Project:
Safe Smart Systems
Using artificial intelligence to fundamentally improve the long-term operational resilience of water companies.
This project sets out to transform our operational systems to create the next generation of water systems that achieve autonomous control.
It will aim to build systems that are connected, independent and deliver a clean and sustainable supply of water for future generations.
Project stats:
Number of partners:
Funding received:
Estimated completion date:
October 2025
Why is this project important?
We are all operating in an increasingly challenging backdrop in terms of climate change, energy usage and other environmental, social and political uncertainties. We recognise that water company performance needs to be even better to deliver the best service we can to our customers.
This means we must transform the way we operate and fully embrace the digital and technological opportunities before us.
Our mission
To develop and evidence safe smart system within Ely, Cambridgeshire, with the capability and culture to operate; that is validated by the industry and provides the path which can be followed by others to embed resilience and benefits for customers, society and the environment.
Our vision
We have built and are operating an automated, connected system that delivers a clean, sustainable supply of water for future generations.
What’s at the core of the project?
A safe, smart system enables our people to be proactive in meeting customer needs ahead of time and have a positive impact on communities and the environment.
Playbook
An industry playbook for how companies can follow the journey that we go on in developing Safe Smart Systems and ensure that solutions and learnings are transferable and adaptable.
The team will be working to showcase a transformation approach how the water industry can address present and future challenges to quality, safety, security and operational performance.
There are five outputs from the project:
Foundations and building blocks
The underpinning structures, data frameworks and architectures and the creation of sector leading industry standards including a water demonstrator for implementing the emerging National Information Management Framework (IMF). This project will deliver the first sector specific Information Management Landscape (IML) —the processes and guidance that promote, manage and support the digital representation of a water system.
Playbook
An industry playbook for how companies can follow the journey that we go on in developing Safe Smart Systems and ensure that solutions and learnings are transferable and adaptable.
A working example
Implementation of the next generation of infrastructure including the deployment of automated physical infrastructure and smart Operational Technology (OT) hardware like valves, pumps, sensors, edge processing and computing, in the right areas.
AI decision engine
Development and deployment of a systems based AI Decision Engine —a digital process which takes a system level approach to decision-making.
Tried and tested news ways of working
New ways of working across the project partners and the industry who collaborate in agile and new ways to deliver transformational outcomes that will benefit the wider water industry.
If you have any questions about our Safe Smart Systems project, you can contact the team via the email address below.
SafeSmartSystems@anglianwater.co.uk
Innovation Award Winners
On Tuesday 5 th December 2023 at the Utility Week Awards, Anglian Water took home the Innovation Award for our work with Jacobs on the Safe Smart Systems project.
As the pressure increases on UK’s water network, now is the time to look closely at our operations and ensure they are fit for future purpose. Innovation plays an important role in allowing us to think outside of the box and introduce new ways of operating to the water industry and the Safe Smart Systems project is an excellent, and now award-winning, example of this.
Matt Kirk, Head of Optimisation and Project Director shared ”I couldn’t be prouder of the Safe Smart Systems Team in winning the Innovation Award at the Utility Week Awards last night.”
Safe Smart Systems is Anglian Water’s largest project funded by the Ofwat Innovation fund, where we are building an Artificial Intelligence decision engine for our water system within the Innovation Shop Window – an industry first.
What sets Safe Smart Systems apart from any other projects I’m aware of is the sheer scale of collaboration. We are in partnership with 27 other companies, with Anglian Water and Jacobs leading. The level of ambition in this project and what has been achieved so far is truly exciting and shows what can be achieved by working with others.
