Getting Smart About Sewage

"Many communities face significant challenges when it comes to managing aging water and sewer infrastructures. But since we at IBM began to explore how we could apply advanced analytics and other technologies to help create sustainable water systems, we've found a growing number of people ready to think differently about the value of water, ready to meet those challenges head on. Our collaboration with the city of Dubuque, Iowa, continues with the rollout of a smart water meter pilot that will let customers see trends in their water use and help them to conserve. And in Sacramento, California, we're helping two agencies – the Sacramento Area Sewer District (SASD) and the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (SRCSD) - improve water quality and help prevent sewage spills."

To simplify the complex process of handling service requests, maintenance issues and general operations, the cities are using a system to unify their records and data to enable real-time sharing of information across departments -- easing the processing of requests and the response to emergencies.