Digital Twins
Digital Twins
Today, digital twins can leverage static and live data streams such as SCADA, IoT, and AMR/AMI data to more precisely describe system performance, enable insights, and drive actionable outcomes for users. Digital twins can also be effectively used to leverage the power of artificial intelligence for improved decision-making.
Operators are leveraging the benefits of a digital twin of their system. Models run in the control room can be used to test responses to emergencies such as fires, pipe breaks, and power outages. Before or during an emergency, operators can contact engineers and request that they model scenarios to help respond with current challenges.
Digital Twins
What is a Digital Twin for Water
A digital, dynamic system of real-world entities and their behaviors using models with static and dynamic data that enable insights and interactions to drive actionable and optimized outcomes.
Applications of Digital Twins
The value of digital twins can be realized across the complete water cycle, and across the complete asset lifecycle. From planning and modeling, to design, construction and operations applications, digital twins are being used. Examples include real-time operational optimization twins, construction progress twins, and asset health twins.
Technical Resources
Manuals
M2 Instrumentation and Control
This manual describes the automatic control and instrumentation of water distribution, treatment, and storage systems.
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M32 Computer Modeling of Water Distribution Systems
Computer modeling is a water utility’s most powerful tool for managing and operating a water distribution system. M32 Computer Modeling of Water Distribution Systems describes how to build accurate water distribution system models.
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Events With a Focus on Digital Twins
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Related Resources
Handbook for Water Distribution System Model Calibration
Water distribution system hydraulic models are widely used in the planning, design, and operation of water distribution systems.
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Using Digital Twins to Improve Pumping and Distribution System Operations
Digital twins of water systems can give utility staff the real-time, detailed analyses they need to manage the complexities of pumping and distribution operations. Among others, the benefits yielded by investing in digital twins include cost savings, improved staff efficiency, optimal equipment operation, and the ability to quickly and accurately identify system issues. Five utility case studies illustrate how real-time data analysis effortlessly produced information that helped solve significant problems, some of which might not have been discovered otherwise.
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Ready or Not, Artificial Intelligence Is Here!
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as GPT-4 could revolutionize how water professionals manage water utilities. If you have any doubts about this, consider that the following column is an AI-generated summary of an original 6,500-word article on the topic of AI and water management. More than 99% of what follows was created using GPT-4, with minor editorial changes added for clarity and readability.
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Digital Twins: Case Studies in Water Distribution Management
The power of a digital twin—a digital representation of a physical object or process—lies in its combined use of current technologies. Water utilities can benefit from digital twins across a wide spectrum, from staff and system operations, to leak detection, to managing infrastructure assets. Detailed case studies show how two water utilities have used digital twins to be more effective in daily operations, strategic planning, and responses to unplanned events.
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Developing a Unified Definition of Digital Twins
Digital transformation has changed how the water industry sees, interacts with, and controls water and wastewater systems. The digital transformation process started decades ago with data digitization. Once collected, data are organized into database systems that provide the data context (metadata), thus creating information out of data. Models (physics-based or data-driven) of a whole utility system or its components also have been used for decades as analytical tools that mimic the behavior of physical systems. The models process system information into knowledge about the system’s current and future behavior using deterministic and/or stochastic methods. Knowledge of system behavior is then used to support utility decision-making.
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Demystifying Digital Twins: Definition, Applications, and Benefits
For utilities, digital twins are the next step in their digital transformation. Digital twins have various functional purposes and levels of maturity. Digital twins can be used to transfer knowledge from a retiring workforce, support increased customer trust and satisfaction, and optimize operations.
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Houston Public Works’ Journey Toward a Digital Twin
Rapid advances have been made in hydraulic modeling capabilities since the introduction of EPANET hydraulic modeling software in the early 1990s. In a matter of minutes, utilities can optimize pump operations for energy efficiency, assess disinfectant residuals, and even predict future system behavior in real time with links to supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) feeds.
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Let’s Discuss Digital Twins
The water sector is in the midst of a digital transformation, and utilities are finding they can operate more efficiently, conserve natural resources, and improve their financial stability by incorporating intelligent water. With an increasing number of case studies illustrating the significant return on investment that technology can provide, more utility leaders are considering and adopting, at least in some part, digital solutions to address their challenges and achieve their priorities.
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External Resources
Technical Committee Engagement
AWWA members are recognized globally for their industry expertise and their generosity in sharing that expertise for a better world through better water. AWWA members participate in committee activities, developing conference programs, writing technical manuals, developing standards, creating educational content, and contributing to AWWA publications. Committee members primarily interact through conference calls, emails, and face- to-face meetings at conferences and events.
Digital Twins
Engineering Modeling Applications
Operational Technology
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