Intelligent metering for sustainable urban water planning and management

摘要: Prosperous cities must be able to respond to future pressures from increasing populations, climate variability and climate change while maintaining adequate water services for residents and businesses. Based on dwindling water supplies (due to droughts and changing rainfall patterns) and projected increasing demands, the management of water resources has become a major concern for residential consumers, industry and all levels of government. Many water constrained cities have recently embraced a combination of initiatives to reduce demand (eg installing efficient appliances and undertaking water recycling) and have begun increasing sources of supply through the installation of rainwater tanks and the construction of desalination plants. Such changes to water supply sources and patterns of demand mean smarter approaches to urban water management are required to achieve a sustainable water future; the era of urban water planning that is highly focussed on how to build and supply water has passed. The everchanging water supply system demands adaptive and innovative management fed by robust information.Currently, governments and public utilities are investing significant funds in the development and implementation of water strategies in order to ensure future water demands are met. Demand management strategies include water restrictions, rebate programs for water efficient devices, water efficiency labelling, water conservation or education programs and pressure and leakage management (Inman and Jeffrey 2006). Source substitution or ‘fit-for-use’water involves replacing specified potable enduses, such as toilet …