Data-driven Technologies for Smarter Water Infrastructure Management in Cities
Prof. Zoran Kapelan
Delft University of Technology, Department Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences
Abstract. The talk will start with the identification of key pressures and drivers for water management in cities. It will then define what is meant by smart cities and smart water systems. The main part of the lecture will present two advanced technologies that have been developed for the improved management of water and wastewater in these systems. This includes new data analytics type technology for the automated detection and location of pipe bursts, equipment failures and other failure events in water distribution systems. This technology detects events by processing pressure, flow and other data in near real-time by using artificial intelligence and other methods. This technology is now used companywide in a large UK water utility resulting in major operational cost savings. Another example that will be presented in the lecture is the new technology for automated asset condition assessment of sewers. This technology processes standard CCTV data by using image processing and machine learning techniques to identify and classify different faults in these pipes. This technology is currently being transferred into another large UK water company. The talk will end with a mention of some future challenges.
Prof Zoran Kapelan is a Chair and Professor of Urban Water Infrastructure at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Prior to joining TU Delft he was a Head of the Water and Environment Group at the University of Exeter in the UK. He is an IWA Fellow and a Fellow of CIWEM with 30 years of research and consulting experience in water engineering. His research interests cover a wide range of challenges related to water and wastewater infrastructure including development of smart water technologies. Prof Kapelan pioneered the award winning burst/leak detection technology that is now used companywide in one of the largest UK water utilities resulting in multi-million pounds annual savings via reduced operational costs. The other smart technology for automated detection of faults in sewers from CCTV is currently being transferred into another large UK water company. He has (co)authored over 350 technical publications with over 120 peer-reviewed journal papers and an H-index of 40. He is currently serving as an Associate Editor for the Water Resources Research (AGU) and the Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management (ASCE).
Date & Place
Thursday 14 March 2019, 15:30-17:00
Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment (map)
Julianalaan 134, 2628 BL, Delft
Room C, 1st floor (building map)