InfoTiles is looking to transform the water industry by unlocking the power of data using a new platform that will help combat growing water shortage across the world. In this article, chief executive Johnny Alexander talks about his passion for water and how digital technology is a catalyst for positive change.
In the fjords of Norway, a group of self-confessed water and data nerds are exploring how new digital technologies and approaches can change water management for the better. Now, InfoTiles is expanding beyond Scandinavia and sharing the technology worldwide, helping water utilities and industry manage water sustainably.
Positive change and building a team
With a background in management consultancy, Johnny Alexander became passionate about water and looked for ways to match this passion with existing expertise. In 2016, InfoTiles was established with friend and colleague Pedja Bihor to explore new water management technologies that would help preserve this precious common good. “Pedja and I both felt the need to build a company that our kids would be proud of while making a positive global impact. You can call it digital technology for positive change,” said Johnny Alexander.
From the start, InfoTiles adopted a multidisciplinary approach, understanding the complexity of modern water systems that draw on a range of technologies and disciplinary fields, Johnny Alexander noted, “InfoTiles is team of passionate water enthusiasts, spanning hydrologists, machine learning and data analysts, front and back-end software developers, and marketing and communications professionals that have come together to be a positive force in water management.”
On this foundation, the team set about trying to solve the biggest challenges within the water industry such as aging infrastructure, overuse, pollution, a changing climate, and uniting disconnected data.
The water industry and disconnected data
As the climate changes and water shortages grow, using water wisely and reducing wastage is crucial. Governments and those within the industry are aware that far-reaching changes are needed now, Johnny Alexander notes, “Globally, using water sustainably has never been more important. Ageing infrastructure, inadequate investment, and a changing and more unpredictable climate are all contributing to an internationally recognised crisis.”
To find solutions to these challenges, data collection and analysis will play an important role in understanding where and when proactive measures are needed. However, while the industry is embracing data to drive change and upgrade systems, the challenges posed by aging infrastructure, decades of underinvestment, disparate legacy equipment, and lack of forward planning means that data can be fragmented and disconnected.
This can make it difficult to analyse and identify what is truly important, meaning that the data is of little use to decision-makers. This problem is the gap where InfoTiles operates, seeking to unify the various sources of data and provide users with real-time data analytics that span the entire water value chain. This includes supply and consumption, treating wastewater, and enhancing the surveillance of water systems.
As Johnny Alexander points out, “The InfoTiles software unlocks data-driven planning, operations, and maintenance so that water companies, utilities, and water use industries can make decisions based on facts. InfoTiles simplifies and automates the tedious and time-consuming steps of consolidating data by applying real-time analytics and machine learning to turn insights into actions to benefit from more efficient, sustainable operations.”
What data does InfoTiles collect?
At its core, InfoTiles provides a flexible approach to data, giving the ability to collect many types of water-related data from different sources, combining it to provide useful insights at every stage of water management. As an example, InfoTiles can gather detailed information tailored to each application, including:
- Water consumption
- Flow rates
- Pressure levels
- Temperature
- Leakage
- Water quality parameters
- Asset health and integrity
- Water ingress and infiltration
- Meteorological data
InfoTiles can collect data from various sources, including smart meters, a variety of sensors, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and existing supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA). All this data is collected in real time and sent to the InfoTiles platform, hosted on Microsoft Azure.
The InfoTiles system can take data in different formats and structures and harmonise it to create a unified dataset. The aggregated data provides the system with a strong foundation for monitoring and analysis.
Enhanced water data analysis
To analyse the data, machine learning and artificial intelligence use algorithms to provide InfoTiles with the ability to analyse the blended data. The algorithms look for any patterns, anomalies, and correlations within the dataset to identify potential issues, such as leaks, to help users optimise water distribution and predict water consumption trends.
Analysing data is only the first stage, and it needs to be available in a way that helps users access important information and explore the system at all levels. InfoTiles presents the data through intuitive, centralised dashboards where users can access interactive charts, graphs, maps, and trend analyses.
