Innovation

Milan’s Integrated Water Service networks and facilities are fully georeferenced, digitized and structured according to a data model that meets the best management standards in accordance with regional and ministerial regulations. During 2021, MM launched the collaboration tool on webGIS portals for the remote exchange , in real time shared mode, of information, notes and georeferenced images related to company assets, also finalizing the offline GIS mode to activate the GIS map viewer directly on the company devices of all technical operational staff during inspections even in the absence of internet network.

In 2022, the Water Service Division, with the support of the Innovation and Infromation Technology Division, integrated the GIS portal and the IBM Maximo system for the integrated management of requests and the provision of emergency services on water and sewerage. The constant exchange of information between the two systems provides useful information for analytical, statistical and reporting purposes, enabling the geolocation of requested and already executed interventions, identifying assets affected by possible disruptions and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of activities.

The waterworks pumping stations in Milan are equipped with a sophisticated automation and decision support system that leverages AI (Artificial Intelligence) algorithms and IoT (Internet of Things) tools, enabling more efficient use of data collected through monitoring activities by improving the energy per-formance of the water delivery phase.

The power plants use submersible pumps to lift water from the water table, which is filtered and deposited in storage tanks. From there, water is pushed into the distribution water network by booster pumps automatically regulated by DSS energy (decision support system) software, which enables the energy efficiency of drinking water pumping stations through the development of a hydraulic model that can predict network consumption and pressure by combining mathematical optimization algorithms of booster sets’ electrical consumption with a real-time analysis of the network’s water demand. Once the optimal combination is identified, the DSS sends it to the telemetry system that monitors and controls the pumping stations in real time (flow rates, pressures, storage tank levels, etc.) connected to MM’s WaterLink fiber optic network.

With the activation of the DSS in 2020, water consumption weighted on the volumes of water moved monthly by each power plant decreased from 0.400 kWh/m3 in 2019 to 0.356 kWh/m3 in 2023, a reduction of about 11% in the average net energy consumption index for extraction, treatment, and distribution per cubic meter of water ready to be supplied. In absolute terms, total energy consumption for water distribution decreased from 86 million kWh in 2019 to nearly 71.6 million kWh in 2023, a reduction of nearly 17 percent. As a result of these achievements, MM was also awarded energy efficiency white certificates by the GSE in 2023 for additional annual primary energy savings of about 1.200 tons of oil equivalent (TOE).

By optimizing readings, the use of smart metering technology on utility meters enables faster intervention in the event of leaks, abusive withdrawals or faults.

Thanks to the automated integration of data from smart meters for the management of flow rates and pressures in the distribution network, in recent years MM has embarked on a massive renewal program of the approximately 50,000 meters online (in compliance with DM 93/17), which as of December 2023 reached 96.3 percent of the total fleet (75 percent of which is telecontrolled from the fixed network101 and 25 percent via walk-by/drive-by102 with WM-bus 169 MHz protocol). This percentage is particularly significant when compared with the Italian average of utilities subjected to smart meter remote reading, which stood at 10 % in 2021.

In 2022, DSS Pressures, a computerized decision support system designed to optimize the hydraulic operation of the aqueduct with the goal of prelocalizing losses, was implemented. The system integrates water network leakage and flow monitoring software with a virtual hydraulic simulation model to detect, quantify and localize leaks.

The DSS Pressures exploits data from pressure sensors and from smart meters to analyze anomalies in the distribution network and provide useful information for planning scheduled or Emergency Response interventions. A dedicated algorithm provides a predictive estimate of the minimum and maximum water flow data that will be delivered in the following days, allowing anomalies to be flagged if there are deviations between the actual flow delivered and the estimate.

The system makes it possible to reduce water losses through more accurate identification of the most affected areas of the network, to assess the effectiveness and timing of pipeline repair work, and finally to identify the optimal configurations of pumping systems in the network, reducing the minimum nighttime pressure and keeping the network in the most stable and efficient configuration possible.