Unitywater extends network monitoring contract with TaKaDu

Queensland water utility Unitywater has extended its contract with TaKaDu, an integrated water network management company. An initial 12-month trial provided Unitywater with a smart water network monitoring service designed to find hidden leaks and identify service abnormalities; the service will now be extended for another three years.

Over the past year, Unitywater engineers have scrutinised TaKaDu’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution as it monitored and reported real-time information and alerts about inefficiencies and water losses caused by leaks across Unitywater’s water supply network. This is estimated to have saved almost a billion litres of water that would otherwise have been lost through leakage.

Unitywater Executive Manager Infrastructure Services Division Glen Babington said the TaKaDu software ‘learned’ how Unitywater’s water supply system operates and, having established standards for what is normal, is able to identify unusual trends or anomalies within the network.

“TaKaDu alerts us to potential problems which we then investigate and fix,” Babington said. “The value comes especially from TaKaDu’s integration of different data types, which helps us to find hidden problems of multiple kinds, for instance, leaks into sandy soil or water theft.

“The software gives us a window through which we can see issues like leaks, bursts and pressure problems, and respond to them more quickly. The length of water mains in Unitywater’s network would reach from Brisbane to Darwin if laid clockwise around the Australian coast, so small water losses can add up.”

TaKaDu VP Sales and Marketing Moshe Tamir said his company’s software takes Unitywater’s existing meter and sensor readings, as well as data from other sources, applies advanced statistical algorithms to the data, then presents actionable insights within an easy-to-use web application for improved decision-making.

“Now that Unitywater’s staff are familiar with using the TaKaDu solution on a daily basis, we are looking forward to helping them gain additional value from it related to water quality, network performance and capital expenditure planning,” said Tamir. “Unitywater does everything to excel in what they do, and we are glad to be part of that.”

TaKaDu will continue developing its solution, adding more functionalities and features, with Unitywater as one of its closest partners influencing the company’s road map and further developments.