Australian operator Telstra has recruited German IT and IoT integration company Software AG to help it devise a software solution for automated water management.
Telstra already uses Software AG’s Cumulocity IoT platform as the basis of its own IoT platform offering. Their new water management solution collects sensor data about water pressure and consumption from meters connected via Telstra’s NB-IoT network. Data will be collected in the duo’s cloud-based IoT platform.
They are testing the solution already with Busselton Water in Western Australia.
Telstra is packaging up Software AG’s IoT ‘solution accelerator for water management’ to provide water utilities a way to draw quick, easy insights from meter data and minimise the cost of supply to customers. The solution offers plug-and-play tools and rules for managing data in near real-time.
Utilities can add customisable tools and dashboards to monitor other data metrics such as aggregated consumption, flow and trend analysis, as well as peak and non-peak consumption. The Busselton Water proof will also allow for the optimisation of the power consumption associated with the utility’s water distribution system.
Telstra will offer the solution in Australia on a stand-alone basis or as part of its end to end “IoT for Intelligent Utilities” package. Telstra’s NB-IoT network covers more than 3.5 million square kilometres.
Tony Drewitt, head of IoT in Australia and New Zealand at Software AG, commented: “Water conservation and management is a top priority for many countries, cities and remote areas and we are excited to be helping create a solution that will address this.
“Combining digital meters, dedicated pressure sensors and Telstra’s NB-IoT network with our IoT analytics solution, we are able to deliver true water management-as-a-service.”
Gerhard Loots, executive for global IoT solutions at Telstra, said: “Given Busselton Water is already using radio frequency metering for customers, it is well-placed to test our water management solution.”
He added: “We are very excited to bring together our deep expertise and relationships in the water industry and technology partnerships to build a solution that meets the specific requirements of water utilities. By adding insight to the data our customers collect, our solutions will help Australian utilities save water, improve services and drive real business outcomes.”
Chris Elliott, chief executive officer at Busselton Water, said: “With water being such a scarce resource, the use of digital technology to help us better monitor and manage our system will be a huge benefit to our business. This is not just in the conservation of water, but in the provision of more reliable, cost effective water services to our consumer and business customers.”
