EPSRC WITE Project: Monitoring, modelling and leakage management in water distribution networks
 
Annual meeting, UKWIR, London, 15 October 2001
Panel Session Minutes
Consortium Representatives – Academic partners (AP):

Andrew Day (Bradford University), Graham Tattersall (East Anglia University), Cedo Maksimovic (Imperial College, Chair), Roger Powell (Brunel University).
 

Water Industry (WI) Representatives:

Tony Woodward (Thames Water), Willy Abu Judeh (Anglian Water)
 

Note:These minutes provide an overview of the topics discussed at the panel session and some action points proposed. For more detailed technical description of the presentations, please consult the position papers.
 

The panel session of the Third Workshop was opened by C. Maksimovic, who summarised the presentations given in the Workshop. Several topics for discussion were proposed including:

At the beginning of the discussion, the importance of bringing together academic and industrial partners from industry has been praised by both sides and in that respect the results of the present WITE project have been evaluated as a success. It was concluded that this joint work contributed to bridging a gap between the universities and the industry.

The WI partners acknowledged that the research conducted by all universities was productive and successful. It was pointed out, however, that WI would like to have more explicit information on which of  the novel methodologies developed and tested in the project, could be feasible for full-scale implementation and which would need further development and customisation.  In the case of products applicability, a common testing of the complementary methodologies would be recommendable. The common testing  (if performed) should be  accompanied by cost-benefit analysis to highlight the efficiency of each of the methods. The AP  agreed that common testing would provide a benchmark for final validation of the methodologies and this would require more liberal access to WI’s data. Although the companies have data that are  available to use, problems concerning its sharing were expressed, and further access would require case by case negotiation.

Several points were made regarding the potential application of the methodologies and the technology transfer to the industry. It was stressed that the companies would be interested initially in all of the methodologies that prove to be applicable to leakage detection on trunk mains and especially in plastic pipes. The AP agreed that most of the methodologies developed are very complementary, some methodologies might be proven to be more efficient under particular conditions, but the efficiency would have to be further tested. 

It has been pointed out that in principle, individual arrangement between water companies and universities could be one of the possible means pursuing further application of the individual products.  An example of a possible further action was given by Brunel University who set up a technology transfer company, which will handle state estimation technique, and the example is the possible co-operation between Imperial College and Logica in further development of the next generation of telemetry systems. However, it has been assessed that further joint work of the AP consortium  after the end of the project in a form of a club with common interests could be a workable option.  WI partners expressed an interest in co-operating with the “club” in order to support  transformation of the research results into  commercially exploitable  product. This could potentially  be achieved trough a development of a workstation encompassing all developed methodologies. This idea needs further consideration.

It has been pointed out that further work on development of such  products would  depend on available funding. Several points were made regarding future financial sources. It was emphasised that the funding of the development of commercially applicable  product is expected either from its final users (WI), but not likely from  EPSRC who sponsored the research investigators  throughout the project. Potential EPSRC support  were not discussed  been  because there were no EPSRC representatives present at the meeting. It was concluded that this matter should be further  discussed  at a possible meeting between UKWIR (and/or other entities such as British Water, WaterUK, BCB)  and the water companies. In these consultations water companies would be given a chance to  express their interest in supporting further development and application of research results. Such action would require from the AP to produce a brief but commercially orientated  presentation of the targets achieved together with an assessment of the  efficiency.

C. Maksimovic as a project co-ordinator has accepted to co-ordinate such an action, pending on the support from the potential participants in such consultations.
 

Finally it has been concluded that the project has achieved  a  high level of research results  with significant potential to boost  the international competence of British WI and consulting companies. Therefore,  it was suggested that  the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is approached with a proposal  for possible funding that is needed for final transformation of the research into commercially exploitable products.  In order to capitalise on the results achieved and  the momentum generated it is suggested for the consultations to take place either before the end of 2001 or early in 2002.
Action: CM and UKWIR.

The meeting was concluded by the chairman’s a summary. It was proposed that the final recommendation for future actions should be made in the minutes that will be dispatched to all participants of the project.
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