Interview L. Vamvakeridou and J. van den Broeke - ICT4Water: Creating a unified digital water playing field

“Dubbed one of the biggest, European-wide digital collaborations now helps water companies to use a common standard when it comes to their digital transformation journeys.
Starting in 2012, the ICT4Water cluster began life as a hub for European Union (EU)-funded research and innovation projects on ICT applied to water management. As the European Commission (EC) increased its focus on the digitalisation of the water sector, the cluster has grown to include over 60 projects.
It has since been addressing technology understanding and adoption gaps, bringing together multiple projects and stakeholders to exchange experiences.
A unified playing field – ICT4Water intends to help provide consistent, unified standards to promote the transition of ICT technologies in the water sector, from pilot scale to wide market uptake. The aim is to create a European borderless “digital single market” for water services. Joep van den Broeke, senior scientific researcher and project manager at KWR, said: “The water sector will benefit from a unified playing field and standardised ways of working. At the moment, that is lacking, and it hinders the adoption of new technology.”

(Citation: Interview L. Vamvakeridou and J. van den Broeke – ICT4Water: Creating a unified digital water playing field – www.waterwastewaterasia.com (2022)19 January)