With this user-friendly interface, the system presents complex information in understandable formats. InfoTiles lets users customise views to present the information they feel is most important, filtering data and gaining important insights from the presented information.
Johnny Alexander said, “InfoTiles’ innovative analytics platform empowers water companies, utilities, and industrial water users to make informed decisions, improve operational efficiency, and promote water conservation through data-driven insights. We work collaboratively with all our customers from the beginning to ensure their challenges are overcome, creating bespoke solutions which meet specific needs.”
What sectors does InfoTiles help?
The flexibility of the InfoTiles software means that it can identify problems, solutions and opportunities for several sectors spanning the water industry including:
- Water utilities: Enhancing water distribution, leakage detection, and operational efficiency and flood management
- Municipalities: Aiding in water management, allocation, and sustainability initiatives.
- Industrial facilities: Supporting water usage optimisation, compliance monitoring, and cost reduction.
This comprehensive system covers all aspects of the water value chain and supports real-time analysis to bring tangible benefits.
Benefiting the water industry
InfoTiles users can unlock a number of benefits from the platform, such as using data to promote positive and sustainable water management and helping systems to better cope with future challenges. Another issue that water companies, utilities and industrial water users face is the increasingly strict regulations to protect consumers and the environment. InfoTiles can help users navigate the often-complex compliance and regulatory demands.
Using and analysing data can help users boost operational efficiency through streamlining processes and connecting disparate systems. This can help water companies, utilities, and industrial users begin the digital transformation and integrate technology with ease. Importantly, harnessing data can help understand where, when, and how to invest money, leading to reductions in operational expenditure.
Overcoming challenges
Designing and integrating new digital systems always carries some challenges as integrating data from many sources, including legacy systems, can be difficult, especially the process of securing sensitive water data and ensuring no unauthorised access. For this reason, some are wary of adopting data-centric approaches, which can slow down digital transformation.
For this reason, InfoTiles places great emphasis on cybersecurity, noting that cloud-based systems need robust measures to protect data and encourage organisations to adopt data-based approaches. To help with this, InfoTiles works with its customers to give reassurance and gradually introduce them to the technology.
Johnny Alexander said, “If potential customers are unsure about how they can adopt and use InfoTiles, or whether the capital expenditure will yield good returns on investment, we say, ‘okay, let us show you how InfoTiles could help – with no strings attached!’ That is how much we believe in its ability to help and change water management for the better.”
Moving water data collection into the future
Over the past few years, the team at InfoTiles has developed the software ready to move to the next stage, “After amazing few years of growth and development, InfoTiles has officially moved from a startup to a scale up company seeking to expand reach and impact.
“Continuously developing advanced analytics, AI-driven insights, and predictive modelling, the team is continuously expanding to ensure the InfoTiles software is smarter, more agile, and adaptive to more challenges.”
Expanding further afield is another part of InfoTiles’ development, moving outside Norway and building collaborations with water companies, utilities, and industrial users across Europe and beyond. Johnny Alexander said, “As well as already working in Germany, Demark, the UK, Switzerland, and Sweden, InfoTiles had its US debut at the Water Council’s prestigious Brew 2.0 programme in Milwaukee in June 2023.”
Johnny Alexander
With a number of strategic partnerships developing with technology leaders and prominent water management organisations, he believes this is the key to success, noting that in the water sector, partnerships are especially important given the complex and interconnected nature of water issues.
The InfoTiles approach to water can be best summed up as a philosophy and determination to help solve the world’s water crisis while helping the industry modernise and embrace fresh technologies.
“InfoTiles’ journey is driven by a commitment to transform water management through data-driven solutions to contribute to a more sustainable and efficient water future. Our vision is to be a source of truth concerning the world’s most important common good, water,” said Johnny Alexander.
Find out more at: Infotiles.no
