Join the Transformation Journey!
Programme*
Programme is subject to change*
08:00 – 14:30 Digital Water Summit room and InnoHub Hall assembly
14:30 – 18:00 Delegates Registration
14:30 – 18:00 Technical visits *
*Technical visits depart from the conference centre at 15:00. Please arrive 15 minutes before departure time.
08:00 – 18:00 Registration
09:00 – 10:00 Opening ceremony, with:
Kalanithy Vairavamoorthy, Executive Director of the International Water Association (IWA)
Fernando Morcillo, President of Spanish Association of Water Supply and Sanitation (AEAS)
Kepa Odriozola, President of Consorcio de Aguas Bilbao Bizkaia (CABB)
10:00 – 10:30 Keynote
Monitoring to Insight by Vikki Williams (Digital Water Leader – Arup)
Hear how environmental monitoring improves decision-making in the built environment, shown through two case studies.
10:30 – 11:30 Technical presentations (Chair: Will Sarni, Water Foundry)
Unlocking the Digital Potential
The introduction of digitalisation in the water sector has radically transformed the way traditional processes, from wastewater treatment to customer service, are carried out. The theme Unlocking the Digital Potential will highlight real-world digital adoption case studies and how digital solutions have enhanced water management and generated company revenue. With:
Alejandra Puig Infante (Deputy Assistant Director, Water Protection and Risk Management Subdivision, Spanish Water Agency – Ministry for Ecological Transition)
Roxana Marin (VP Eastern Europe – Xylem)
María Angeles Vicente (Systems Director – Aqualia)
11:30 – 12:30 Morning Break, InnoHub session, & networking
InnoHub Presenter:
Guillem Bosch (Sales Technician – IDRICA)
Sergio Arróniz Prado (Business Unit Director, Civil Engineering, Marine and Environmental B.U. – Grupo Álava)
Elisa Castro (Senior Account Manager – Aveva)
12:30 – 14:00 Technical presentations (Chair: Saba Daneshgar, University of Ghent)
Digital Platforms
Digital platforms and drones can increase design flexibility, boost efficiency, and simplify the procedures of sharing information between team members and clients. This session will look at the newest technological advances. With:
Ainhoa Lete (Co-founder & CEO – BuntPlanet) & Unai Lerma (Commercial Director – Consorcio de Aguas Bilbao) – Digital strategy for commercial losses reduction
Sergio T. Coelho (Co-founder & CEO – Baseform) – Leveraging facts (Data) to achieve rational results.
Maria Gil (Spain Country Manager – Idrica) – Digital sustainability: the future of water is here
Apostolis Tzimas (Project Lead – PrimeWater) – Creating a Watershed Digital Twin for operational hydro-ecological forecasting services
Nerea Landaburu (Deputy Director Projects and Works Supply – Consorcio de Aguas Bilbao Bizkaia) & Fran Espada (Founder & CEO – Hovering Solutions) – Inspections and 3D digitalisation of Ordunte Canal by autonomous flying robots
14:00 – 15:30 Lunch Break, InnoHub session, & networking
InnoHub Presenters:
José Manuel Baraibar (zTechnical Director – Viuda De Sainz, SA)
Natalia Alegria Gutierrez (Professor – University of the Basque Country)
Luis Navarro (Business Development Manager – Hach Lange Spain, SLU)
15:30 – 16:00 Keynote
Data, Decisions, Digital – The Role of Technology in Transforming Water by Valentina D’Aniello (Vice President Global Product Management Wastewater Pumping – Xylem)
What does the water utility of the future look like? What’s possible as utilities across the globe adopt and implement digital technology? Join Valentina as she describes what’s ahead for water utilities.
16:00 – 17:00 Interactive session
Digital Transformation Today (Chair: Enrique Cabrera, IWA)
Digitalisation is advancing everywhere, and numerous pilot projects and examples are available now, but not all digital will be part of the sector’s paradigm shift. This session will concentrate on the key features of water digitalisation in different regions around the world, as well as how digital solutions can contribute to different realities. It will also cover how various stakeholders should begin to channel their digitalisation efforts and what changes are required for these initiatives to be successful in organisational culture, capacity building, and even sector governance. With:
Rik Thijssens (Director Business Development & Innovation – Vitens)
Vikki Williams (Digital Water Leader – Arup)
Pedro Pina (Senior Director, Client Development Europe & Emerging Markets – Xylem)
17:00 – 18:00 Afternoon Break, InnoHub session, & networking
InnoHub Presenters:
José Díaz de Greñu (Technical Director – Elliot Cloud) – Improving energy efficiency and NRW in water companies
Garry Tabor (Director of Smart Water Solutions – ATi)
Ramon Dolz (Director Spain & Latin America – Baseform)
18:00 – 20:00 Welcome Light Dinner Reception by Aqualia (Social Event)
08:00 – 18:00 Registration
09:00 – 09:30 Keynote
Digital Water with a higher purpose by Cecilia Wennberg (Executive Vice President Water in Cities Global Business Unit – DHI)
The presentation will discuss the purpose and value creation of digital water if we have become wiser on its drivers, execution and benefits. Is there a comprehensive value-driven digital water vision, truly anchored with the decision-makers in the business strategies? What are the possible next achievements and challenges?
