Assessing the potential of digitalization by real-time monitoring of bacterial concentration in urban water systems

Digital solutions open up a variety of opportunities for the water sector. Digital water is now seen not as
an ‘option’ but as an ‘imperative’ (Sarni et al., 2019) for a more sustainable and secure water management.
Many solutions leverage the latest innovations developed across industries and business activities
including advanced sensors, data analytics and artificial intelligence. The potential of digitalization might
outweigh its associated risk if digital solutions are successfully implemented addressing a series of gaps
and barriers such as ICT governance, cybersecurity, data protection, interoperability and capacity building.
Within this context, the H2020 innovation project digital-water.city (DWC) aims at boosting the integrated
management of waters systems in five major European cities – Berlin, Copenhagen, Milan, Paris and
Sofia – by leveraging the potential of data and digital technologies. Goal is to quantify the benefits of a
panel of 15 innovative digital solutions and achieve their long-term uptake and successful integration in
the existing digital systems and governance processes.
One of these promising technology is a new sensor for real-time bacterial measurements, manufactured
by the company Fluidion (ALERT System; Angelescu et al., 2019). The device is fully autonomous, remotely
controllable, installed in-situ and allows rapid quantification of E.coli and enterococci concentrations.