Building connectivity for critical infrastructure organizations: the journey to digital maturity

Posted: December 14, 2023

One of my favorite parts of my job as AVEVA Industry Principal for Infrastructure and Water is learning how our customers are using technology to transform their businesses—whether that’s a water utility, an airport, a building, or even a whole city. AVEVA World is the best way to hear these stories en masse—three days, nearly 2,500 customers, partners, analysts, and industry experts in over 250 sessions sharing more than 150 customer stories.

Many of our infrastructure customers traveled from afar to share their stories including Acciona, Ashghal (who presented both its water and traffic management systems), CSL, Energy Development Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Namura Shipbuilding, Rauma Marine Constructions, and ReWa. Whether you were able to join us in person or not, you can now access all the presentations on demand.

The infrastructure stories ranged widely, but everyone emphasized data connectivity and the importance of interconnectedness. We heard about use cases such as stormwater management at EPCOR, which uses AVEVA™ PI System™ to predict and manage urban floodwater movement in the City of Edmonton, Canada, ensuring public safety and preventing regulatory fines. SYSCOM, an AVEVA Solution Partner, told us how it worked with the Dubai Municipality to develop, design, and configure a system to manage hundreds of remote sites and provide predictive data, analysis, and monitoring and control. The resulting system has increased productivity and efficiency by 21%. Impressively, with this increased visibility, Dubai Municipality has been able to save US$2 million each day by reusing water.

Also in the Middle East, Qatar Foundation shared how it’s reducing its carbon footprint by optimizing energy consumption. It uses a centralized operations control center and independent monitoring across its 12-square-kilometer campus with 45 buildings. Workers have used these insights to reduce energy consumption by 5.5%, optimize energy utilization, and ensure more resilient, reliable performance.

Speakers from Acciona told us how they are using AVEVA software to build digital solutions that help enhance the water production process. The company has used AVEVA™ System Platform, AVEVA™ Historian, and AVEVA™ Insight for a while, but is now adding AVEVA PI System as a data management tool to help users understand complex information. By incorporating predictive modeling, the team can use the platform to anticipate future trends and make better, faster, data-driven decisions.

Perhaps one of the most memorable stories was Delta River. The company used AVEVA™ E3D Design combined with complex drone scans to build a new wastewater treatment plant in Iraq. Using these tools improved construction efficiency, met stringent design standards, and ensured team safety in blistering 50°C temperatures. It was exciting to hear that hundreds of people across the world had collaborated to create 100% of the project’s engineering drawings online throughout the COVID pandemic. AVEVA E3D Design transformed the way teams at Delta River handle, share, and present data and enabled users to quickly identify missing or incorrect data and clashing objects. With this new visibility into engineering designs, Delta River reduced the risk of major construction mistakes to practically zero by revolutionizing the dynamics of online and offline team discussions.

Additional highlights included an engaging customer panel discussion on connected communities, featuring EPCOR, Inframark, Maya HTT, and Schneider Electric. AVEVA presenters also showcased upcoming launches specifically for our infrastructure customers, including monitoring and control, AVEVA™ Unified Operations Center, data ecosystems, artificial intelligence, and marine.

Our customer presentations highlighted themes of human-centricity, resilience, and sustainability, and emphasized the importance of good data and management, security, and ultimately connectivity. It’s rewarding to hear how AVEVA is helping our customers accelerate their digital transformation journeys—connecting systems, connecting people, and connecting insights.

What was your highlight? And what do you want to see more of as we plan for AVEVA World Paris 2024?

You can explore all the sessions from AVEVA World 2023 and previous events here.