Administration and Management degree and a Master's degree in international trade from ESIC. He developed his career in a Swiss multinational food company for eleven years, where he held various positions of responsibility. Additionally, he has lectured about innovation in various universities and business schools, such as UMU, ENAE, UPCT, UCAM and UMH.
Since 2015 he has been the CEO of Hidroconta, where he has overseen the enormous growth that the company has had in recent years. He is married and has two children. In addition, he is actively involved in Agritech Murcia and the Isaac Peral Foundation.
María del Prado Torrecilla is an expert in cybersecurity in the water sector. She has an Engineering Degree from the Polytechnic University of Madrid and a Master’s in automation of water networks, in addition to an MBA from the Business School Audencia (Nantes).
She has more than 20 years of experience in the field of automation and remote management of water and energy networks. Since the beginning of her career, she has held various positions always oriented to the customer and advice on intelligent water management.
María is currently responsible for the Technical Department and Product Marketing in LACROIX Environment Activity Spain and defines with the parent company the new features and new products, taking care of the promotion and introduction of these in Spain, Latin America and Portugal.
In addition, as a cybersecurity expert she has been collaborating as a teacher at the Industrial Cybersecurity Professional School of the CCI
Patricia Cortés holds a degree in Chemistry from the University of Alcalá de Henares (UAH) and a PhD in Polymer Chemistry from the same University.
Cortés began working at Kamstrup in 2015 and is responsible for business development in the water division for Spain and Portugal. As an expert in IoT technologies, she has been working in the field for over eight years.
Her career in the water sector started over 17 years ago, working in different areas. In Kamstrup, she helps water managers in the implementation and development of new devices and measurement solutions along with applications for data management and analysis.
Miguel Toledo Montero, a Telecommunications Engineer, leads in Datakorum the projects of digital transformation for the Water, Energy, and Mobility sectors, driving innovation and integrating new technologies and work methods to digitize infrastructures.
Currently, Miguel spearheads a global project providing connectivity to Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) assets in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, implementing a groundbreaking CaaS (Connectivity as a Service) model in smart water, power and gas infrastructures.
This hands-on, on-the-ground immersion has given him a deep understanding of the complexities and challenges of this digital revolution, placing him in a privileged position to implement proven technologies that effectively contribute to improving resource efficiency and sustainability.
Wednesday, 20 September 2023
ICEX Spain Export and Investment, of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, is organising this international session focused on opportunities and digitalisation projects in the water sector in Asia.
With the aim of supporting the internationalisation of Spanish companies and promoting synergies, ICEX and iAgua bring together representatives of the water sector in Asia, allowing them to share their experience in this field, as well as current business opportunities such as those arising from the projects financed by the Asian Development Bank.
Anastasia Carolina is the Senior Project Officer for Urban Development at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Indonesia Resident Mission, since September 2019. She works closely with the Ministry of Public Works and Housing and leads the implementation of the on-going projects as well technical assistance in urban sector area. She is also leading the processing of an upcoming sanitation project loan, which will massively support the government to improve inclusive sanitation systems in few selected cities.
Chiang Chun-Sheng is a Senior Engineer at Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affair’s Water Resource Agency (WRA). With a master’s degree from the Agriculture Engineer Research Institute at the National Taiwan University, Chun-Sheng is an expert in many water-related fields, including diversified water resources planning and development, water facility maintenance and water management, smart water applications and stable water supply strategies under climate change impacts.
The Latin American market presents as many challenges as it does opportunities. The generalised situation in its regions of inequality in access to drinking water and sanitation, as well as in water quality and governance, provide fertile ground in which Spanish companies can undertake valuable projects, which will also provide the impetus for adequate financing to build solid and sustainable infrastructures over time.
Digital twins and platforms for water infrastructure unify disparate data sources from existing utility systems, create actionable intelligence, empower staff to work more efficiently and collaboratively, help protect the environment and, most importantly, improve customer service levels.
Thus, this cutting-edge technology is transforming infrastructure management by providing a detailed and accurate view of systems in real time. This translates into greater efficiency, improved water quality and greater resilience to adverse events.
Mikel Maiza is an Industrial Engineer from the University of Mondragon and PhD from the University of York (UK), he has more than twenty years of professional experience in the field of process optimization. Specialized in processes related to the integral water cycle since 2009, he currently leads the sustainability line of the data analytics department for industry, energy and environment, his research being focused on the development of process modeling and optimization tools using AI, evolutionary algorithms and operational research. Dr. Maiza is also a collaborating professor at the Ecole Supérieure des Technologies Industrielles Avancées (ESTIA) since 2017.
Artificial intelligence has become a powerful ally in the sustainable management of the water cycle. By transforming data into more effective decisions, AI promotes efficiency and accuracy in decision-making.
