OVERVIEW
Theme: “Unlocking the Water Utility AMI Journey”
Organiser: SWAN Smart Metering Group
Partner: City of Cape Town
SWAN’s 1st Smart Metering Workshop in Cape Town featured insights from global and local experts focused on understanding the value of the water utility AMI journey. The event included a half-day workshop on financing strategies, focus on the African smart metering experience, interactive roundtables on the “how to” of smart metering, as well as an AI Masterclass, followed by utility study tours led by the City of Cape Town and Saldanha Bay Municipality.
HIGHLIGHTS
Scroll down to view the recordings and presentations.
February 28th, 2024
Held at EY’s Office (3 Dock Rd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town).
“Making Smart Metering Bankable”
The finance workshop captured the value of smart metering projects, including the grants landscape, finance model demo, and interactive roundtable session.
February 29th, 2024
Held at the Table Bay Hotel (Quay, 6 W Quay Rd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town)
Keynote Address
- Alderman Ian Neilson, Chairman: Water and Sanitation Portfolio Committee, Planning Appeals Advisory Panel, and Disciplinary Committee (City of Cape Town)
“Parched – The Cape Town Drought Story”
- Dr. Gisela Kaiser, Consultant (Water Globe)
Panel 1: “Understanding the ‘Why’ of AMI and Defining Success”
Moderator: Siya Bashe, Director, Commercial Services Department – Water and Sanitation Directorate (City Cape Town)
- Peter Thompson, Managing Director (Umgeni Water)
- F. Javier Fernández Delgado, Deputy Director – Telecontrol (Canal de Isabel II, Spain)
- Raghu Bharadwaj, Head of ICT Strategy, Portfolio and Digital Metering (Yarra Valley Water, Australia)
Panel 2: “The African Smart Metering Experience”
Moderator: Samista Jugwanth, Technical Director (Zutari)
- Richard Appiah Otoo, Chief Operations Officer (Ghana Water Company)
- Dr. Johannes Sirunda, Acting Chief Scientific Officer (Namibia Water Corporation)
- Zakhele Khuzwayo, Manager Innovation and Technology (Johannesburg Water)
- Lubabalo Luyaba, Water and Sanitation Specialist (SALGA)
Interactive Roundtable Session – The “How to”
Deciding between Mechanical and Ultrasound Meters Led by Clayton Muller, Managing Director (Apex Innovation)
Building Internal Trust – Lessons in Stakeholder Engagement Led by Kristi Vollgraaff, Innovation Partner (The Innovation Consulting Company)
Developing the Basics in Smart Water Led by André Kowalewski, Senior Engineer – Water Services (Drakenstein Local Municipality) & Dr. Alex Sinske, CTO (GLS Consulting)
Evaluating Your Business Readiness for Smart Metering Led by Shaun Mason, Strategic Programmes Director (WRc)
Unlocking the Benefits and Risks of AMI Data Led by Mogan Padayachee, Innovation and New Technologies Manager & John Roberts, Maintenance Manager – Bulk Water Distribution (Rand Water)
Making the Business Case: Show Me the Value Led by Boitumelo Matshediso, Business Unit Manager – TalbotAnalytics (Talbot)
Leveraging AMI for Multi-Purposes (Leaks, Energy, Customer Engagement, etc.) Led by Mark Shamley, Owner (Mzanzi)
Balancing Smart Metering Investments and Organisational Support Led by Lloyd Van Der Merwe, Managing Director & Gerardt Viljoen, Non-Executive Director (Precision Meters)
Enhancing Customer Engagement and Empowerment through Smart Metering Led by Dhasi Naidoo, Chief Strategy Officer & Ithriam Leukes, Business Development Manager (Ontec Systems)
Telecom’s Evolving Role in Smart Metering Connectivity Led by Sisonke Mgwebi, Consultant (Frost & Sullivan)
Roundtable Rapidfire Recap
Masterclass: “AI” and You – An Introduction
- Matt Lewis, Technical Lead – Utilities & James Combrink, Technical Delivery Lead (Sand Technologies)
The world of data is full of acronyms and buzzwords. Use of opaque umbrella terms such as “data science,” “machine learning” and “artificial intelligence” can make tools and technologies inaccessible to those who might benefit from their use. We decoded and demystified these and related terms and talk through how they are relevant to real-world situations in the water/wastewater sector.
SWAN Update
- Dr. Amir Cahn, CEO (SWAN Forum)
Panel 3: “AMI Lessons Learned – Positive and Unexpected”
Moderator: Traci Reddy, Principal Consultant (Pegasys)
- Thomas Kuczynski, Chief Information Officer (WSSC Water, US)
- Jannie Koegelenberg, Director Civil Engineering Services (George Municipality)
- Clayton Muller, Managing Director (Apex Innovation)
Workshop Summary and Next Steps
- MC: Hugh Cole, Director: Policy and Strategy (City of Cape Town)
As part of Knowledge Partnership with Frost & Sullivan – delegates who attended the Smart Water Metering Workshop can also have a one week trial access of the research portal. Please reach out to Rebecca M: Rebecca.Mabika@frost.com
March 1st, 2024
City of Cape Town Study Tour
Saldanha Bay Study Tour
SPONSORS