09:30 – 11:00 Technical presentations
The Digital Journey (Chair: Pilar Conejos, Idrica)
Working towards the digitalisation of the water sector necessitates a restructuring and a significant shift in terms of business practices. It is more than simply a matter of technology. Presenters will share examples of how their organisations initiated and are continuing along their digital transformation curve during the Digital Journey session. With:
Magnus Arnell (Researcher – RISE Research Institutes of Sweden) – A roadmap for digital transformation of urban water systems
Francisco Cubillo (Senior International Consultant – IDB) – Focusing on digital maturity and transformation: AquaRating tools for utility improvement
Joao Feliciano (CEO – AGS) – AGS’s path towards digitalisation
William Sarni (Founder & CEO – Water Foundry) – The Digital Watershed (TM) and Watershed Health
Youri Amerlinck (Researcher – Aquafin NV) – You’ll never walk alone on the digital transformation journey
11:00 – 12:00 Morning Break, InnoHub session, & networking
InnoHub Presenters:
Apostolis Tzimas (Project Lead – PrimeWater) – Water quality intelligence suite – WQiS
Operational monitoring with satellite imagery and hydro-ecological forecasting in water system
Liliana Velasco (Global Water Business Development Manager – Minsait, an Indra company) – Oblysis: Aerobic Granular Sludge Technology for WWTP
Alberto Jiménez (Chief Operating Officer – Adasa Systems) – EACAR, On-line Wastewater Quality Monitoring
12:00 – 13:30 Technical presentations
Digital Innovation (Chair: Joana Cassidy, AGS)
The Digital Innovation Session will explore the advent of technological innovations in boosting the management of water systems, asset management, water treatment, and water loss. The water sector is experiencing an accelerated digital transformation fuelled by connectivity, higher monitoring capabilities and the development of IT platforms. Data management and digitalisation are key. Attendees will have the opportunity to see first-hand the applications of the solutions and their results. With:
Nicolas Caradot (Head of Group ‘Smart City & Infrastructure’ – KWB gGmbH) & Ulf Stein (Senior Fellow & Coordinator Water Studies – Ecologic Institute) – Boost the integrated management of water systems by leveraging the potential of data and digital technologies
Javier Climent Agustina (CEO – HYDRENS) & Eduardo Ayesa (Principal Researcher, Water & Waste Group – CEIT) – CFD solutions for water treatment facilities
Nicolas Picard (Digital Product Manager – Veolia) & David Maisonneuve (Performance Manager/Water Networks Technical Expert – Access to Water & Sanitation) – Water Loss Management – Every drop counts!
Eric Voost (Asset Manager – Waternet) & Eljakim Koopman (IT Domain Director – Waternet Digitalisation Department) – Implementing Asset Management at Waternet: The Water Cycle Approach
13:30 – 15:00 Lunch Break, InnoHub session, & networking
InnoHub Presenters:
Pawel Licznar (Director -Retencja) – WaterFolder.com digital design platform of drainage systems
Álvaro Fernández del Amo (Finance Business Development Manager – Hovering Solutions)
Representative Vitens
15:00 – 15:30 Keynote
Unlocking the regenerative power of water by José Diaz-Caneja (CEO – Acciona)
By 2030, the world could face a global water deficit of 40% under a business-as-usual scenario. Climate change is disrupting weather patterns, leading to extreme weather events and impacting over water availability globally.
