Finland is adopting smart water services
Published: 3.2.2020
At the end of May, Digita participated in the annual Water Services Days event, which was organised by the Finnish Water Utilities Association (FIWA) at Holiday Club Saimaa in Imatra. The event participants included more than 850 elected representatives and employees of municipalities and water utilities, representatives of authorities and exhibitors.
The event consisted of topical presentations and a fair organised by companies operating in the industry, with Digita being one participant. The annual Water Services Days is one of the key events in the Finnish water service sector. Digita’s theme in the event was the digitalisation of the water service industry.
The digitalisation of the water service industry is currently a hot topic. According to Ari Kuukka, Director, IoT services at Digita, the industry understands the business benefits of digitalisation, and many companies have already started projects to digitalise the water infrastructure.
The LoRaWAN technology provided by Digita for various IoT solutions is a very good fit with the water service industry, as the sensors used for data collection are lightweight and easy to install with no cabling required. Long battery life – in some cases up to 10 years – makes it easy to install sensors for the entire water service infrastructure if necessary. Due to longevity, they are nearly maintenance-free.
In the digitalisation of water services, another benefit of the LoRaWAN technology is that radio signals penetrate structures very well. Sensors can be placed even deep underground, for example in storm water sewers, the bottom of lakes or in ducts,” says Mona Miettinen, Sales manager, IoT Services.
Where to start the digitalisation of water services?
Depending on the situation, we usually recommend a pilot project as the first step. A company can first carry out tests in one area, for example, monitor the water levels in storm water sewers,” says Miettinen when asked about the first phases of digitalisation. If a company already has resources and experience in digitalisation, larger implementations can be planned in order to improve the cost-effectiveness of business and to free resources for more useful work.
The building and testing of IoT solutions can be started in a rather agile manner. Digita can help with project initiation, and we recommend consulting Digita’s technical experts in the early phases. When a pilot is found to work, the IoT project’s size can be scaled up so that it benefits the entire business.