SHAH ALAM: As climate change and rapid development adversely affects water availability and sustainability, water operators must harness advanced technologies brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution – which range from data analytics, artificial intelligence to remote sensing – to solve long-standing water management challenges.
Realising this, Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) has embarked on a Digital Drive to help the organisation to develop secure, sustainable and resilient water resources.
Air Selangor’s digital transformation is about using technology, people and processes to radically change its business performance.
The new Intelligent Command Centre (ICC) is one of the key drivers in the digitalisation of the water services.
The organisation understands that a digital transformation is most powerful when it is strategic and addresses both the technological and human elements of implementation. As such, when Air Selangor outlined its business strategy in 2017, it had built digital investments into those strategies to transform Air Selangor into a digital utility.
A digital water utility not only enjoys increased efficiency, cost savings, operational reliability, improved decision making, increased public safety and enhanced value to customers, it also improves water quality services leading to best customer experience.
Air Selangor’s three immediate digital strategies are:
- Real-time monitoring & prediction
With the use of real-time monitoring and prediction systems, Air Selangor can undertake real-time monitoring of water assets as well as pipe burst prediction, among others. - Digital Working Culture
As the organisation becomes more digital, utility professionals are undergoing a shift to adopt new technologies such as application of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) and workforce mobility which not only raises their efficiencies but also provide the best service possible to customers. - Empowered Customers
As the organisation transforms digitally, it can offer its customers with a rich digital experience to empower customers to not only get latest water supply updates but also be more in control of their water use.
Real-time monitoring of the water supply and distribution systems.
On 9 April 2019, more than 600 Air Selangor employees were given updates on the progress of the organisation’s digital transformation at the Air Selangor Digital Drive 2019 event.
The event also placed Air Selangor on the IoT Day Map, making it the only organisation in the country to hold an event to acknowledge and embrace the advent of the Internet-of-Things in this Fourth Industrial Revolution.