15:30 – 16:30 Interactive session
Measure-2-Manage (Chair: Oliver Grievson, IWA)
Measuring/instrumentation and the data it generates are critical components of Digital Water, and the notion would be meaningless without them. In this interactive event, we will discuss data and its sources, as well as how, simply put, we can improve measurement in the water business. From instrumentation to fuzzy sensors, we will examine data and its various sources as a crucial building component of Digital Water. With:
Pilar Conejos (Water Supply Specialist/Digital Twin Manager – Idrica)
Luis Navarro (Business Development Manager – Hach Lange Spain, SLU)
Jordi Raich (Iberia Managing Director & Co-founder – s::can)
16:30 – 17:00 Afternoon break
17:00 – 18:00 Interactive session
Seeing Digital (Chair: Oliver Grievson, IWA & Cecilia Wennberg, DHI)
Being able to visualise data and information is one of the keys to delivering Digital Water. There are millions of pieces of data and information that the water industry collects every day. How do we visualise all of this data? How do we make sense of it all? The key is to visualise it in ways that stakeholders can understand. In this interactive session, we will look at how, using Digital Water techniques we can make sense of all of this data and combat DRIP using the various Digital Tool available from algorithms to AI and dreaded dashboards to picture-perfect visualisations we will examine how we can make sense from the noise. With:
Biju George (EVP – Ampcus Inc)
Prabhu Chandrasekeran (Intelligent Water National Practice Leader – Arcadis)
18:00 – 20:00 Pintxo Challenge (Social Event)
08:00 – 18:00 Registration
09:00 – 09:30 Keynote
Corporate Innovation – Innovative Organisations in Changing Environments by Michael Bednar-Brandt (Business Owner – Bednar-Brandt Innovation)
Challenging the audience to the human side of cultural transformation, programs versus movements, corporate innovation fitness, and your personal role in that game.
09:30 – 11:00 Technical presentations
Cybersecurity (Chair: Randolf Waters, Xylem)
The Cybersecurity Session will shed light on the advancements of cybersecurity assets. The theme of Cybersecurity will explore how companies are reducing the risk of cyber-attack. Participants can expect to learn more about the best practices used to minimise these risks. Attendees will be presented with the latest unmanned AI solutions that monitor and prevent physical threats to industrial water facilities. They will also be presented with control systems in water and wastewater treatment plants that minimise risks and secure business assets both financially and physically. Witness the water sector’s steps towards a secure, fully automated, and AI-driven industry. With:
Biju George (Executive Vice President – Ampcus) – Cybersecurity & US Water Systems
Eduardo Martínez Mendízabal (Head of Business Development Central Europe, Grupo SIA Indra) – Comprehensive OT and IT monitoring and detection model: a key factor for a proactive cybersecurity management in water sector
Harsha Ratnaweera (Professor on Water and Wastewater Technology, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, NMBU) – Best practices to minimise cyber risks – use of innovative process surveillance and control to manage cyber risks
11:00 – 12:00 Morning break, InnoHub session, & networking
InnoHub Presenter:
Maciej Pawelec (IT Manager – Rentecja) – How software can protect the aquatic environment – Case studies from Poland
Nicolas Picard (Digital Product Manager – Veolia) – Veolia Water Loss Management solution demo
12:00 – 13:30 Technical presentations
Building on Digital Success (Chair: Cathy Liu, Kemira)
In this session delegates will hear about the improvements new technologies bring to water sanitation, wastewater treatment, potable waters, and their distribution networks. Learn about the ‘biofactory’, a novel system that supports the transition towards a circular economy by ensuring high-efficiency operations, enabling the recovery of added-value subproducts and energy from wastewater. Hear about machine learning applications. In addition, attendees will witness the real-case implementations of high-frequency remote reading systems within a water supply system. With:
Jordi Raich (Iberia Managing Director & Co-founder – s::can GmbH) & Aleix Martorell (Water Engineer – Consorci d’Aigües de Tarragona – CAT) – The use of online water quality monitoring to improve operations in the drinking water treatment plant and the distribution network – A real case in the province of Tarragona (Spain).
Kevin Nirsimloo (Associate Director – Altereo) & Representative (SEDIF) – An intelligent process for the automatic creation of optimised renewal worksites.