In addition to infrastructure and service management, AI is particularly relevant in emergency situations, such as water pollution or natural disasters, where AI has great potential for prevention, rapid response and informed decision making.
Jose Diaz de Greñu, mathematician and computer engineer, has more than 8 years working in the IoT industry. He started specializing in the design and implementation of IoT embedded devices, as an ARM software and firmware engineer. After closing that stage specializing in the field of security in ARM embedded devices, he started working in the field of IoT cloud solutions. He currently works as technical director at ElliotCloud, defining, designing and supervising the implementation of platforms for infrastructure management.
With a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of the Basque Country, he is currently Key Account Manager for the Infrastructure sector, and is involved in projects for the Industrial, Civil, Infrastructure, Water and Renewable Energy markets.
He has spent a large part of his professional career in Grupo Álava, promoting and carrying out projects of various kinds. His career in different positions within the Group has provided him with a global vision of the trends of the different markets, allowing him to translate them into value-added proposals adapted to the needs and expectations of our clients.
Ion Irizar has PhD in Industrial Engineering from the University of Navarra. For more than twenty years he has worked in the field of applied research, participating in more than fifty projects. He has been principal investigator of five European R&D projects, all of them related to automatic control and artificial intelligence applied to biological wastewater treatment.
He has also actively participated in the development of simulation software for the design of wastewater treatment technologies, for the remote monitoring of decentralised wastewater treatment plants, as well as in visual data analytics and digital twins for different industrial sectors. He is currently working at Cimico, where he is responsible for the Digitalisation Area, with the mission of digitalising the moving bed technologies offered by the company.
Thursday, 21 September 2023
Advanced metering infrastructure, also known as AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure), is playing a key role in the transformation of urban water services.
These advanced metering technologies not only enable more accurate billing, but also open the door to more efficient and sustainable water management in urban environments, providing benefits for both service providers and consumers.
In the age of digitalisation, data has become an invaluable resource for transforming cities and improving the quality of life of their inhabitants. Leading operators around the world are using advanced technologies such as IoT (Internet of Things) sensors and smart meters to effectively collect, analyse and apply data.
We will learn about relevant success stories that have improved the quality of life in cities through advanced data management.
Mariano Martín has developed his professional career in companies of great relevance in the Industrial Automation and Infrastructures sector. In SULZER, he worked as Systems Technician and later in SIEMENS and SAMPOL as Project Manager. He has executed large projects in the airport sector (beacons, climate control, electrical control, etc.), automotive and water sectors. Martín is currently the Technical Leader of Industry 4.0 in the Digital Transformation Department of ACCIONA and responsible for the CECOA (Water Control Center).
While a global perspective is crucial, the most effective solutions often come from local experiences. An idea implemented in one place can transcend to others of the same characteristics, or even be replicated on a larger scale.
The digitalization of the water industry combines a global perspective with effective local solutions. This convergence is accelerating the improvement of water management around the world, from data collection to the implementation of sustainable strategies. Data and best practices are also being shared across countries and regions, promoting collaboration in solving global water problems.
Digital transformation is revolutionising the utilities and services industries in the water sector.
As we embark on the digitalisation of strategic sector infrastructures, valuable lessons have emerged for application to the water sector, promising a future full of potential for optimising water infrastructure management.
Cutting-edge tools are transforming the operation of urban water services. Digitalisation not only improves efficiency and service quality, but also contributes to the conservation of this essential resource and the sustainability of cities. Possibilities such as generating green assets by using reclaimed water to irrigate gardens or to flush streets, or producing green energy from sewage sludge, will be optimised through digital tools.
By adopting these tools, service providers can address water challenges more effectively and resiliently.
Álvaro Romero Danés is a Civil Engineer and Director of the water business line at NTT Data. He has more than 13 years of experience in the water sector, in companies such as Canal de Isabel II and Indra. He has been responsible for transformational projects across the entire value chain of the integrated water cycle for different public and private clients in Europe and Latin America. Álvaro strongly believes that water management from engineering and digitalization will help to build a bright future for water as a driver of the green economy.
Tuesday, 19 September 2023
Drought is a growing challenge worldwide, and digitalisation plays a crucial role to mitigate it. As climate change exacerbates water scarcity, digital technologies enable more accurate monitoring of hydrological conditions.
Real-time data collection and predictive analytics help anticipate droughts and manage water resources more efficiently. In addition, digitalisation facilitates efficient water allocation, precision agriculture and smart crop management, promoting sustainable practices that can help mitigate the devastating effects of drought.
Water treatment and sanitation are essential processes to ensure public health and environmental conservation. Digitalisation has revolutionized these fields by allowing a more efficient and accurate management of treatment systems.
