SWAN Forum articles

Competition in the current job market is fierce, especially as the economy recovers from the COVID-19 crisis. Despite being forced into new and remote ways of working, the water sector has already started undergoing a digital transformation journey. While the pandemic has accelerated this and urged the creation of new roles and opportunities, how can one stand out from a global application pool and get their desired job in this scenario? 

In the recent webinar

The current global pandemic has proved that digital solutions are not only a nice-to-have but a must-have for water utilities around the world.

Now more than ever it is vital to remotely monitor and operate assets, optimise operating costs in the face of unexpected events, manage emergency situations, rationalise resources and efficiently manage fieldwork. For all this to happen, cybersecurity must be an inherent component of the process.

As the need for connectivity deep

Today, solution providers in the water space are increasingly realising that in order to stay economically competitive, they need to rethink the traditional ‘product’ oriented, transactional nature of business deals. Whether this involves making minor iterations to a product line, rethinking marketing channels, or offering different procurement-related contract incentives, business model innovation has an impact on all. This, on top of regulatory, environmental and social in

On Feb. 18th, 2021, over 400 participants tuned in to a virtual SWAN-WIPAC Workshop sponsored by Siemens to discuss “Overcoming Pollution - From Monitoring to Solutions.” The event opened with a keynote address by UK Member of Parliament Philip Dunne, who recently introduced a Private Member’s Bill to address sewage river pollution and water quality issues in the UK. Mr Dunne felt there was a timely opportunity to leverage political legis

What happened in Texas last week?

Texas is no stranger to natural disasters.  However, this recent winter storm was a perfect confluence of events that brought Texas’ critical infrastructure to its knees.  Peak energy demand outstripped supply as power generation was crippled by record low temperatures, resulting in state-wide rolling blackouts for days.  Water utilities went to war with mother nature to keep pumps running through bla

In honour of International Women’s Day (March 8th, 2021), the SWAN Forum and SWAN India Alliance collaborated with new partner Safe Water Network on an event highlighting the intersection of women, data and technology. This event was inspired by the recent Jal Jeevan Missions (JJM) to achieve water access and equity across India. Another key part of this poli

Established in 2010, SWAN’s five-layered model of a Smart Water Network (see figure below) is based on the following: 

1.  The physical layer consisting of pipes, pumps, valves etc.
2. The sensing and control layer consisting of sensors and actuators.
3. The collection and communication layer consisting of data exchange and transmission.
4. The data management and display layer consisting of various types of dashboards especially t

The water industry is not the first thing most people think of when talking about SMART technology – especially when water and electronics often aren’t a good combination. But if anyone needed proof that innovative technology was a focus for water companies and industry partners on a global scale, the SWAN 10th Annual Conference was the place to get it. With three days of topics from Aligning People and Strategy, to Digital Twins,

It might surprise you to hear, but there is one particular reason I’m grateful for limited travel this year. The move from in-person to virtual events afforded an opportunity to attend the SWAN 10th Annual Conference. This was my first experience participating in the well-known congress and it did not disappoint. I found many presentations that have enriched my work as a researcher in the field of water infrastructure engineering and I invite you to read my takeaways from the pane