Miguel Toledo (IoT Engineer & Sales Manager EMEA – Datakorum Solutions, S.L. – Digital Twin with real-time high-frequency data collection
Murillo Borges (Director of Operation – Igua Saneamento) – A 360° view of a digitalization process in a sanitation company in Brazil
Rafael Giménez (AI R&D Leader – AGBAR) – From DALL-E to the biofactory: next-generation Computer Vision supporting the intelligent operation in Wastewater Treatment Plants
13:30 – 15:00 Lunchbreak, InnoHub session, & networking
InnoHub Presenter:
Carlos Ruiz Cabeza (Territory Sales Manager – Westermo Data Communications SL)
Ulrik Højbjerre (Chief Solution Manager – Grundfos)
15:00 – 15:30 Keynote
The digitalisation of the water sector in low- and middle-income countries – from potential to real impact by George Kibala Bauer (Director – Digital Utilities, GSMA)
15:30 – 16:30 Interactive session
Digital Futures (Chair: Enrique Cabrera, IWA)
There is little debate about the water future being digital. However, what can we expect in the near future? How will digitalisation efforts evolve until the next IWA Digital Water Summit? What are the greatest challenges that the sector will face to achieve a digital future and what are the relevant strategies to overcome those challenges? Are there any disruptive technologies or events on the horizon? This session will focus on the digital future and how to make the most of it. With:
Rafael Alvarez (Managing Director: Iberia – Xylem)
Vladan Babovic (Professor – NUS)
Saba Daneshgar (Post-doctoral Researcher at BIOMATH – University of Gent)
16:30 – 17:00 Closing ceremony
20:00 – 00:00 Gala Evening (Social Event)
The Digital Water Summit format
The first edition of the IWA Digital Water Summit is designed to be the reference platform for digitalisation in the global water sector. The Summit has a focus on business and industry. Technology providers and water utilities will be some of the key participants that will discuss and shape the agenda of the summit. With plenary sessions, immersive discussions, exhibition, technical visits, and social activities, the programme is expected to be highly practical and interactive.
Hear from leading experts in digital water who will challenge your views about the future of sustainable water management.
The plenary presentations will feature current digital transformation solutions presented by the solution providers and the host utility. Participants will be able to discover new digital solutions and schedule meetings with the presenters to consider similar applications elsewhere.
The Innohub exhibition area will be an open space featuring some of the key digital providers from the industry. Participants will be able to explore networking opportunities and schedule meetings during the summit to discuss new technologies and solutions. The Innohub presentations will feature commercial solutions and will focus on the products and solutions offered by companies. Weeks before the summit, participants will be able to organize meetings with key industry individuals present in Bilbao. The program offers multiple opportunities, with several hours a day dedicated to breaks and Innohub activities. The venue will also feature meeting spaces in abundance to facilitate the exchange of ideas and information.
Interactive Fun Sessions
These sessions will allow an open, participative and controversial debate around the digital journey for service providers. The sessions will feature an informal tone, the participations of key experts in the panel and the possibility for the audience to engage in the discussion. Four interactive ‘Fun Sessions’ will take place during the summit, you can find more information about the topics below.
1) Digital Transformation Today
Hosted by: Enrique Cabrera, Chair of the IWA Specialist Group on Benchmarking and Performance Assessment
Digitalisation is everywhere, and today we find plenty of pilot projects and examples, but not everything digital will be part of the paradigm shift in the sector. This session will focus on the key aspects of water digitalisation in different parts of the world and how digital solutions can contribute to different realities. It will also address how different stakeholders should start to channel their digitalisation efforts and what necessary changes are needed for these efforts to succeed in organisational culture, capacity building and even sector governance.
2) Measure 2 Manage
Hosted by: Oliver Grievson, Chair of the Digital Water Programme and Technical Lead at Z-Tech Control Systems
Measurement and the data it brings are a fundamental part of Digital Water and without them, the whole concept cannot exist. In this interactive session we will talk about data and its sources and how, quite simply, we can get better at measurement in the water industry. From instrumentation to fuzzy sensors we will discuss data and its many sources as a fundamental building block of Digital Water.
3) Seeing Digital
Hosted by: Oliver Grievson, Chair of the Digital Water Programme and Technical Lead at Z-Tech Control Systems & Cecilia Wennberg – Executive Vice President Water in Cities Global Business Unit DHI
Being able to visualise data and information is one of the keys to delivering Digital Water. There are literally millions of pieces of data and information that the water industry collects every day. How do we visualise all of this data? How do we make sense of it all? The key is to visualise it in ways that stakeholders can understand. In this interactive session, we will look at how, using Digital Water techniques we can make sense of all of this data and combat DRIP using the various Digital Tool available from algorithms to AI and dreaded dashboards to picture-perfect visualisations we will examine how we can make sense from the noise.
4) The Digital Future
Hosted by Enrique Cabrera – Chair of the IWA Specialist Group on Benchmarking and Performance Assessment
There is little debate about the water future being digital. However, what can we expect in the near future? How will digitalization efforts evolve until the next IWA Digital Water Summit? What are the greatest challenges that the sector will face to achieve a digital future and what are the relevant strategies to overcome those challenges? Are there any disruptive technologies or events on the horizon? This session will focus on the digital future and how to make the most out of it.