Advanced sensors, automated control systems, and real-time data analysis are used to track water quality, detect anomalies, and optimize the performance of treatment plants. In addition, digitalisation facilitates remote monitoring, predictive maintenance and informed decision making, contributing to the conservation of water resources and the protection of aquatic ecosystems.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful ally in optimizing water sector operations. Through advanced algorithms and the processing of large data sets, AI enables the intelligent management of water resources.
It is used to forecast water demand, detect leaks and damages in distribution networks, as well as to optimize resources allocation in real time. In addition, AI facilitates informed decision making by analyzing data on water quality and environmental monitoring. Ultimately, this technology is revolutionizing the efficiency and sustainability of the water supply, helping to address the challenges of water scarcity and management in an increasingly complex world.
The quality of the aquatic environment is fundamental to life on Earth, and digitalisation plays a crucial role in its preservation. Water quality monitoring and assessment have been greatly advanced by digital technology.
High-precision sensors, automated sampling systems and real-time data analysis allow for continuous and detailed monitoring of factors such as temperature, pH, concentration of pollutants, etc. This not only helps to identify pollution problems faster, but also contributes to data-driven decision making for sustainable management of our water resources, thus protecting aquatic ecosystems and access to quality water for future generations.
Industrial Engineer degree in Industrial Organization and Industrial Technical Engineer degree in Industrial Chemistry, from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.
He began his career at the Consorci del Besòs laboratory, being responsible for sanitation systems and Director of R&D and Innovation, specializing in decision support systems and advanced control systems in a WWTP, 1992-2016.
Manager of SISLtech, a technology-based company dedicated to the development of WWTP control systems, 2009-2016.
Manager of ECODIGEST (2011-2014), responsible for process management and organic substrates for co-digestion of waste in a WWTP.
Coordinator of the Energy and New Technologies Working Group at the Spanish Water and Wastewater Association AEAS, 2011-2014.
In 2016 he co-founded the Createch Solutions group of companies dedicated to the development of intelligent control systems for the integrated water cycle, carrying out more than 200 projects globally.
Wednesday, 20 September 2023
The Internet of Things (IoT) has radically transformed the way we manage resources such as water through remote reading and connectivity. Through smart sensors and connected devices, IoT makes available real-time data on infrastructure performance.
Remote reading facilitates the collection of information from meters and sensors, eliminating the need for human intervention and reducing errors. This efficient connectivity and remote reading not only improve operational efficiency, but also contributes to resource conservation and informed decision making, promoting sustainable water use for the benefit of society and the environment.
Carlos López is graduated in Telecommunications Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Valencia. He has developed his professional career in software development environments and in the field of telecommunications.
López joined Hidroconta in 2021 and since then, has covered various job positions, starting with the management, development and supervision of IoT projects in the field of hydraulics as Project Manager. He now carries out the business development project in the area of drinking water.
Digitalisation has revolutionized flood risk management by providing advanced tools to prevent and mitigate disasters. Real-time data collection through sensors and satellite systems allows constant monitoring of water levels and weather conditions, giving authorities the ability to anticipate floods. In addition, simulation models and data analysis help to assess risks and design more effective management strategies. Digital communication also plays a key role in terms of risk alerts and response coordination.
This synergy between technology and risk management is essential to protect lives and property in a world with increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
Digitalisation is transforming irrigated agriculture by providing more accurate and efficient water management. With soil moisture sensors, automated irrigation systems and real-time data analysis, farmers can optimize the use of water resources.
The technology allows irrigation to be tailored to the specific needs of each crop, reducing water waste and operating costs. In addition, remote monitoring and mobile applications facilitate control and decision making from anywhere. Digitalisation not only increases agricultural productivity, but also contributes to the conservation of a scarce and essential resource.
Thursday, 21 September 2023
Digital twins, an advanced modelling and simulation technology, are becoming increasingly relevant in water resources management. Highly accurate replicas of hydrological systems, water distribution networks, sewer networks, and treatment plants allow water resource managers to simulate and forecast the behaviour of these systems in real time. This facilitates informed decision making for flood management, water use optimization, and infrastructure planning. In addition, digital twins enable "what-if" analyses to evaluate drought mitigation strategies and challenges related to climate change.
Ultimately, this technology helps address the growing demand for water in a resource-constrained world.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the water sector by providing advanced tools for the efficient and sustainable management of this vital resource. Machine learning algorithms analyse large data sets, enabling informed and proactive decision making. AI is being used, among other applications, to simulate various water use scenarios under different conditions, for predictive maintenance of infrastructure, for water quality monitoring and control, as well as in infrastructure design and optimization. Both AI and its applications in the water world are evolving by leaps and bounds.
In a world where water management is a growing challenge, AI is emerging as an essential tool to manage and conserve this strategic resource.
