Bilbao, Spain, Oct. 02, 2012 -- Udal Sareak, the Bilbao Bizkaia Water Consortium subsidiary responsible for managing the water distribution network of 60 municipalities and localities in the Bilbao area, has announced that it selected TaKaDu’s water network monitoring solution for remotely monitoring its 2,300 Km long network.
The launching of the TaKaDu service marks the first rollout of remote water network monitoring technology in Spain and is a significant landmark in the global adoption of smart water network solutions. The service, which went live on Oct. 2 following a two-week setup process, will allow Udal Sareak to utilize its install-base of over 1000 existing flow and pressure meters for real-time, automated monitoring of the network for inefficiencies, faults, leaks and bursts.
“We have a network of approximately 2,300 KMs of mains that serves a population of 300,000 people. To allow optimal management of flow control, we divided the 60 localities into 300 hydraulic sectors to allow more localized analysis,” said Mr. Koldo Urkullu, general manager of Udal Sareak.
“But this amount of data becomes unmanageable because of the large volume of data, and attending to our day-to-day operation means that analysis of data may be postponed. It is at this point that a system like that proposed by TaKaDu allows the analysis to be performed automatically, 24 hours a day - generating meaningful events that allow us to manage the network more efficiently,” Mr. Urkullu added.
TaKaDu’s web-based interface will allow every employee of Udal Sareak to have instant access to real-time events detected by TaKaDu’s advanced algorithmic engine. “Udal Sareak is a true pioneer,” said Chief Executive Officer of TaKaDu Mr. Amir Peleg. “Being the first utility in Spain to recognize the need to adopt advanced technology to increase efficiency, and to roll out the solution in such a short time, puts Udal Sareak in line with the most advanced water utilities in the world.” The TaKaDu service was rolled out by TaKaDu’s partner in Spain, Envoirodata. Mr. Luis Lombana, General Manager of Envirodata, said: “The Spanish water industry has high awareness to efficiency and loss-reduction, and I’m sure that Udal Sareak‘s move will inspire additional utilities to take another step forward towards a ‘smart water network.’”
In addition to its expected benefits in reducing water loss and increasing staff efficiency, TaKaDu will be used for identifying data gaps and helping the utility optimize its investment in data acquisition. According to Mr. Urkullu, “We realize that a system of this kind will require us to push forward, helping us to better implement our network strategy and force us to maintain the instrumentation and telecommunication systems more thoroughly, so we could provide reliable and current information.” He concluded, “We are very excited about this system which will allow us to categorize events and support the prioritization of repairs, improving our decision-making process. We believe the return on investment is clear, and we expect to see the impact on the performance of our network soon."
Udal Sareak, S.A. is a public utility formed by Consorcio de Aguas Bilbao Bizkaia to provide water supply services to a number of municipalities in the Basque Country. Udal Sareak was incorporated in year 2000 and currently serves 61 municipalities.
TaKaDu is the global leader in Water Network Monitoring, providing a comprehensive platform for water utilities looking to reduce costs and increase efficiency. TaKaDu's web-based solution detects, classifies, alerts and provides real-time insight on network inefficiencies, leaks, bursts, supply breaches, faults and other network events. The solution is based on complex algorithms which analyze online data from existing meters within the network (GIS, flow, pressure, etc.) in conjunction with external data.
TaKaDu’s patented technology is easy to deploy, requiring no network changes, no additional devices and no capital expenditure. TaKaDu is saving time, money, water and energy in water utilities around the globe, served through a global network of partners and resellers. The TaKaDu team boasts top-notch scientists with vast data analytics experience. TaKaDu is a founding member of the Smart Water Networks (SWAN) Forum, and the winner of many industry awards, including the prestigious Technology Pioneer award from the World Economic Forum.
Envirodata S.L. is a company specialized in providing cloud services for water utilities and environmental control applications. It is based in Madrid and covers all Spanish territory. Envirodata is committed to providing new technologies to solve current problems in its areas of expertise. The company offers best value of knowledge and experience in water monitoring and environmental control.
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