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A novel approach to water network monitoring that uses sophisticated data-analysing software has won the 2013 Sustainia Award.
Sustainia is an international community of companies, NGOs, foundations and thought leaders that promotes sustainable development and “green drivers in their communities and industries”. Ten finalists, including a number of public works solutions, were selected among more than 500 projects from 79 countries.
Developed by Israeli technology company TaKaDu, the winning innovation applies sophisticated statistical algorithms to analyse data from existing sources, using the results to automatically locate and classify water network “events” at the early stages, such as leaking pipes and meter faults. As a result, the technology can save water, energy, money and time, TaKaDu says. As a software solution, it can also be deployed quickly and remotely.
The 2013 Sustainia Award, chaired by Arnold Schwarzenegger, was presented in Copenhagen, Denmark on 7 November by Chair of the United Nations International Panel of Climate Change (IPCC), Dr Rajendra K. Pachauri.
“Tonight’s award winner is an excellent solution to how we can optimise our most valuable resource, water. Their state-of-the-art technology helps to reduce water loss and ensure supplies to a growing population,” Pachauri said.
Among the ten finalists were a number of public works solutions. For example, a smart streetlight solution from the Netherlands called Tvilight combines hardware, sensors, wireless communication and a dimmer to detect human occupancy and control street light intensity. The lights can be dimmed during off-peak hours, and will restore to full brightness if the system detects a pedestrian, car or cyclist, for example.
Chinese battery manufacturer BYD also made the list of finalists for its lightweight electric city bus with a range of 250km on a single charge in urban conditions. According to BYD, the electric bus can be fully charged in about five hours and the chemicals contained in the battery can be safely recycled.
IPWEA will be holding a Sustainability in Public Works Conference on 27–29 July 2014 to focus on practical sustainability solutions in public works.
Over the two full days of presentations, panel discussions and networking, the conference will help busy professionals make sense of current sustainability and resilient community developments. It will generate ideas, useable knowledge and practical measures that can be applied to make a real difference.
Call for Abstracts closes 16th December 2013.
Submit your sustainability innovation in the 2014 IPWEA Sustainable Solutions in Public Works Awards.